pitz182

[pitz182]

Morning Roundup: Apr. 24, 2019

How People With Substance Use Disorders Can Help Addiction Research [Scientific American]Studying addiction is important, but it's not as easy to recruit people with substance use disorder for research. Social stigma, homelessness and a host of other factors make it difficult to connect people with SUD with important studies. Former MLB Star Darryl Strawberry Helping Fans Stay Sober [Page Six]A sober fan's brief but uplifting encounter with baseball great Darryl Strawberry at a sports bar. "Always remember to do it for yourself."Courage to Come Back: Now Sober, Woman Counsels Others in Recovery [Global News]Geri Bemister overcame addictions and cancer, and went back to school so she may help others in recovery. "I think it's really what I was meant to do." A Serious Mental Health Crisis Is Turning Doctors to Drugs [Forbes]One in three doctors/medical students in the UK use drugs and alcohol to cope with a mental health condition, according to a new survey. "The workforce has been pushed to a literal breaking point and all the causes need to be addressed."Former Pillar of the Community Spiraled into Drugs and Homelessness. Then Police Rescued Him. [CNN]A man whose life spiraled out of control after a foot surgery left his family for the streets. "I had a decent, just regular middle-class life." Online Casinos Ignored My Obvious Signs of Addiction, Says Gambler [Guardian]A woman who lost $161,000 to online gambling said she was offered bonuses to keep betting. Despite exhibiting several warning signs of problem gambling, she was encouraged to keep playing. Massachusetts' Contentious Tactic to Fight Its Opioid Crisis: Jailing Addicts [Guardian]In Massachusetts, involuntarily committed men can end up in jail or prison, though no charges have been levied against them. This happens to more than 2,000 men for substance use disorder every year.Jack Osbourne Marks 'Toughest Year' As He Celebrates 16 Years of Sobriety [USA Today]Jack Osbourne reflected on the previous year as he reached another sober anniversary. "By far this has been not only the toughest year of my life but also the toughest year of my recovery."

[pitz182]

