Morning Roundup: Dec. 3, 2019

Meth Is Killing More Utahns Than Ever [Salt Lake Tribune]Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner Fight Post-Relapse [Radar Online]Teen Opens Free Mental Health Lounge For Kids In Need After Being Stabbed By Bullies [News3TV]The Class Of 2000 "Could've Been Anything." Until Opioids Hit [NY Times]Built For Counterterrorism, This High-Tech Machine Is Now Helping Fight Fentanyl [NPR]What Would A War On The Drug Cartels Look Like? [Town Hall]Public Health Crisis: 25% of Youth Are Addicted To Phone, Often With Mental Health Problems [Fast Company]"Secret Santa" Causes Millennial Anxiety [Mental Floss] 

Doctors Use "TikTok" To Teach Teens About Vaping Dangers

Figuring out a way to reach teens has been an ongoing issue for medical professionals, teachers and parents for decades. But now, a handful of doctors have found a very modern solution to raising awareness and educating teens and it's a popular app called TikTok.What Is TikTok?The app, which Slate describes as a "social network for amateur music videos," allows users to express themselves in 15-second clips that they can then upload for their followers to see.Dr. Rose Marie Leslie uses the app to inform teens about the health impact of e-cigarettes and other medical misinformation. For Dr. Leslie, it's important to dispel harmful health myths which are becoming more widespread thanks to the Internet. “I may not be the perfect health guru on social media,” Dr. Leslie told CNBC. “I don’t meditate or do yoga, I rarely get enough sleep, I’m not vegan and I don’t post inspirational quotes. But let me tell you, I have never and will never try to convince you that drinking celery juice cures cancer.”Dr. Leslie, who can be found on the app under @DrLeslie, practices family medicine at the University of Minnesota. Her TikTok videos have put a spotlight on vaping illnesses, birth control and she even busts medical myths for her 300,000 TikTok followers.Dr. Leslie is happy that her videos are making a positive impacts on teens' lives. She regularly receives letters, emails and comments from teens thanking her for helping them understand the issues. She also receives a number of medical questions that some teens are afraid to ask the adults in their lives. The Power Of Social MediaDr. Austin Chiang is also a big believer in the power of social media. He uses Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to help young doctors and to educate the public on how vaccines work. Public health experts see the use of social media in medicine as an overall positive thing. “I’ve heard the criticism that doctors and other medical professionals on social media are somehow less credible, or won’t be taken as seriously by their peers,” said Sherry Pagoto, a behavioral scientist and professor at the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut. “But I think that school of thought is going to be a thing of the past.”Pagoto added that “it would be great for public health organizations to follow the lead of these medical professionals on TikTok.”

Willie Nelson Has Quit Smoking Marijuana

Country legend Willie Nelson, who smoked his first joint in 1954, revealed in a recent interview that breathing problems have forced him to stop smoking marijuana, his notable drug of choice.“I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful,” Nelson told KSAT TV.“I started smoking cedar bark, went from that to cigarettes to whatever. And that almost killed me.”Nelson, who has a history of emphysema, was left with no choice but to give up smoking the bud. “I don’t smoke anymore - take better care of myself,” Nelson said.Leaving Cigs & Whiskey BehindThe 86-year-old singer told Rolling Stone back in April, “I’m kind of the canary in the mine, if people are wondering what happens if you smoke that shit a long time,” he said. “You know, if I start jerking or shaking or something, don’t give me no more weed. But as long as I’m all right...”While the country legend first tried marijuana in 1954, it wouldn't be until over two decades later before he opted to make it his number one vice - a decision that the singer stands behind. He cut out the cigarettes and whiskey and never looked back.“I wouldn’t be alive. It saved my life, really. I wouldn’t have lived 85 years if I’d have kept drinking and smoking like I was when I was 30, 40 years old. I think that weed kept me from wanting to kill people," he told Rolling Stone, "And probably kept a lot of people from wanting to kill me, too — out there drunk, running around.”Willie's ReserveThough he may not smoke it anymore, he is still in the marijuana business. His medicinal marijuana brand Willie's Reserve launched back in 2016 and is still going strong. “This is a culmination of Willie’s vision, and his whole life,” said Michael Bowman, Nelson’s spokesman said in a statement about the launch. “Really, he wants it, at the end of the day, to envelop what his personal morals and convictions are.”Bowman continued, “Willie has spent a lifetime in support of cannabis, both the industrial hemp side and the marijuana side. He wants to be something that’s reflective of his passion. Ultimately, it’s his, but it was developed by his family, and their focus on environmental and social issues, and in particular this crazy War on Drugs, and trying to be a bright light amongst this trail as we’re trying to extract ourselves from the goo of prohibition.” 

If, When, and How You Should Talk To Others About Your Addiction

“Oh, you don’t drink? Why not?”It’s a question most people in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction have heard at least once. Although not all Americans drink, it sometimes seems like all of us are expected to. When you pass on a drink (or a drag, for that matter), it can prompt unwanted questioning. This is a situation that you’re almost guaranteed to encounter at some point in recovery, so it’s best to prepare ahead of time. If you’ve thought about how you want to talk to other people about your substance use disorder and your sobriety ahead of time, you’ll be better able to handle (or deflect) questions as they come up. Reflect On Your Comfort LevelThe first step in deciding how to talk to others about your addiction and recovery is to reflect on your general comfort level talking about addiction. Some people prefer to keep things private, while others enjoy the support they get from sharing milestones on social media and with wide circles of people they know. Both of those responses are fine; you just have to decide which one is right for you. This is a time to be honest with yourself. You might want to become an advocate for recovery eventually, but some feel that in early recovery it’s best to keep things private. It can be helpful to talk with your sponsor or other people in recovery as you decide what you want to share, if anything at all. No One Size Fits AllConsider that different people in your life might warrant different information on your addiction and recovery. The people closest to you, like your partner or children, were likely deeply impacted by your addiction, so you might feel that they deserve more insight into your recovery process. These people can likely benefit from understanding the disease of addiction and the process of recovery. Talking openly with them can help them understand your recovery process. Other people, like an acquaintance who notices that you aren’t drinking, aren’t owed an explanation at all. It’s completely fine to not discuss your addiction and recovery with these people at all. Remember, choosing not to discuss your addiction and recovery with strangers doesn’t mean you’re ashamed. After all, you likely wouldn’t discuss any other personal medical condition with someone you barely know. Then there are people who you don’t want to be particularly open with, but who were impacted by your recovery. This might include your colleagues. For these people, address the issues that need to be spoken about, without going into extra detail. You can assure your boss that you are reliable and able to do your job, without getting into the nitty gritty details about your addiction. Boundaries are always ok. Practice Deflecting QuestionsSometimes, it seems that people forget their manners when discussing addiction and recovery. No matter what type of openness you decide on, you’re likely to encounter some questions that you feel are too intrusive. Consider ahead of time how you’ll respond to these. “Why do you ask?” is a simple and polite response that puts the onus back on the person you’re talking too. Most likely, they’ll realize what they’re asking about is none of their business, giving you a chance to put the conversation back on grounds that you’re comfortable with. Check In Over TimeLike most aspects of recovery, how you discuss your addiction and sobriety will likely change over time. As you reach more recovery milestones and become more confident in your sobriety, you might want to share more of your story with people close to you and with strangers. Periodically check in with yourself, and think about your comfort level in sharing your story.Many people who deal with stigmatized conditions like substance use disorder find it empowering to speak out or advocate for changes that can make the road easier for those coming behind. Speaking out gives you the opportunity to control the narrative, and tell your story how you want it portrayed. After the disempowerment of living with active addiction, it can be powerful to feel in control. Learn more about Oceanside Malibu at http://oceansidemalibu.com/. Reach Oceanside Malibu by phone at (866) 738-6550. Find Oceanside Malibu on Facebook.