"Little Woods" Explores Family Bonds, Poverty, and Opioids in Small-Town America

Writer-director Nia DaCosta’s first feature Little Woods is fresh off the film festival circuit and now playing in theaters nationwide. The movie earned multiple awards including Tribeca’s prestigious 2018 Nora Ephron Prize. It’s the kind of thriller that makes you lean forward—a nail-biter. Tessa Thompson and Lily James keep the audience transfixed.This is a tale of two sisters living in Little Woods, North Dakota, a fracking town in rapid decline. Ollie (Thompson) is the stronger, tougher sib. She’s the one who gets things done. Unfortunately she got too careless as a drug runner and was caught transporting opioids across the border from Canada. When Parole Officer Carter (Lance Reddick) reminds Ollie that they have only one more meeting before she’s free to start a legit job in Spokane, his concerned look foreshadows looming problems. He says, “Please stay out of trouble,” but the audience understands: Uh oh. Something bad is gonna happen.Deb (James) had been the most popular girl in high school so it’s not a surprise that she paired up with the most popular guy, Ian (James Badge Dale). But now Ian is an alcoholic and deadbeat dad to their son Johnny (Charlie Ray Reid). Frail Deb is a broken and broke substance abuser with a knack for screwing up her life.The estranged sisters are together again in the house they grew up in, each feeling exhausted and alone despite their close physical proximity. They are separately grieving the recent loss of their mother after a prolonged illness, in which Ollie stayed to provide care while Deb did her own thing. Their family history is fraught with resentments.Easing their mother’s pain was the impetus for Ollie’s initial border-crossing opioid-gathering mission. Canadian prescription painkillers were cheaper. That was how the trafficking started; we get the bigger picture when Deb asks Ollie why she got caught.“I forgot to be scared,” Ollie said. “I liked it too much.”There is no money left after their mom’s death. Mortgage payments are overdue and Ollie finds a foreclosure notice on the front door. She is ready to just walk away, to blow this depressing town and let the bank take the house. With a new job to look forward to, she feels hopeful for the first time in longer than she can remember.Then everything comes to a screeching halt.Deb reveals that she is accidentally pregnant by Johnny’s no-good father.Deb tried to handle things herself: She went to see a doctor but was told that without insurance, the cost of prenatal care combined with the fees for the birth would run between $8,000 and $9,000. Disillusioned, she opts for an abortion only to discover that North Dakota abortion centers were shuttered. Finally, desperate, Deb researches where she can get a legal abortion in Canada.When Deb breaks down and tells Ollie the news, including that she’ll have to travel hundreds of miles in order to get an affordable abortion, the stronger sister kicks into high gear like the super-duper codependent she is. With only one week to pay the bank at least half of the $6,000 they owe on the mortgage, Ollie decides she can’t leave destitute Deb and Johnny homeless.That’s when I wanted to scream, “No! Go to Al-Anon!”But Ollie risks her freedom, her new job, and her safety to make one last drug run. The heart-pumping action begins. Luke Kirby plays the frightening drug dealer.Nia DaCosta talked to journalist Dorri Olds for The Fix.“They told me in film school, ‘Write what you know,’” said DaCosta. “At first, I took that literally. But I didn’t want to write about my life, I wanted to explore other worlds.”DaCosta figured out that she could use the same principle to write about topics she didn’t know but could learn if she was able to relate emotionally.“We look at poverty and addiction as personal failures, moral failures,” said the Brooklyn-born, Harlem-raised 29-year-old. “I had a great family. I mean we weren’t well off but growing up in New York City, I could walk to a hospital. I can get to a Planned Parenthood. Lives of deprivation, like Deb and Ollie’s, [were] completely unfamiliar to me.”Determined and hardworking, DaCosta spent time in Williston, North Dakota to write the fictional town of Little Woods. She was stunned by how little she knew about how dark life is for so many people in America, especially women.“I wanted to present what was happening. This is reality. This is where we are. Medications are overprescribed to a startling degree. I remember getting 20 Vicodin pills when I got my wisdom teeth taken out. I didn’t need any of the pills.”Alarmed, she threw them out.“I hadn’t set out to make a political film but my personal point of view about what’s happening right now is horrifying. I mean whatever way we’re dealing with the opiate crisis, it isn’t working. That is heartbreaking.”DaCosta confirmed that trafficking opioids was never about getting high for Ollie. But after smuggling affordable painkillers to help her mom, Ollie found out how much locals would pay for the ill-gotten opioids. The town of Little Woods attracted men who came for the oil drilling jobs, hard manual labor that resulted in body aches and chronic pain. The more Ollie became known as the go-to for “meds,” the more it went to her head. She liked being a badass drug dealer. In a town where there were few options, especially for women, she liked her tough persona and getting to hang with the boys.“It gave her a purpose,” said DaCosta. “It gave her a place where she mattered; a way to stand out.”The filmmaker decided to add substance misuse to Deb’s problems after she spent time in North Dakota researching for the movie.“I remember talking to people, and it was just a part of the ecosystem. Everyone I spoke to either knew someone, or they themselves had substance abuse issues and had been involved with it in some way.”Even though she didn’t set out to make a political film, DaCosta’s movie explores interrelated social, economic, and health problems that the U.S. is grappling with. In the red states, clinics that perform abortions and other health services for women are being shut down. Many fear that Roe vs. Wade may be overturned. The opioid epidemic has reached astonishing numbers. Click here for more information.Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson discuss Planned Parenthood:

[pitz182]

Could Being Forced To Appear Happy At Work Lead To Heavy Drinking?

If you feel forced to put on a happy face at work, you may be more likely to drink heavily after a shift, new research has concluded. Researchers at Penn State and the University at Buffalo examined the drinking habits of individuals who work often with members of the public, PennState News reports. This included professions such as those in the food service industry, nurses and teachers. In doing so, the researchers found that individuals who often had to play up positive emotions, such as smiling, or push aside negative feelings were more likely to take part in heavier drinking after work. Alicia Grandey, professor of psychology at Penn State, tells PennState News that these results may mean employers in such industries may want to reassess the manner in which they ask employees to act. Grandey adds that the exact reason for the connection is unknown, but she thinks that by keeping emotions in check and putting on a positive face for customers, individuals may be using large amounts of self-control that they later let go of when drinking."Smiling as part of your job sounds like a really positive thing, but doing it all day can be draining," Grandey said. "In these jobs, there's also often money tied to showing positive emotions and holding back negative feelings. Money gives you a motivation to override your natural tendencies, but doing it all day can be wearing."In conducting the study, the researchers examined data from the National Survey of Work Stress and Health, specifically from phone interviews with 1,592 employees in the U.S. The data they studied had to do with how often employees took part in “surface acting,” meaning they faked or suppressed emotions, as well as how often and how much they drank after work. Additionally, researchers took into account the amount of autonomy individuals felt they had at work, as well as how impulsive they were.  Researchers concluded that employees who worked with the public tended to drink more after work than those who did not interact with the public."The relationship between surface acting and drinking after work was stronger for people who are impulsive or who lack personal control over behavior at work," Grandey said. "If you're impulsive or constantly told how to do your job, it may be harder to rein in your emotions all day, and when you get home, you don't have that self-control to stop after one drink."Grandey also notes that for those who consider their work to be rewarding, surface acting may not be as problematic. "Nurses, for example, may amplify or fake their emotions for clear reasons," Grandey said. "They're trying to comfort a patient or build a strong relationship. But someone who is faking emotions for a customer they may never see again, that may not be as rewarding, and may ultimately be more draining or demanding."

[pitz182]

Mental Health Apps Could Be Sharing Your Private Data

Despite the hope of confidentiality, individuals who use mental health apps may have their private information being shared with advertisers. According to a new study published in JAMA Network Open, some mental health apps are sharing private data without the app user’s knowledge. Tech the Lead reports that researchers looked into 36 different mental health-related apps. Of those 36, they discovered that 33 shared user data with various advertisers, including big names like Facebook and Google as well as smaller organizations. Overall, 92% of the apps studied were determined to have shared information with a third party and about 50% of those did not notify users of doing so.Of the apps studied, three even explicitly stated they would not share data and nine others completely lacked a privacy policy of any sort. While the shared data wasn’t all necessarily related to medical conditions or were “personally identifiable,” the fact that any information at all was shared is a red flag, says John Torous, co-author of the study.“It’s really hard to make an informed decision about using an app if you don’t even know who’s going to get access to some information about you,” Torous said, according to Tech the Lead. Researchers did find, however, that some of the information shared was sensitive, such as journal entries or information about substance use. Steven Chan, a physician at Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System who was not involved in the study but has worked with Torous before, tells The Verge that advertisers could use this information to manipulate audiences. “Potentially advertisers could use this to compromise someone’s privacy and sway their treatment decisions,” he said. Chan cited one example in which someone who is trying to quit smoking may be marketed cigarette alternatives. “Maybe if someone is interested in smoking, would they be interested in electronic cigarettes?” he said. “Or could they potentially introduce them to other similar products, like alcohol?”Researchers concluded that mental health app users likely lack the access to information and the choice about such sharing practices. “Data sharing with third parties that includes linkable identifiers is prevalent and focused on services provided by Google and Facebook,” the researchers wrote. “Despite this, most apps offer users no way to anticipate that data will be shared in this way. As a result, users are denied an informed choice about whether such sharing is acceptable to them.”

[pitz182]