5 Ways To Practice Compassion Among Your Family and Friends Through the Holidays

The holidays are a time when families come together to celebrate the season of gratitude and while the season is often marked by abundance, it can also be a time of great need.It can be easy to assume that everyone is doing well during the holidays, but even in seemingly stable families, there exist struggling college students, extended family who may be going to the food bank for the first time, moms who are secretly going through a divorce and wondering how to get by during the coming year, and family members facing a diagnosis that will require hospitalization.Why not use this time together to look for and help your friends and family that could use an extra hand this holiday season?Here are five ways to weave compassion – for yourself and others – into the coming holidays.1. Check In: Don’t Assume It’s All OkayDo you have a friend or family member that you think might be going through something? Check in and ask. Offer to take them out to lunch, send them a card or a text. Make a phone call. You don’t have to pry into their life but be there and listen to what they have to say. The holidays can trigger all kinds of feelings and are a good time to touch base, especially amid the flurry of holiday cards and photos.2. Listen to UnderstandThere’s a difference between “listen to talk” and “listen to understand.” Listening to understand means you’re actively listening to the other person. You’re not in the “problem solving mindset,” you’re in the “exploration” mindset. Your friend may simply need to talk. Or they might need advice or a second opinion. Whatever it is, you won’t know unless you practice listening to understand. Creating space for those story-telling family members is a great place to start – studies show that recounting stories improves self-esteem in seniors.3. Care for YourselfMaybe you’re the one who is always there for everyone and always showing up when people need it most, and maybe this year, you’re going through struggles of your own. Tell someone you need to talk and make the time to do it, whether it’s a friend, a family member, a therapist, or counselor. Your needs are valid and important and your family and friends will respect that you know how to ask for and get the help you need to live your best life. Make it the gift you give yourself this year.4. Find Causes That Speak To YouFind nonprofits and causes that you can make an ongoing part of your life. Why? Because when a cause speaks to you, you’re more likely to look for creative ways to help it. When you’re actively involved with a cause you believe in, you’re more likely to talk about it with your friends and encourage them to give back in ways that are meaningful in their lives. Giving Tuesday is just one day, but a great day to start.5. Get OrganizedWhen you know someone who is going through a hardship, like a loved one in the hospital, the birth of a new baby, a sick child, or the death of a loved one, organize your friends and family to help them. This can be done with online tools like Give InKind that help you coordinate financial contributions, calendar tasks, chores, and more on a dedicated page that helps the person in need get exactly what they need. Time spent with family is a great time to pull together and make a plan for supporting someone you love.No matter how you give and give back this holiday season and beyond, stay mindful about those in need. May we all be lucky enough to not need, but when we do, may we all have the support of our loved ones and community to help us through. Laura Malcolm is the CEO and Founder of the social support network, Give InKind.

Kamala Harris Unveils Mental Health Plan With Charlamagne Tha God

Senator Kamala Harris unveiled her new mental health plan in South Carolina this week during an event featuring radio personality/author Charlamagne tha God. Harris sat down with The Breakfast Club host to discuss the state of mental health in America.  A Public Policy Failure"Probably one of the biggest public policy failures of America is the failure to address mental health and put the resources into it as a priority. The result of that is that people are silently suffering who should never suffer. We have so many children who are experiencing undiagnosed, untreated trauma, whether it is because they’re growing up in a home where there’s violence, which crosses socioeconomic lines, or a community where there’s violence, or growing up in poverty because — let’s be clear — poverty is trauma-inducing," Harris explained, according to Post and Courier. "All of the behaviors that result from that undiagnosed, untreated trauma are predictable. We’re failing to address it and then where we do address it is in the criminal justice system. We have basically turned jails and prisons into these gigantic mental health facilities without any mental health treatment."Charlamagne then touched on the issue of trauma and how he had to unlearn stigmatizing beliefs regarding who is affected by mental illness."They call it a correctional facility, but what are you really correcting? You’re taking these kids who are already dealing with so much trauma and throwing them in a situation that’s just putting trauma on top of trauma, and then you’re letting them out in the world — if they are blessed enough to come home — and they haven’t dealt with anything," he said. "I think one of the reasons they don’t get the help they need is because we don’t look at mental health services as something that should be part of a larger healthcare initiative. I didn’t even realize anxiety and depression was considered a mental health issue until I started going to therapy. When you think mental health, you think schizophrenia, you think somebody in a straitjacket, but no, it’s people dealing with these issues every single day and they just don’t have the proper tools and resources to go deal with it."Harris added, "And then we deal with it when it reaches a crisis level. You would never say that we should have a health care system that only deals with stage four cancer."In her new plan, Harris calls for an amendment to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that would protect healthcare providers who give out patients' private information if they are acting out of "good faith."Disabled healthcare advocate Kendally Brown tweeted Harris in response to her proposed HIPAA amendments. "I adore you, but eliminating the IMD exclusion would remove the ONE protection mentally ill people have from the state locking them up in institutions long-term. I love that you're focussing on mental health, but any solution MUST be community based, not institutional."Brown's stance is a common one among recovery and mental health advocates who fight for patients with addiction and/or mental health issues to make their own healthcare decisions.Kamala's Mental Health PlanHere is Harris's multi-pronged plan to address mental health, according to her campaign website:Focus Federal Funding on Needed Mental Health ResearchKamala will direct federal funds to seek better treatment for mental illness and research on mental health issues more broadly, including research on adults with serious mental illness (SMI) and the use of interventions that reduce homelessness, arrest, incarceration, and unnecessary hospitalization.Expand Coverage of and Access to Mental Health ServicesThrough her Medicare for All plan, Kamala will deliver mental health on demand via telemedicine, providing care by phone or video to all Americans whenever and wherever they need it—all without deductibles or copays.A shortage of mental health professionals harms American families and communities. It also drives provider stress and burnout. Kamala will authorize an educational loan forgiveness program for mental health professionals that agree to practice in areas with a shortage of providers.Increase Access to Hospitals, Housing, and Other Care FacilitiesKamala will double the number of treatment beds nationwide, prioritizing states with shortages, including Iowa, Nevada, South Carolina, and Michigan, so persons with mental illness can receive the high levels of care they need.She’ll repeal the Institutions of Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion, which precludes Medicaid funding for adults receiving care in psychiatric facilities with more than 16 beds and has exacerbated a severe shortage of acute psychiatric care beds nationwide.Focus on Vulnerable PopulationsDouble US Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA) research dollars to address and treat PTSD, military sexual trauma, and traumatic brain injury.Invest in evidence-based screenings for childhood trauma—including the fact that poverty is trauma-inducing—to diagnose and treat mental illness as early as possible.End the Mental-Illness-to-Jail PipelineKamala will expand Crisis Intervention Team training, which integrates specialized police, mental health professionals, EMS, 911 systems, and hospital emergency rooms in response to mental health crisis calls.You can read more about Harris's plan here.

Harry Styles Recalls Using Magic Mushrooms While Recording New Album

Former One Direction star Harry Styles is on the road promoting his upcomg sophomore effort, Fine Line, which is slated for release on December 13. Recently, Styles sat down with Zane Lowe for an interview on his Apple TV show, New Music Daily, where he discussed the recording process and his adventures with magic mushrooms."Making this record, I just felt so much more joyous. I felt safe," Styles explained to Lowe. Styles said that he doesn't usually indulge in alcohol or drugs while he's working but he felt safe among friends in Malibu. He decided that it was time to do some experimenting. "My thing with drugs is that if you're taking anything to escape or to try and hide from stuff then you shouldn't even drink. But if you're taking anything to have fun and be creative, then great. I was with my friends and making an album, you get in your head and you hit these bumps in the road...sometimes you take something and you don't worry about it. It's kind of stress-relieving in a sense," Styles shared.Recording On ShroomsThe 25-year-old hearthrob first opened up about his experience recording on shrooms in a Rolling Stone profile this past August.“We’d do mushrooms, lie down on the grass, and listen to Paul McCartney’s Ram in the sunshine,” he says of the Malibu location where he recorded his new album. “We’d just turn the speakers into the yard. You’d hear the blender going, and think, ‘So we’re all having frozen margaritas at 10 a.m. this morning.’”Styles highlights a corner of the room where a now-infamous accident occurred while he was tripping.“This is where I was standing when we were doing mushrooms and I bit off the tip of my tongue. So I was trying to sing with all this blood gushing out of my mouth. So many fond memories, this place.”Styles pointed out that he purposefully avoided drugs and heavy drinking while in One Direction because he didn't want to destroy the band. “When I was in the band, to me it felt like it was so much bigger than any of us; I felt, I’m not going to be the one who fucked it up,” Styles said. “So I was like, I’m not going to do any of that stuff. So I was like, now is the time in my life when you probably want to go out and experiment."Back in 2017, Styles told The Sun, “On the first couple of tours it was so exciting as we’d have a drink and go to parties. But for me, the albums got higher so they become harder to sing so I knew if I didn’t come off stage and go to bed I wouldn’t be able to sing the next night. Also, it’s just not for me. I’d rather wake up with a clear head. I’m not straight edge or anything – I’ll celebrate and hang out with friends when it’s the right time. But I like knowing I’m not going to be stressing about having to do something the next day."Liam's BattleStyles' former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne has been open about his heavy alcohol use during the height of the band's fame. Payne spoke to Men's Health Australia about using alcohol to deal with the stress of being mega famous."It's almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed (drunk) quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on," he said. "I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic."Payne added, "It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band. There have been a lot of people in trouble with mental health that aren’t really getting the help that they need and I think that’s a bit of a problem in our industry. It’s the same shit that happens to everyone, that’s been happening since the '70s. You know what the traps are and if you are lucky enough, like me, to be able to get out of that scenario and back into a sense of normality, then you know it’s a bit different.”

On the Other Side of Addiction, Only Love Remains

In my darker moments I’d search the obituaries for his name.Orlando Reyes JimenezPreparing to grieve my ex-husband’s death had become familiar; a routine performed in solitude. My procedure was always the same. I’d fill his favorite silver mug with chamomile tea and type his name into a search engine. I would scroll the death notices and inhale the steam; it smelled of sunlight and grass. I would wrap my hands around his mug until the tea grew cold. After four years I still hadn’t found an obituary but I knew he could be dead. I knew he had been homeless. I knew his health was spiraling downward. I suspected he still drank heavily. I was tired of the shame and silence that surrounded loving him. Alcoholism overshadowed his life. I did not want it to overshadow his death.My Second FamilyAt the end of our ten-year marriage I had become terrified that he’d die. Almost daily I would help him to bed after whiskey binges led him to black out. He never remembered the way he crawled down the hallway and how I turned him on his side so he wouldn’t choke on his vomit. In the mornings I’d wipe his clammy forehead and smooth his black bangs. His thick hair still curled at the ends just as it had when we met. We were just kids then, only 12 years old. During our teens I spent so much time at his house that his parents and brothers became my second family. His mom fed me bowls of molé with tortillas while his dad and I discussed books and music deep into the twilight. By the time we got married in our twenties, the wedding ceremony made formal what we had known all along: we were family. In our twenties we partied, but I assumed it was just a college thing. I grew out of it and into graduate school. By the time I began teaching college and seeing music therapy clients his party binges had turned into daily drinking. He began punching holes in the walls of our apartment. When I confronted him, he began to hide his drinking. A drunk driving arrest led to rehab and a year of sobriety. But he relapsed and refused help. He began verbally abusing me. I contracted my world around him until the threat of physical violence became obvious. Eventually I got counseling and spiritual advising and we divorced. I no longer sat with his mom and dad at the kitchen table.But Orlando and I stayed in touch. After all, we had been friends since seventh grade. He’d call and tell me about his homelessness, his ejection from a halfway house for being drunk. I remarried, moved, and built a healthy life. The gap between our lives widened. After a few years he stopped calling.A Way to Feel ConnectedI began my search for his obituary. My search began as a way to feel connected to him. All typical social contact had been severed by both the divorce and his behavior. At first, acquaintances had fallen away after his violent outbursts in public. Then friends stopped calling after he borrowed money and didn’t pay it back. Even his siblings seemed to become disillusioned after he passed out during a backyard barbecue in front of his nieces. By the time we divorced his family had taken over his care and I dropped out of contact with them. United in our love for him, yet fearing for his life, we seemed to retreat from each other as if disconnecting would help us move forward. When his phone calls stopped and he dropped off social media, I was shadowed by the sense of him wandering the world alone. I would picture him drunk and in constant danger of an accident or cumulation of uncontrolled diabetes keeping him a hair’s breadth from death. I could no longer turn him on his side and wipe his forehead. My search became the only way I could care for him. Each time I didn’t find an obituary, it meant there was still a chance he was alive. Six years after our divorce, his family sent me an email. Orlando had died from a pulmonary embolism, just four days from what would have been our eighteenth wedding anniversary. They did not invite me to the funeral or burial and I craved a way to externalize my grief. I sent a request to the Michigan coroner for his death certificate. When it arrived a few weeks later, I went into my garden and read it repeatedly as in ritual. The cause of death was listed as accidental. I tried not to imagine what had happened. I ran my fingers along the coroner’s signature as if the letters could connect me to everyone who loved Orlando.I Needed a Place to Put My PainMost family written death notices are quite simple, and I’m not sure why his family didn’t write one. Perhaps their grief was too heavy to share publicly. Perhaps they were ashamed of him. Or maybe it just wasn’t a meaningful part of their grieving process. It wasn’t the length of the obituary I needed, nor its ability to express the complexity of his life. It was the simple and public recognition that he had existed. That his life warranted notice. The grieving process needs two things: solitude and community. An obituary would have allowed me the feeling of sharing my loss with others. I knew that when we divorced I had abdicated my rights to the family. But I still loved him as I had since childhood. I needed a place to put my pain.So I once again returned to brewing chamomile tea in his favorite mug, a silver travel mug that was the only thing of his I’d kept after our divorce. I would cup my hands around its rotund shape and for a moment feel his warmth again. I opened my computer, but instead of typing his name into the search engine, I typed it across the top of a new document. I wrote all the words I had searched for. I gave him an obituary. Jimenez, Orlando Reyes, 42, of Waukegan died on August 20, 2016 at a hospital in Detroit. His death was ruled accidental. Orlando will be remembered for the way he loved to make people laugh and for his engulfing hugs. He is survived by his parents, two brothers, and two nieces. He is also survived by his ex-wife, his childhood sweetheart. She continues to use his favorite silver mug in which she brews tea that smells of summer and hope. In lieu of flowers please forgive the addiction and remember the soul. On the other side of addiction only love remains. 

Kirstie Alley Shares Hot Take On Psychiatric Meds

Actress Kirstie Alley's Twitter feed has been the topic of debate over her controversial tweets on psychiatric drugs.Before her Sunday hot take on psychiatry, Alley shared a heartfelt revelation on the popular app. The Cheers actress opened up about what she does with the money she used to spend on cocaine back when she was battling an addiction to the drug. "For u who don't know much about me, I used to be a coke head," Alley who is now 40 years drug-free tweeted on Thursday. "I quit drugs in 1979 & vowed to spend the same $ weekly on flowers that I'd spent on drugs."The 66-year-old added, "I buy & arrange my own flowers as a gift to MYSELF. I buy them in the grocery store."Alley's fans congratulated the actress for her four decades of being drug-free and shared their own sober tales. A couple days later, Alley upset some Twitter users when she called into question the prevalence of psychiatric drugs. Hot Takes"Does anyone else worry about how unconscious we are being rendered by pharmaceutical drugs? Is anyone else concerned that we are the most psych drugged country on the planet? I tell you what, if I was an evil dictator & wanted to control a society, I would drug them into apathy," Alley tweeted on Sunday. Her tweet received mixed reviews from her followers, with some lauding Alley, a long-time Scientologist, for speaking out against what she perceives as an overall overprescription of psychiatric drugs. Alley's views echo those of Tom Cruise, inarguably the world's most famous living Scientologist.Cruise caught a wave of backlash from mental health experts and patients after proclaiming his disdain for psych meds in a now-infamous 2005 interview with Matt Lauer.“I’ve never agreed with psychiatry, ever,” Cruise said. “Before I was a Scientologist I never agreed with psychiatry, and when I started studying the history of psychiatry, I understood more and more why I didn’t believe in psychology.”Prior to the Lauer interview, Cruise had taken Brooke Shields to task with accusations that she was "promoting" antidepressants by saying that the medication Paxil helped her deal with postpartum depression."As far as the Brooke Shields thing, look, you have to understand, I really care about Brooke Shields – she’s a wonderful and talented woman, and I want her to do well, and I know psychiatry is a pseudoscience,” Cruise stated. “The thing that I’m saying about Brooke is that there’s misinformation, okay. And she doesn’t understand the history of psychiatry. She doesn’t understand in the same way that you don’t understand it, Matt.”"There's No Such Thing As A Chemical Balance"Cruise went on to denounce the prescription of Ritalin to children and suggested that "vitamins and exercise" could resolve personal issues.  “Drugs are not the answer,” said Cruise. “I think there’s a better quality of life.”Shields responded to Cruise's comments in an interview with People. “I agree with him about his feeling on prescribing drugs to kids. We are in accord,” she said. “I don’t think Ritalin should be prescribed to kids. Postpartum depression is a different matter. I think I’m more qualified to talk about that (than he is).”According to Shields, Cruise offered her a "heartfelt apology" in 2006 for bringing her into his psychiatric debate.

American Medical Association Calls For Ban On Vaping Products, E-Cigs

The American Medical Association has gone on the record against vaping and are calling for a total ban of all vaping products and e-cigarettes that are unapproved by the FDA to be used as "cessation tools."On Monday, the organization published a press release announcing the call for a ban as well as new vaping-related policies.The new policies include:Urgently advocate for regulatory, legislative, and/or legal action at the federal and/or state levels to ban the sale and distribution of all e-cigarette and vaping products, with the exception of those approved by the FDA for tobacco cessation purposes and made available by prescription only;Advocate for research funding to study the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarette and vaping products for tobacco cessation purposes;Call for immediate and thorough study of the use of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies for tobacco use disorder and nicotine dependence resulting from the use of non-combustible and combustible tobacco products in populations under the age of 18;Actively collaborate with health care professionals, particularly pharmacists and other health care team members, to persuade retail pharmacies to immediately cease sales of tobacco products;Advocate for diagnostic codes for e-cigarette and vaping associated illnesses, including pulmonary toxicity.“The recent lung illness outbreak has alarmed physicians and the broader public health community and shined a light on the fact that we have very little evidence about the short- and long-term health consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping products,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. “It’s simple – we must keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people and that’s why we are calling for an immediate ban on all e-cigarette and vaping products from the market. With the number of young people using e-cigarettes spiking it is not only critical that there is research into nicotine addiction treatments for this population, but it is imperative that we continue efforts to prevent youth from ever using nicotine.”The AMA's full-court press on vaping comes as a wave of illnesses continue to afflict vape users across the country. The CDC announced in early November that vitamine e oil acetate has been found in a high number of  e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) cases. Here is the CDC's Latest Outbreak Information on vaping-related illnesses and deaths:As of November 13, 2019, 2,172* cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) have been reported to CDC from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands).Forty-two deaths have been confirmed in 24 states and the District of Columbia (as of November 13, 2019):Alabama, California (4), Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia (3), Illinois (4), Indiana (4), Kansas (2), Massachusetts (2), Michigan, Minnesota (3), Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon (2), Pennsylvania, Tennessee (2), Texas, Utah, and VirginiaThe median age of deceased patients was 52 years and ranged from 17 to 75 years (as of November 13, 2019).CDC continues to work closely with FDA, states, public health partners, and clinicians on this investigation. Youth Vaping EpidemicThere is another vaping-related epidemic wreaking havoc across the country and it is affecting teens and adolescents at worrisome rates. Around 2.1 million adolescents were using e-cigarettes in 2017 alone. E-cigarette company Juul has been accused of creating the youth vaping epidemic by deceptively marketing their products to underage individuals. Juul denies these allegations.Government officials have reportedly been meeting behind the scenes to discuss new regulations, potential bans on vaping products, specifically flavored ones. This week Trump is set to meet with the vaping industry executives and public health advocates as he decides whether or not to ban flavoring products. 