Netflix Doc "Grass Is Greener" Explores How Marijuana Shaped America

Marijuana—cannabis, weed, pot, bud, reefer—has played a significant role in shaping American society since the early 1900s.Most of that has to do with how the plant has been demonized from generation to generation, as the government broadcasted anti-marijuana propaganda to the public despite the evidence that marijuana was and is not the menace to society it has been claimed to be.A new Netflix documentary, Grass Is Greener, traces back the history of American drug policy to illustrate how we as a society came to believe that this relatively benign, naturally occurring substance could wreak havoc on people’s lives, how it shaped the evolution of music and culture in the United States, and how it became a symbol of resistance to the powers that be.The documentary, directed and narrated by hip hop pioneer and “long-time cannabis connoisseur and advocate” Fab 5 Freddy (Fred Brathwaite), became available for streaming on Netflix, fittingly, over the weekend on 4/20. “How is it that a mild intoxicant, a plant that grows naturally all over the world, could be so feared by the American government and become worthy of a war?” Brathwaite asks.The short answer: Harry Anslinger. As the first head of the Bureau of Narcotics in the 1930s, Anslinger launched a racist anti-marijuana crusade sparking fear and spreading false information to the public. He played a major role in demonizing the plant. It was his roundabout way of vilifying black jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong (“one of our glorious, early potheads”) and Mexican people.Back then, the fear was that marijuana, which was infused in the jazz scene, was bringing white and black people together, says Baz Dreisinger of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the documentary. As jazz music gained steam around the world, so did the U.S. government’s anti-marijuana fervor.From here, marijuana further influenced music and culture by paving the way for the Beat Generation and the hippie movement.The documentary highlights two instances where the state commissioned a report to study the effects of marijuana—and in both instances, the conclusion was the same.“The occasional use of marijuana does not do any physical harm and may not do any psychological harm,” the Shafer Commission stated during the 1970s. They were appointed by former President Richard Nixon—the man who declared drugs Public Enemy Number 1 and declared the "War on Drugs" as we know it—to study marijuana. Nixon was expecting the commission’s findings to support his anti-weed stance, but they found the opposite.“There has been previous misinformation, false statements, and for that reason, we’ve attempted to demythologize the drug,” the commission stated. “Unfortunately, because marijuana has become politicized, the realities have become blurred.”Years earlier, a 1944 report commissioned by New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia stated a similar conclusion. However, the laws did not reflect the report’s findings. Lawmakers “chose propaganda, chose racism” instead, said Kassandra Frederique, New York State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance.There is so much more that is covered in Grass Is Greener—from the legendary drug dealers of jazz and hip hop, to the damning testimony of Nixon administration official John Ehrlichman who revealed that the administration lied about drugs to vilify people of color and anti-war protestors.Whether you partake or not, it's incredible to witness the enormous role that weed has played in shaping American history. 

[pitz182]

Original Manuscript of AA’s Big Book Goes On Display In Indianapolis

The original manuscript of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, complete with the founders’ edits scrawled on the pages, went on display for public viewing for the first time on Thursday (April 18) in Indianapolis.The Big Book, the vessel for the 12-step program for getting and staying sober, was first published in 1939 and has since sparked a global movement.The 161-page manuscript—with the original markings made by the founders including Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith as they passed the draft amongst themselves—went up for auction last May. Before then, it was the subject of some controversy as AA World Services fought for ownership of the document.Ultimately, the manuscript was purchased for $2.4 million by Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts. Irsay himself is in recovery, as he detailed to the Indy Star in 2014 following a DUI arrest earlier that year.“It’s an unusual disease in the sense that the person has to diagnose himself,” Irsay said at the time. “He has to realize that there’s this genetic disease you have to deal with through treatment. My grandfather and father both died of the disease, and you realize you’ve spent a lot of time on this path.” He revealed that he struggled with his use of pain medication, like many Americans trying to manage pain.Irsay attended his first AA meeting 25 years ago, and still goes to meetings to this day. He said in his interview that he had remained alcohol-free for more than a decade.“It’s been a long path. I still have chronic pain… It’s an ongoing thing in one’s life when recovering from any disease,” he said. “There’s a lot of gratitude and spiritual growth. And it’s rewarding because it makes you more virtuous when you have success.”By putting the manuscript on display for all to see, Irsay “wants the book to be a beacon of hope for those afflicted with addiction issues” and to “help reduce the stigma of addiction,” said Larry Hall, vice president of special projects and historical affairs for the Colts.The manuscript was on display at Fairbanks Hospital’s annual fundraiser dinner at the Westin Indianapolis. Its next stop is Akron, Ohio, where it will be on display for the first weekend of June at the home of Dr. Bob Smith for Founders Day.

[pitz182]

Slash Reflects On Hitting Rock Bottom, Getting Sober

Like many hard-partying rock stars, Slash is lucky to still be alive today. His use of alcohol and heroin is well documented, and now at the age of 53, he’s reflecting on why he finally cleaned up his act in 2005.Slash first left Guns N' Roses (GNR) in 1996. As the legendary guitarist explained to Belfast Live, once he no longer had the “security” of being in a rock band, “I drank myself through it. I did drugs through it and it was like, textbook almost… I’d left my band, I was getting divorced, I was going through all this s—t. I had record company issues. It was really classic rock ’n’ roll life—the bad side.”As Slash was trying to launch himself as a solo artist, he explains, “I was drinking myself to death… I was out playing all over the place, I had no real direction I was going or any real concrete idea as to what I was going to be doing for any predetermined amount of time. It was very excessive.”This period carried over “through the early millennium, up through 2005,” and into Velvet Revolver, his post-GNR band featuring the late Scott Weiland.“Just because of the nature of the band—and it’s my own fault—but it was easy to do. I got completely strung out again and at that point I realized there was nothing about being strung out that reminded me of anything like when I first started using drugs. It was pretty miserable… Nothing was doing it for me and I decided I had to stop.”The guitarist also knew he had to clean up for his family. As he told Loudwire, “I had two kids and I was living in a hotel because I couldn’t be around them. It all sort of came to a head and I thought I needed to go to some sort of facility and just get away from everybody for a month and I’ll clean up.”Slash knows he’s lucky to have a second chance in GNR. “To have the opportunity to go back with Guns and that being such an amazing experience and such a positive experience, at this point in time, right now, to be in these two bands is probably one of the best professional periods I’ve ever been in.”