Morning Roundup: Nov. 19, 2019

Bill Would Let More People More Doctors Prescribe Addiction Treatment Meds Without Waiting For Insurer's Permission [STAT News]Bella Hadid Talks Mental Health, Runway Modeling [Teen Vogue]Vote To Federally Legalize Marijuana Planned In Congress [Forbes]Lil Xan Says He Suffered Seziures While Going Through Drug Withdrawal [Page Six]Switching From Cigarettes To Vapes May Be Better For Heart Health [CNN]How Ewan McGregor Approached Dan Torrance's Alcoholism In Dr. Sleep [CinemaBlend]Kratom May Cause Liver Damage [WebMD]This New Headset Combats Depression Symptoms Without Medication [Local 12]   

From War Correspondent to Workplace Mental Health Advocate: An Interview with Dean Yates

After years of covering war, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters in the Middle East and Southeast Asia for Reuters, journalist Dean Yates was diagnosed with PTSD and "Moral Injury." He sought healing not only with professionals and clergy, but by writing and sharing his story with the world. What happened next created a new role for him at Reuters and an opportunity to turn something tragic into something inspiring. After meeting at a conference in London, Dean Yates spoke with me from his home in Australia. What did it mean to be a bureau chief for Reuters in Bagdad at the time you were there? Yates: I was the bureau chief in Bagdad at the height of the Iraq war just before the surge of US troops into Iraq. This was George W. Bush’s last roll of the dice. It had plunged basically into civil war. That first six months of 2007 were the most violent period during the Iraq war. There were car bombs going off every day. That job entailed being responsible for coverage of that story but also being responsible for close to 100 men and women in the world’s most dangerous reporting zone. That made it an extremely stressful job. If I had half an idea of what it was going to be like, I’m not sure I would’ve gone there in retrospect because what ended up happening was way beyond anything I was prepared for. On the roof of the Reuters office in BaghdadOver the years you reported on many tragic events including a nightclub massacre that killed 202 people in Bali in 2002 and a tsunami that killed 165,000 in Indonesia’s Aceh province in 2004 before you arrived in Bagdad. You’ve written in your stories about losing several colleagues in Iraq. Can you talk about what that was like? What it comes down to really is, you know, I felt morally responsible for the safety of my staff. I think that’s something a lot of people experience. Even though people say you did everything you could, you shouldn’t blame yourself, that wasn’t how I felt. It surfaced later into this moral injury. I just couldn’t live with myself because of what I saw as my own culpability and my failure. It was a spiritual care worker at the psych ward who helped guide me through a healing ceremony where I was able to pay my respects to Namir (22) and Saeed (40), the two men who were killed in an attack by a U.S. Apache helicopter on July 12, 2007 in Baghdad. This spiritual care worker was able to be at my side. No clinician could have done that. I really found I was able to make peace with myself after that ceremony.What is Moral Injury? Actually, you can trace it back to the writings of Homer, the ancient Greek poet, and his epic poems “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” What it really means is if someone feels there is something that they did or didn’t do or that they witnessed that so deeply contravenes their moral compass or ethical values, they end up with a moral injury. People often think of PTSD as being something that affects the nervous system, the brain, the body. I think it also affects the soul. Think of a soldier who believed he was doing something good for the community but the Taliban, it turned out, didn’t like what he was doing and so the end result is that children die. You can’t give someone medication for that or give them a bit of evidence-based therapy.That makes sense. I’ve heard a lot of people in recovery talk about how when they were using and drinking, they did things in service of their disease which were not in alignment with their own moral compass. You talk in one of your stories about taking paracetamol and codeine tablets to get to sleep and about drinking heavily as well as staying in bed, do you feel you were self-medicating your undiagnosed condition at that time? Oh yeah, totally. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever suffered from addiction. I went through bouts where I’d rely on alcohol or prescription medication but I was never in that years long cycle that some of my colleagues have been in. I had a little bit of an experience with it, but I got off the booze quite easily on my first psych ward admission.Journalists have been known as boozers for as long as the profession has existed. I remember one weekend I was on duty and I was in the office asleep on the couch so hungover and the boss walked into the office with his wife and I remember him saying to his wife “let’s be quiet, I think Dean’s had a big night, we don’t want to wake him.” If that happened now, I’d be fired. But back then it was all part of the journalist culture. We went out and got roaring drunk. It was how we dealt with a lot of the traumatic stories. When we were in Baghdad we used to spend huge amounts of money on alcohol. Because we had to. Otherwise we would have gone crazy.You’re lucky you were brave enough to seek out help and you did find the help you needed so you no longer had to self-medicate. We talk now in the addiction field about trauma being one of the main causes of addiction.Who can be affected by PTSD? Oh anyone. All it takes is a severe enough traumatic event for someone to be at risk of developing PTSD. But the problem is that people associate PTSD with soldiers and increasingly with first responders. I’ve seen it across so many different sectors of the work force: nurses, doctors, and then in the civilian sphere—domestic violence, road accident victims. In Australia 70% of people will experience a traumatic event, according to Phoenix Australia (a center for post-traumatic mental health in Australia). In the U.S. the biggest group of people with PTSD are actually victims of rape. It doesn’t matter what brought you to the diagnosis. It doesn’t matter what your profession was. You all have flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression. We have these things in common that I thought wouldn’t have been possible and it makes me angry that so many of these people suffering with PTSD are silenced. It’s the same with addiction. Addiction is very much a disease of isolation. The whole idea of stigma contributes to the avoidance. It looks to me like avoidance has a role in the development of mental illness and PTSD in the first place. Yes, I had isolated myself incredibly. The only people who knew I had PTSD were my family and a few close friends. It was the same when I was in the psych ward. When I walked in that door it was terrifying. You know once you go through that door you can’t take that back. How’s that going to look on your resume? Because people think you’re crazy.What do you think happened for you in the process of writing your story “The Road to Ward 17” even before you published it? The writing process is cathartic, it’s therapeutic, you learn a lot about yourself; it’s part of the recovery process. There’s so much research out there about the power of writing and sharing your story with others. When you wrote your story, how were your expectations different from what happened when you actually published it? I had initially thought that this could maybe be used as a blog for other colleagues, but then I thought this should actually be published. One of the things I thought about in the psych ward was that these folks who were in there, they were going through really rough times, and no one could tell their story. But I thought if I tell my story it’s a little like telling their story. The story ended up in the hands of our investigations editor in New York who is responsible for what’s called our special reports. We rarely publish first person account stories. But he really liked it. And when the story came out I wasn’t prepared for the response. I was more prepared to get negative responses. For people to be angry about me talking about the Apache attacks and Wikileaks. But I got messages from people all over the world and all walks of life who had experienced trauma just saying thanks for writing your story, thanks for putting this out there, thanks for telling it like it is. I’d only come out of the psych ward a couple months earlier. The video of the attack that killed your two colleagues, and the way only parts of it were released, created a certain perspective that skewed much of the response to it, even your own if I read you right. What have you learned about perspective in all this? Two weeks after Namir and Saeed had been killed, I was sitting in this office with these two generals and they started playing the tape and we had no idea that was coming. I saw the first— not even three minutes— of the tape and the tape was stopped at the moment the Apache fired on the men which included my staff. I walked out of that briefing with this one image in my head of our photographer peering around that corner. That image actually was burned into my brain for years and I just could not get that image out of my head to the point where I actually started seeing him as being responsible for what happened, whereas the order to fire had already been given before he even peered around the corner. And then when the (full) tape was released in 2010 I could not actually physically watch it. I knew what happened. I had read the transcripts by then but I hadn’t actually watched it. It was only when I wrote that story that I was able to watch that tape for the first time because I knew I had to get the timing of the events correct. So it did give me a different perspective. That tape to me shows the world what the Iraq war was really like.Tributes to Namir and SaeedChanging the Face of Mental Health at WorkHow are you transforming what was a tragic event into something inspiring in your new role at Reuters? I wanted to try to create an environment where our staff felt comfortable putting their hands up and saying I’ve got mental illness or whatever and have management respond with compassion so that they could access the resources we have available. Because when you have an environment where people don’t feel comfortable talking about it, there’s not much you can do. We’ve been doing a series of internal blogs at Reuters. I wrote about my PTSD issues, and what it did is it kicked off other journalists writing about their own issues. The next person was a journalist in the Middle East who wrote about his struggle with bi-polar, another woman wrote about her depression, another guy wrote about his burnout. Some of these journalists have been overwhelmed with responses which also makes them feel like they’ve got meaning out of what they’ve done. They’ve got purpose out of what they’ve done. We’ve had about 30 now but not a single blog about addiction. So this colleague of mine wants to write about their addiction but wants to remain anonymous. I think that just shows how much stigma there still is.Those blogs were very powerful in normalizing that conversation to the point where I think they’ve been as effective as anything we’ve done in getting that message out there that it’s okay to come forward, and that you’ll get the support you need. And it’s helpful for managers because if they’re reading about colleagues getting help, they’re thinking I want to be a good manager and make sure my people get the help they need,too. One of my areas of focus this year has been in training managers on how to look after the mental health of their team.This is an important endeavor considering that, according to the Mental Health at Work 2019 Report BiTC, 62% of managers faced situations where they put the interests of their organizations above the interest of their colleagues. You’re not a psychologist or a psychiatrist but what you’re offering is peer support; you can explain to a manager how to talk to their staff who are struggling because you’ve been there. Right, I know the profession and I’ve got the lived experience of mental illness. I try to operate in the early intervention space. I am not an expert but I can be an advocate. I’ve got the street cred. No one can look at me and say you don’t know what you’re talking about. Because I do.If the 12-step movement has taught us nothing else it’s taught us that peer support works. It crosses my mind that there’s something in this for the corporate world. How does mental health and addiction effect a company’s level of productivity?I was able to function very highly for a long time but one of the symptoms of PTSD is avoidance. And so one of the great ways of avoiding your issues is through work and that was how I did it and I know a lot of people who have done the same thing. People want to contribute and they want to be part of something bigger than themselves. All the research shows that work is good for people’s mental health in general. But the point is: Don’t look after people’s mental health because it’s good for the business, look after people’s mental health because it’s the right thing to do. People with a mental health issue just want to be acknowledged. They want to be treated as if they had come into the office with their leg in a plaster (cast). You come into the office with your leg in plaster--it’s okay, we’ll sort this out; you’re supposed to be at that conference next week, we’ll send someone else; and okay, you’ve got to go to that doctor appointment, no problem. If you treat people like that, the numbers take care of themselves. Fair enough, though it is interesting to note that at the Mad World Summit in London, where we met, Sir Vince Cable was quoted as saying, “Mental illness costs the UK economy more than Brexit.” Which is a lot of money. And, according to the CDC, by combining medical and behavioral health care services, the United States could save $37.6 billion to $67.8 billion a year.One last question. What would you say to someone out there who’s suffering in silence from depression or PTSD or trauma or substance use disorder or any kind of mental illness? You are not alone.Dean Yates in Times Square, October 2019 (Helen Barrow/Evershine Productions)The Road to Ward 17: My Battle with PTSDReturn to Ward 17: Making Peace with Lost Comrades. 

Upon Release from Prison, a New Kind of Nightmare

When you’re being escorted out of a federal court room in shackles and handcuffs, after being sentenced to almost two decades behind bars, you can almost feel the life ooze out of your pores. The pronounced slam of a gavel drives home the fact you’re not in Kansas anymore, while one hope creeps its way into your brain: the day those cuffs come off and you’re free. This image is your savior, your best and only friend to keep you company throughout the brutally unforgiving years of violence, isolation, and solitude. Visions of beautifully simple things like going to the park or eating strawberry pancakes shoot through your psyche in bright shining lights onto the faded white graffiti laced brick walls of your 9-by-6-foot cell of despair. All this promise makes it all the more devastating when that magical day arrives for the nightmare to end, and you realize just how far you are from getting out of the rabbit hole.“Have you ever played a PlayStation? Hell, have you even used a cell phone?” These are the words the middle-aged Latino case manager told me through the battered food slot inside the cell door of the Special Housing Unit. “Someone like you, I wouldn’t give more than 4 months. The world has passed you by…but good luck.”These words of encouragement came from someone who spent almost as much time in the Bureau of Prisons as I have. A man who has witnessed firsthand how hard it is to adjust to a world that will chew you up and spit you right back. He wasn’t talking about my transition back into the free world. He was talking about the federally funded center that was in charge of restoring my sanity. Institutionalization, PTSD, and Post Incarceration SyndromePTSD and its sister syndrome, PICS (Post Incarceration Syndrome), are disorders in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. The condition may last months or years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions.During my 15 years of incarceration, I experienced and witnessed atrocities that would make most war veterans cringe. Divided racial lines and the total disregard for human life were the first things that greeted me behind the grimy walls down in the swamps of Louisiana, USP Pollock. The “slaughterhouse of the south” averaged 40 stabbings a month, while incurring 16 murders in an 18-month span. Desensitization set in rapidly when watching a stabbing was as common as watching a baseball game. This was just the first of four penitentiaries in which I was beaten, stabbed, isolated, and herded throughout half of my life.While President Bush was fighting his wars overseas, and smartphones, text messaging, and iPods were shaping humanity, I was envisioning a breathtakingly beautiful sun setting over the ocean. The sound of waves crashing danced through my ears, as I felt the cool wet sand beneath my feet. When President Obama was still fighting the war, and Google, Facebook, and YouTube took over society, I was sitting in solitary confinement, my stomach touching my ankles, as I dreamed of the family dinners at my parents’ house. The four cheeses of mom’s famous lasagna made my mouth water, as I imagined the smiling faces of better years sitting around the table listening to Dad’s old war stories. As President Trump was halfway through his reign of terror, the cuffs finally came off and I was released. But little did I know, the nightmare was far from being over.Institutionalization is a gradual normal reaction to the unnatural and abnormal conditions of prisoner life. The more extreme, harsh, dangerous, or otherwise psychologically taxing the nature of the confinement, the deeper the damage that will be done. During this process, a prisoner incorporates the norms of prison into their habits of thinking, feeling, and acting. It renders some people so dependent on external constraints that they gradually lose the capacity to rely on internal organization and self-imposed personal limits to guide their actions and restrain their conduct.When I was released from the SHU in Big Sandy Kentucky on July 29, 2017, the world seemed to be in hyperdrive. My parents and sister, along with the girlfriend I’ve never held, laughed as I bounced around the car like a dog in heat. The speed of everything left me spinning as I tried to comprehend the tiny screen in my hands that was speaking directions towards the home I’ve never seen. Inside that car I felt alive for the first time in over a decade and a half. Then we stopped a block short from my residence, and all the rules that I’d just broken by being with my family drove away with five minutes to spare, as a whole new nightmare began.Bait and SwitchAccording to the Federal Bureau of Prisons: “Residential reentry centers provide a safe, structured, supervised environment, as well as employment counseling, job placement, financial management assistance and other programs and services. RRC’s help inmates gradually rebuild their ties to the community and facilitate supervising ex-offenders activities during this readjustment phase.” When I walked into the reentry center in downtown Pittsburgh, I wasn’t greeted with a homecoming of old friends and relatives like in the movies. Instead, I sat in a drearily filthy break room as paramedics wheeled off a semi-conscious reentrant to a waiting ambulance. These overdoses, ranging from heroin to K-2, would become a normal part of my daily routine. Once I made my way to the seventh of eight floors, each floor packed to capacity with clueless ex-cons all trying to breathe free fresh air, the prison mentality quickly set back in.My case manager greeted me in her tiny cluttered office and gave me a list of all the rules and regulations that make readjustment damn near impossible. No smartphones, riding in cars, or being ANYWHERE without approval a week ahead of time. If I wanted to stop at 7-Eleven for a cup of coffee in the morning on my way to work, I would be in violation of my release. I also received the bonus of not being allowed to publish any of my writing or leave the city limits. She concluded her orientation with the added kick to the nuts of twenty five percent of my pay getting kicked back to the house for the opportunity to feel the sunshine on my face for the first time in a decade and a half.I also was given the one-time warning about being late. If I was more than 5 minutes late back from a pass, whether it be a late bus or a broken leg, it was back to the box to finish out the remainder of my sentence. Just riding on public transportation is enough to give me a panic attack after years of isolation. The need to sit with my back against the wall is uncontrollable while my hypervigilance runs wild surveying everyone and everything. When you add a traffic jam to that equation, it’s almost debilitating. Going from a world with nothing but time, to one that will literally put you in a cage if it’s mismanaged, was and still is one of the hardest things to deal with after my release.During the 15 years of my incarceration, I lived with a lot of different people. A redneck from Wyoming to a skinhead from Seattle, I’ve been forced to share a bathroom with the best of them. No matter where they were from, there was one thing in common: I didn’t like any of them. Even Mother Teresa is going to get on your nerves if you’re stuck in a broom closest with her 24 hours a day for months on end. Standing on the Edge of FreedomIn the late 70’s, psychologist Bruce K. Alexander conducted his Rat Park study. In this study he took lab rats and housed them in two different environments. In the first, “skinner boxes” (solitary confinement), they were completely deprived of everything, even movement was difficult. The second environment housed the rats in a space 200 times bigger, with wheels, and boxes and other rats to interact with. Inside both settings were two different water bottles. One filled with narcotics to numb the pain that will run through any being under such harsh conditions, and the other without. Each time when the rats are housed in skinner boxes, they go right for the drugs. But, when they’re in rat park with all their friends, free to make decisions and live a good life, they always chose the clean water.After staring at a wall for almost half of my life, being able to look out the windows of the halfway house at the world below but not being able to go out and experience what I’ve been dreaming about for so long was maddening. Having that freedom dangling in my face, after coming so far, was heartbreaking. After years of dreaming about what you want to do, where you want to go, who you want to see, and then discovering you won’t be doing any of those things for a long time, it absolutely puts you right back into that ‘I don’t give a fuck’ mentality.Institutionalization can be taken to extreme lengths or become chronic and deeply internalized so that even though the conditions of one’s life have changed, many of the once functional but now counterproductive patterns remain.I spent 14 months inside the halfway house after my release. It almost seemed to last as long as the 15 years that I did behind the walls of our fine penal system. During that time, I wasn’t allowed to go to the park, or take my girlfriend out on a date. I couldn’t sit down for those family meals or see that sunset on the beach, but I made it through it. I absolutely know that I suffer from PTSD and PICS as a result of my incarceration, and I’m far from the only one who suffers from these syndromes. Anyone would feel the same way as I do if they grew up deep inside the belly of the beast. Who knows if the hypervigilance, paranoia, and anxiety will ever allow me to be at ease when I’m out in society. It took me getting out of the system completely before I could even begin to heal.