[pitz182]

Eminem Celebrates 11 Years Of Sobriety

Hip-hop superstar Eminem marked a milestone of sobriety on Instagram with an image of a medallion and the tag "11 years-still not afraid."The rap veteran has spoken in depth about his struggle with and recovery from a dependency on prescription medications, which he described in 2013 as "dark times… mostly due to taking a lot of pills and f—king drooling on myself."Since then, he has rebounded both personally and professionally, as evidenced by the reception for his most recent album, 2018's Kamikaze, achieving the highest U.S. sales for a hip-hop album and ninth best-selling album globally for that year.Eminem told Rolling Stone in 2011 that his dependencies on Vicodin, Ambien and Xanax began while he was filming the semi-autobiographical, Oscar-winning 8 Mile in 2002."We were doing 16 hours on the set, and you had a certain window where you had to sleep," he recalled. Ambien "knocked [him] the f—k out," which led to a prescription and constant use combined with the opioid painkiller Vicodin."I was taking so many pills that I wasn't even taking them to get high anymore," he told Rolling Stone. "I was taking them to feel normal. I want to say that in a day I could consume anywhere from 40 to 60 Valium. And Vicodin… maybe 20, 30?"In 2007, Eminem tried methadone, which he was told was "just like Vicodin, and they're easier on your liver." He soon began consuming large quantities of that drug as well. "My doctor told me the amount of methadone I'd taken was equivalent to shooting up four bags of heroin," he told People in 2009.In late December of that year, Eminem suffered a catastrophic overdose that left him unconscious for two days. But after only a week in the hospital, Eminem returned home, where weakness and exhaustion led to a torn meniscus, which in turn led to a relapse, seizure and a return to the hospital. "That's when I knew," he recalled. "I could either get help, or I am going to die."With the aid of a rehab counselor, a rigid exercise schedule and the support of friends and fellow addicts like Elton John, whom Eminem described as "like my sponsor," he gained sobriety and in 2018, celebrated a decade of clean and sober living. The experience has given Eminem perspective on the addictions that have run throughout his family – his ex-wife, Kim Mathers, was involved in a 2015 DUI, and her sister, Dawn Marie Scott, succumbed to a heroin overdose in 2016 – and his career, which remains both prolific and successful."Rap was my drug," he told People. "It used to get me high, and then it stopped getting me high. Then I had to resort to other things to make me feel that… now rap's getting me high again."

[pitz182]

Morning Roundup: Apr. 23, 2019

'Good Morning Britain' Host Declines Cocktail 'Because I'm 8 Months Clean and Sober' [Yahoo News]A morning show host mistakenly offered her sober co-host, British TV star James Argent, a cocktail. Argent politely refused, having to explain that he is over halfway to a year sober.24 Hours in Philadelphia's Opioid Epidemic at Episcopal Hospital [Philly Inquirer]Temple University medical students chronicle a full day from a hospital in the heart of Philadelphia's opioid crisis. "I no longer wonder what leads individuals down the path to crisis. I now wonder why paths haven't been built to pull these individuals from crisis."Why Indianapolis Colts Owner Spent $2.4 Million on Original Manuscript of the Big Book [Indy Star]Colts owner Jim Irsay purchased the original manuscript of AA's Big Book last year at auction. Now for the first time, it is on display for the public to view.Amid Opioid Prescriber Crackdown, Health Officials Reach Out to Pain Patients [NPR]The recent indictment of more than 50 medical professionals (doctors, nurses) affects thousands of pain patients. But instead of leaving them high and dry, officials are actually trying to offset the gap left by the crackdown.The Giants at the Heart of the Opioid Crisis [NY Times]There are the pill mills, rogue pharmacists, and Purdue Pharma. Then there are the drug distributors, the "financial muscle that has driven the spread of prescription opioids in the U.S." In a growing number of lawsuits, they are accused of playing a role in exacerbating the national opioid crisis.The Book Newly Sober People Love to Give to Each Other [The Cut]A Q&A with the author of This Naked Mind—which has helped an estimated 4,000 stop drinking."I think a goal would be for us, culturally, to be able to ask a simple question: Would I be happier drinking a bit less alcohol?"Eminem Is 11 Years Sober [CNN]Eminem hit 11 years of sobriety over the weekend. The rapper announced the milestone on social media.Perspective: A Morning Reflection on 12 Years of Sobriety [Above The Law]The Recovering Lawyer reflects on his relationship with his father, who supported him through his worst times. "He lived to see me free of the mental and physical handcuffs booze and cocaine locked inside for so many years."