Whitney Houston First Tried Cocaine At 14, Best Friend Says

There has been much speculation about the inception of Whitney Houston's drug use. Many blame her husband pop star Bobby Brown for introducing her to drugs but the "Every Little Step" singer emphatically denies introducing his wife of 14 years to drugs. "It wasn't me that started her [on drugs]," he told Robin Roberts in an emotional 20/20 interview in 2016.Houston's best friend and alleged lover Robyn Crawford appears to back-up Brown's denial in her recently released a memoir titled A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston which details their relationship as well as Whitney's turbulent and prolific relationship with cocaine.Romantic RumorsIn the book, Crawford says the "I Will Always Love You" singer admitted that she had first tried cocaine when she was 14 years old. Crawford first met Houston when they were teens and they became fast friends...and then more.For years, romantic rumors swirled around the duo but were often kiboshed by those in Whitney's camp, including her mother, Cissy Houston. In A Song For You, Crawford laid those tumors to rest by confirming that the two were romantically involved. “Whitney told me her mother said it wasn’t natural for two women to be that close,” Crawford wrote, “but we were that close.”According to Crawford the pair "never talked about labels, like lesbian or gay. We just lived our lives and I hoped it could go on that way forever.”When Whitney began pursuing her music career, Crawford was by her side as her personal assistant though they had to end the physical aspects of their relationship due to pressure from Whitney's team about how their queer relationship could possibly derail her budding career.Cocaine In The SpotlightAs the singer's career began to take off in the 80s, she noted that the drug use could be a problem as she ascended the heights of stardom.“Whitney would often say ‘Cocaine can’t go where we’re going.’ [But] we weren’t ready to give it up quite yet,” Crawford wrote.Success came in waves for the talented singer but she continued to use. Crawford says she warned Whitney, “I’d say, ‘Nip [Whitney's nickname]  we’re here already. And it’s [cocaine] still here. It shouldn’t be.’ And she’d say ‘I know, I’m going to stop.'”But Houston didn't stop.“She admired that I could stop. She said, ‘I’m going to stop but I’m just not ready yet.'”And the drug use continued and escalated. Crawford put an end to her imbibing but the pressures of fame helped push Houston deeper into addictionAfter being the legendary singer's personal assistant throughout her career, Crawford decided it was time to hang up her hat and extricate herself from the situation in 2000. “I had done all I could do,” she wrote, according to People.“and for the first time I realized that I needed to save myself.”After Houston's death, Crawford confronted the late singer's agent about sending her out on tour while she was in the midst of a harrowing addiction to cocaine.“She said to me, ‘Because she and her daughter would have been out on the street. And my response was, ‘Is that what you guys have been telling her?'”Crawford assumed that there would be time for them to reunite after her departure but in 2012, Houston passed away from an accidental drowning at 48.“I thought we had time but in an odd way, Whitney was waiting for me and I was waiting for her,” she noted. "I owe it to my friend to share her story, my story. Our story. And I hope that in doing so, I can set us both free."

Morning Roundup: Nov. 7, 2019

Elton John Feared He Wouldn't Be Able To Perform Sober [NME]Cocaine, Molly Becoming More Popular In The NHL [The Athletic]100 Pound Marijuana Bust Just Legal Hemp, Owner Says [The Patch]How Danny Trejo  Has Stayed Sober For 51 Years [Variety]Narcan Now Sold Online In Tennessee [The Tennessean]US Ready To "Wage War" On Drug Cartel "Monsters," Trump Says [The Hill]Naltrexone May Help Stop Meth Cravings [KCUR]

Jamie Lee Curtis Talks Sharing Drugs With Dad, AA In Variety's Recovery Issue

The legendary Halloween actress detailed how she became addicted to painkillers and what led her to get help with Variety magazine for its first-ever recovery issue. Like so many people with opioid addiction, Curtis's dependency on painkillers began when she was given Vicodin after a routine cosmetic surgery for pain."They gave me Vicodin as a painkiller for something that wasn’t really painful," Curtis said. Her experience is all-too-common. The overprescription of opioids for post-operative pain is one of the driving factors behind the opioid epidemic. Nowadays, opioid prescribing guidelines and legislation are working to correct the course of the epidemic.Curtis also discussed how addiction impacted her family, including her father, actor Tony Curtis. Sharing Drugs With Dad"I knew my dad had an issue because I had an issue and he and I shared drugs. There was a period of time where I was the only child that was talking to him. I had six siblings. I have five. My brother, Nicholas, died of a heroin overdose when he was 21 years old. But I shared drugs with my dad. I did cocaine and freebased once with my dad. But that was the only time I did that, and I did that with him. He did end up getting sober for a short period of time and was very active in recovery for about three years. It didn’t last that long. But he found recovery for a minute."Similar to her father, Curtis was high-functioning in her addiction. "I never did it when I worked. I never took drugs before 5 p.m. I never, ever took painkillers at 10 in the morning. It was that sort of late afternoon and early evening — I like to refer to it as the warm-bath feeling of an opiate. It’s like the way you naturally feel when your body is cool, and you step into a warm bath, and you sink into it. That’s the feeling for me, what an opiate gave me, and I chased that feeling for a long time."Curtis described the moment her facade slipped in 1998. A friend witnessed her taking five Vicodin with a sip of wine in her kitchen and confronted her. “I heard this voice: ‘You know, Jamie, I see you. I see you with your little pills, and you think you’re so fabulous and so great, but the truth is you’re dead. You’re a dead woman.’”This stern warning didn't deter her from using and neither would a later confrontation with her sister Kelly about stealing her pain pills. She finally decided to get help a couple months later after reading an article about recovery in Esquire.Her First AA MeetingGoing to AA for the first time can be intimidating but there's an added set of worries when you're a Hollywood superstar trying to privately deal with addiction. "I was terrified. I was just terrified that someone in the recovery community was going to betray my trust. But it is my experience that that doesn’t really happen and that my fear was unfounded. There is no guarantee in the world that someone won’t betray your confidence. There are also ways for people to get recovery help privately. There are ways for people to understand that public figures need privacy in order to be able to disclose and talk about this shameful secret that has dogged and plagued them their whole lives. Now, Curtis is 21 years sober, something she doesn't take for granted. She holds recovery meetings in her trailers when she's working, if none are available."I am a very careful sober person. When I work, if there are no recovery meetings available, I make them. I put a sign up by the catering truck saying, 'Recovery meeting in my trailer.' When I was in Charleston making Halloween, I was in a coffee shop near where I was living, and I met somebody in recovery, who told me, 'Oh, those two ladies out on the patio are sober too. There’s a women’s meeting near here.' I went out and introduced myself to the ladies, and a day later I was at a women’s gathering 100 yards from where I was living. Literally 100 yards. When I was making The Tailor of Panama with Pierce Brosnan and John Boorman, I was swimming in the Gatun Dam, but on my day off, I found a recovery meeting that only spoke Spanish, didn’t speak a word of English. I didn’t understand a word anybody said, but I went and sat down and met people, shook hands and talked."

Makeup Artist Finds Cocaine In Sephora Package

A New Jersey-based professional makeup artist got more than she bargained for in a shipment of cosmetics from Sephora earlier this month.Inside The Mystery BoxAmong her foundation and false eyelashes, 30-year-old Christina Milano found a “good amount” of white powder wrapped in a dollar bill along with a small straw cut for snorting the substance, plus a female Sephora employee's company ID. There was also a forklift operator's card and a photo of a young girl in another part of the package.How these items ended up in Milano’s package is unclear, but the makeup artist was able to identify the powder as cocaine.“I’ve seen it and I’ve been offered it in the past,” she told the New York Post. She became fairly upset when she realized what she had due to the high penalties associated with shipping illicit drugs through the mail. “I could have gotten in trouble for this,” she said to local New York news affiliate PIX11. “What if there was a random check at the post office?”$100 Store Credit For Her TroublesMilano quickly took photos of what she discovered, including the white powder, and sent them to Sephora. After she was assured that she would be contacted after the company’s investigation, she was informed that the Sephora had credited $100 to her account and asked her to dispose of the “foreign items.”The makeup artist was unsatisfied with this response.“It was kind of like, here’s $100, like, you know, don’t talk about it,” she said, saying the idea made her angry. So she went to the press, who investigated further.Getting To The Bottom Of ItA Post reporter was able to use the information and photos provided by Milano to track down an address associated with the woman whose name was on the company ID.However, the owner of the house said that the Sephora employee was her sister and that she no longer lived there.“She’s on the grid, off the grid. She’s always changing her phone number,” the sister said. “She lived here that one time, but I haven’t spoken to her in a month. And even then it was only for 15 minutes.”She confirmed that the Sephora employee had a history of drug use, but according to the report, declined to give further details.Sephora, of course, has a zero-tolerance policy around employees using illicit drugs, particularly while at work. Milano, though not entirely pleased with how the cosmetics company handled the situation, says she remains loyal to them.“I would still love a more personal apology from them but truly I still will shop at Sephora,” she admitted. “I love them.”Sephora provided a statement to Newsweek about the incident."We have investigated the matter and taken appropriate actions," it read. "Sephora prides itself on our delivery and supply chain experiences and have a zero-tolerance policy around illegal substances in the workplace. We have apologized to the impacted client for this unfortunate experience and are working with her directly to resolve it."

Finland May Be Next Country To Decriminalize Marijuana

Finland's Parliament is reportedly considering the decriminalization of marijuana after more than 50,000 residents signed a petition to revise the country's current laws.The proposal sought to remove criminal penalties for the possession of 25 grams or less of cannabis, as well as the cultivation of up to four plants, both for personal use; the organization behind the measure, Kasuva Kannabiksesta, cited the deleterious impact of marijuana convictions on Finnish citizens, who can be barred from education or work opportunities for minor convictions, as a primary factor behind the petition.Advocates are hoping that the sheer number of signees, as well as those that support their efforts but did not sign the petition, will help to push the Finnish government towards ratifying decriminalization.The People Of Finland Support DecriminalizationThe petition's primary sponsor, activist Janne Karvinen, said that the majority of the 50,000 signatures were gained in its final month, which he credited to a strong social media push.He also believed that the actual level of support for decriminalization in Finland was even greater than the number of signees. "There's certainly more than 50,000 – or even more than 100,000 – people in Finland who support this issue," he told, Yle, Finland's national public broadcasting company.In addition to the aforementioned allowances for personal use, the petition would also call for new penalties for individuals who use marijuana in public areas where children are present.Even Minor Drug Charges Impact Job Opportunities In The CountryIn terms of the current policies regarding marijuana use, the petition's authors stated that they have done more harm than good by imposing severe penalties on cannabis users; individuals convicted of even minor drug charges can be barred from more than 60 job and educational opportunities.It also noted the financial toll of employing police officers to make arrests on such charges and then processing individuals through the legal system.By calling for decriminalization and not legalization, the petition's authors said that Finland would remain within the requirements of United Nations (UN) obligations, which do not allow member nations to regulate and sell cannabis. As the petition states, "The ban on an act may not be completely abolished or made legal, but the punishment for the act will be abolished or the act will be transformed into a mere offense, for example, a fine."As Marijuana Moment noted, this language may address how Canada and Uruguay have remained within the UN regulations while still allowing for cannabis legalization.Karvinen told Yle that he believed the Finnish Parliament would pass the initiatives called for in the petition on the grounds that members "do not want to oppose the benefits decriminalization would bring."However, the newspaper also quoted Mika Luoma-aho, a researcher on drug policy from the University of Lapland, who opined that the government is most likely not ready to accept such a measure "But it will force a debate," said Luoma-aho. "I want to hear the discussion that quashes the initiative and then continue the dialogue on that basis.

Kanye West Talks Porn & Sex Addiction

Kanye West is back with his latest album, Jesus is King, and on the eve of its release, he candidly spoke with Beats 1 about being addicted to porn and sex.West started with a ritual many young boys go through, finding an issue of his dad’s Playboy, which he called a “gateway to a full on pornography addiction. It has impacted every choice I have made in my life from age five to now, having to kick the habit. And it just presents itself in the open like it’s okay and I stand up and say, ‘No, it’s not okay.’” Drowning Himself In Sex — A Rock Star ClichéWest saw himself living a cliché that many musicians fall into.“That was such a script out of a rock star’s life. You know that Playboy that I found when I was five years old was written all over the moment when I was at the MTV awards with the Timberlands, the Balmain jeans and the Hennessy bottle. My mom had passed a year before. And I said some people drown themselves in drugs, and I drown myself in sex.”West said that sex “fed the ego too. Money, clothes, paparazzi photos, going to Paris fashion week, all of that.” Asking Employees To Abstain From Premarital SexComing to his realization about porn and sex addiction also affected how he crafted the Jesus is King album. “I was asking people to…this is gonna be radical what I’m about to say. There were times where I was asking people to not have premarital sex while they were working.” West has openly spoken about his mental health issues, including publicly disclosing that he’s bipolar (he subsequently claimed he was misdiagnosed), and he’s used it as material for his lyrics as well.On the cover of his album Ye, “I hate being bipolar it’s awesome” is scrawled in neon green. And as he told radio personality Big Boy, “I am so blessed and so privileged because think about people that have issues that are not Kanye West, that can’t go and make that [music] and make you feel like it’s all good. I’d never been diagnosed and I was like 39 years old. That’s why I said on the album it’s not a disability, it’s a super power.” 

Morning Roundup: Oct. 29, 2019

This Town Turned Its Opioid Nightmare Into a Haunted House. And It's Terrifying. [Washington Post]A Maryland county with a serious opioid problem is the site of a different kind of haunted house this Halloween, featuring frightful scenes from a life of substance use disorder. "It's a walking, shrieking, living, screaming PSA." In Philadelphia Opioid Crisis Zone, Children Get Lessons in Coping [WHYY]Students in Philadelphia's opioid problem zone are getting a special education on drug abuse and coping. The area's visible drug problem has affected not only school enrollment, but the overall quality of life of these children.  Shame, Fear, Stigma: Recovering Addicts Address Meth Abuse in 'Crystal City' [NBC News]The documentary Crystal City debuted on Sunday at NewFest film festival. It is a chronicle of methamphetamine abuse in New York City's gay community. "Without consciously acknowledging it, I was preparing to die." Drug Policy: Family of Teenager Who Died from Ecstasy Supports Drug Legalization [Guardian]A mother who lost her son to a fatal overdose on ecstasy is determined to use her voice to promote drug policy reform. She and her daughter are expanding awareness of how a policy of prohibition is more dangerous than not. NJ Student Athletes Undergo Mandatory Opioid Addiction Training [NBC 10]New Jersey student athletes are required to learn about opioid use disorder to prepare them for potential injuries and how to treat pain. NBC 10 reports from Sterling High School in Somerdale.Dear Abby: Non-alcoholic Bachelorette Party Presents Dilemma [Press Democrat]"Is it rude to drink in front of a pregnant bride?" A bridesmaid ponders the sober rule imposed by the pregnant bride. "I feel we're all adults and should be able to make our own choices." Rehab Racket: High Costs of Addiction Treatment and Questions Over Efficacy [WBUR]Is the high cost of treating substance use disorder a "rehab racket"? "It's crucial not to settle for a one-size-fits-all approach, even if those worked for someone you know." Filmmaker Asks How Adults Can Help Digitally Obsessed Teens Tackle Mental Health Challenges [Washington Post]The next chapter of Screenagers is a new documentary that explores the role that adults can play in helping young people build resilience to stress to make it easier to overcome life's adversities. 

Morning Roundup: Oct. 25, 2019

New Sesame Street Muppet Can Be a Lifeline for Kids with Parents Trapped by Addiction [USA Today]Nearly 6 million young children have parents who are struggling with addiction, which is why Sesame Street's new Muppet, Karli, a foster kid whose mother is in recovery, is so important for kids to see. The Guardian View on Drug Policy: Rethink It Without Taboos [Guardian]"Much of the harm caused by illegal drugs is caused by their illegality." In this editorial, The Guardian newspaper argues against a policy of prohibition, but rather, a public health approach to the global drug problem. Some Hospitals Sue Opioid Makers for Costs of Treating Uninsured for Addiction [NPR]Hospitals across the country are hoping to recoup the costs of treating opioid-related ailments by joining the growing number of plaintiffs suing drug companies. ER overdose patients are just one part of the heavy cost of opioid abuse on hospitals. Courts Recognize Addiction As a Disease, Yet Some Judges Continue Punishing Relapse with Prison [Philadelphia Inquirer]A critique of the "probation trap" employed by the criminal justice system to ensnare people dealing with substance use disorder. Does it make sense to punish these people with more probation and jail time?  SF's Meth Epidemic: City Releases Plan for Tackling Skyrocketing Problem [San Francisco Chronicle]In San Francisco, methamphetamine has contributed to "violent encounters, property damage, thefts and hazardous waste," according to a new report. One possible solution: a meth sobering center.  Is It a Meth Case or Mental Illness? Police Who Need to Know Often Can't Tell. [NPR]Police are having trouble discerning between mental illness and methamphetamine. How can they respond effectively? However, substance use disorder and mental illness often go hand in hand.  Three Ways Childhood Trauma Affects Adulthood [Psychology Today]What is complex trauma? It is a more subtle childhood experience, more difficult to pinpoint than clear life-changing events, that has just as much of an impact. 'My Career Came Before My Family': Michael Douglas Blamed Himself for Son Cameron's Addiction [USA Today]Actor Michael Douglas admitted in a new interview that he put his career before his family. "We had reached a point where I thought I was going to lose [Cameron], based on everything I'd seen."

Safehouse Founders Talk Overdose Prevention Site's Recent Victory, Future Challenges

Soon after a judge ruled in their favor, the organization set to open the first-ever overdose prevention sites in the United States reflected on their recent victory in an op-ed.This month, a federal judge ruled that Safehouse may go ahead with efforts to open two sites (also known as harm reduction sites or supervised injection facilities) in Philadelphia. The ruling was a clear victory over the federal government, which argued in court that the proposed facilities violated a provision of the Controlled Substances Act.“Opioid users would be free to come to the sites and inject their products with clean needles, and health workers would be on hand to make sure no one overdoses. At no point would we distribute or even touch controlled substances; the user would bring them to our facility. This isn’t a substitution of treatment, but it is safer than having people use drugs alone or on the streets,” wrote the three founders of Safehouse, the organization that proposed to open the sites, in a Washington Post opinion piece.They would be the first such (legal) facilities in the United States."We Could No Longer Wait As The Death Toll Continued To Rise"Ed Rendell, a former governor of Pennsylvania, Jose A. Benitez, executive director of Prevention Point Philly and Ronda B. Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania founded Safehouse because “we could no longer wait as the death toll continued to rise almost unabated,” they wrote.The face of Philadelphia’s drug crisis is Kensington, a neighborhood so notorious for its drug problem that The New York Times called it “the Walmart of Heroin” in a feature last year. Rendell, Benitez and Goldfein noted that 1,217 people in Philadelphia died of opioid overdoses in 2017. “The problem was, of course, that most people who overdose do so alone, and even if naloxone was on the table next to them, they couldn’t administer it because an overdose renders a person unconscious,” they wrote.Safehouse’s mission is to save lives, which overdose prevention sites have proven to do in Canada and about 120 other such sites around the world.“It is important to note that we, like other harm reduction advocates, do not believe supervised injection sites are the answer to the opioid crisis… but we do know that supervised injection sites will save lives,” they wrote.With the momentum from their recent victory in court, the founders say, “We hope it will be one of many across the country.”Suits Followed By CountersuitsThis month, US District Judge Gerald A McHugh ruled that the facilities were not in violation of federal law, as the federal government tried to argue in court.Pennsylvania prosecutors and the Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against Safehouse in February, trying to stop the organization from moving forward with opening the facilities, which had the endorsement of local officials including Mayor Jim Kenney.In suing Safehouse, the government argued that the facilities would violate the “crack house” statute under the Controlled Substances Act, which made it a crime to “knowingly open, lease, rent, use, or maintain any place, whether permanently or temporarily… for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing, or using a controlled substance.”Safehouse countersued in federal court, which concluded with the judge’s recent ruling.McHugh said in his decision that it was clear that overdose prevention sites were not intended targets of the Congress in 1986 when they created the “crack house” statute.“There is no support for the view that Congress meant to criminalize projects such as that proposed by Safehouse,” McHugh wrote. “Safe injection sites were not considered by Congress and could not have been, because their use as a possible harm reduction strategy among opioid users had not yet entered public discourse.”McHugh determined that Safehouse’s mission did not clash with the law. “The ultimate goal of Safehouse’s proposed operation is to reduce drug use, not facilitate it, and accordingly, [the “crack house” statute] does not prohibit Safehouse’s proposed conduct.”Despite their victory, the founders—Rendell, Benitez, and Goldfein—acknowledged in the Washington Post op-ed that the fight is far from over.“While we may have won that first legal battle, we still have hurdles to clear,” they wrote.“We hope that our victory emboldens other cities to venture into setting up their own harm reduction sites. While our federal ruling is not binding on other jurisdictions, we believe its logic and reasoned interpretation will help proposed facilities in places such as New York, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle and Denver when and if they face court challenges,” they wrote.

Drug Policy Alliance Creates Harm Reduction-Based Guide For Drug Education

Teachers now have access to a harm reduction-based guide to teaching kids about drugs.The Drug Policy Alliance created a new drug education curriculum for high school teachers—available online for free download—that doesn’t rely on demonizing drugs and alcohol. Instead, the curriculum is based on harm reduction principles—an alternative to abstinence-only drug education programs like the original version of D.A.R.E.The DPA, a non-profit organization that promotes drug policy reform, explained the difference: “For example, abstinence-only education may tell young people that they should refrain from using drugs because they could overdose. Harm reduction drug education explains how to recognize the signs of drug overdose, how to respond and how to get help if they fear that a friend is overdosing.”Safety First: Real Drug Education For TeensThe package of 15 lesson plans (PowerPoint slides included)—titled Safety First: Real Drug Education for Teens—goes over material that is familiar to traditional drug education curricula like Alcohol & Other Depressants, Vaping & E-Cigarettes and Cannabis.But other lessons, like Mental Health and Coping and Health & Policy, feel new to generations who were raised on D.A.R.E.Sasha Simon, Safety First program manager for the DPA, told Benzinga that the organization saw the need for a comprehensive, alternative drug education program.“Safety First was created in response to a lack of accurate, science-based and compassionate drug resources in schools,” she said. “With nearly 70,000 people dying of accidental overdose last year alone, it is essential that our young people develop the necessary skills to navigate their risks. Not only will it protect them while in school, but will serve as a foundation for them to foster healthy attitudes and habits around drugs that they will carry with them throughout their lives.”Testing the Curriculum on StudentsThe Safety First curriculum was piloted in New York City and San Francisco, and produced positive results, DPA said.They observed in the much larger San Francisco trial, where over 600 students were taught the curriculum, that students demonstrated increased knowledge of harm reduction, drugs and alcohol, and how to detect and respond to a drug-related overdose.

Chemical Warfare Tool Provides Lifesaving Info About What’s In Your Drugs

A machine intended for use by military and emergency personnel who handle hazardous material has become a lifesaving tool amid the fentanyl epidemic.The MX908 mass spectrometer was first marketed as a tool for “elite responders conducting chemical, explosive, priority drug and HazMat operations around the world.” But in places like Boston and Chicago, the machine is a harm reduction tool.The MX908 can detect 70 types of fentanyl as well as more than 2,000 yet-unidentified fentanyl analogs.WBUR witnessed the machine in action as Sarah Mackin of the Boston Public Health Commission tested a swab sample from the inside of a baggie “that was sold as heroin.”“So, there’s multiple kinds of opioid analgesics and multiple kinds of synthetic fentanyls in this sample that was sold as heroin,” she said. “It’s kind of an example of what the drug landscape looks like here.”Testing Fentanyl This summer, Massachusetts health officials reported that the presence of fentanyl in the state had reached “an all-time high” despite a decrease in overall opioid-related deaths in 2019.One woman named “Bri” who tested drug residue using the machine in July suspected that carfentanil was present in her personal stash and triggered a previous overdose. “Now I’m going to be honest. If I was sick and I had one bag of dope on me and you told me there’s carfentanil in there, I’m not going to lie and say I wouldn’t use it. But I would know not to put the entire thing in,” she told WBUR.Proponents of the MX908 say that by having access to clear information about their drugs, people like Bri are empowered, in a way, to mitigate their risk and avoid overdose.The Chicago Recovery Alliance invested in two MX908s as part of its new drug-checking program that launched in March.Pricey & Legal-ishHowever, those seeking to make the machine available to more people are hindered by the “legal gray area” of drug checking and its hefty price tag. One machine costs $65,000.A trial of the MX908 in Boston is currently on hold while they determine if the practice is legal.As WBUR notes, fentanyl test strips are a much more cost-effective method of detecting fentanyl, at $1 per strip.