[pitz182]

"I Want You to Want to Live": Jody Betty's Viral Love Letter to People Contemplating Suicide

Trigger Warning: The following story discusses attempted suicide and links to potentially triggering articles. Proceed with caution. If you feel you are at risk and need help, skip the story and get help now. Options include: Calling the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255), calling 911, and calling a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.“Dear You,If you are reading this there is a small piece of you that wants to hold on…”Jody Betty wants you to live. Even more, Betty wants you to want to live. But perhaps most importantly, she wants you to know that every day she fights to live herself. Betty is the author of “I Want You to Want to Live,” an essay with over 15,000 likes on The Mighty. The piece, she says, is one of the most referenced links in online searches that connect people who are contemplating suicide to her. No matter how depressed someone may be when they reach out to her, she says, the very act of reaching out tells her that at least a small part of them is still fighting to hold on. Betty describes the response to her essay over the past few years as “astounding.” She is grateful to serve as a resource when needed. The Toronto-based 47-year-old writer, who is currently on disability due to mental health issues, first attempted suicide at the tender age of eight, and shares that she has lived with suicidal ideation for most of her life. Today, Betty is a source of hope and inspiration for those trying to fight their way out of the dark. She’s a mental health and suicide awareness and prevention advocate who wears her heart on her sleeve, putting both the good and the bad days out there in her writing on her Twitter feed, because she knows that it’s the shared experience and empathy that helps people find meaning and connection, and possibly the sustenance or hope they need to make it through another day.“I will remind you that although I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, I will be by your side to find out…”"Living with suicidal ideation most of my life has been incredibly hard. It is a constant battle in your mind to find reasons and hope to keep going, to keep fighting when you have a brain that is literally attacking you, convincing you that there is no more hope. It becomes emotionally and physically exhausting,” Betty says. “I wanted people to hear from someone actually suicidal, not someone who has been trained to deal with suicidal people. I have people who just need to be truly listened to in a safe environment, so that is why I leave my Twitter DM open for anyone in need.” Being open and honest about the state of her mental health sometimes includes sharing the very suicidal ideations that have plagued her since she was a child with her social media followers. The motivation for this is twofold: letting people know that they are not alone in what may be their darkest hour and battling the stigma still so heavily associated with mental illness. “You are incredibly strong. I won’t ever tell you that you are being dramatic and don’t really want to die…”“I firmly believe that talking about it lets other people know they are not alone in their feelings and that their feelings are valid, and in moments of crisis, knowing we are not alone is crucial,” Betty explains, adding that the stigma surrounding mental health is “real, hurtful, and harmful.” “It’s an illness. The brain, just like any other organ, can get sick.”We tend to judge what we don’t understand, which is exactly why it’s so difficult to shatter the prejudice and stigma surrounding mental health and the topic of suicide, says Betty, “People generally do not seek out information on something they are not personally touched by in some way. You likely would not read up on cancer if it in no way touched your life, and the same applies for mental health,” she says.According to the most recent statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide rates are still on the rise, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2016, the CDC’s Vital Signs reports, nearly 45,000 Americans ages 10 and older died by suicide. “Suicide is a leading cause of death for Americans – and it’s a tragedy for families and communities across the country,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, M.D. in the release. “From individuals and communities to employers and healthcare professionals, everyone can play a role in efforts to help save lives and reverse this troubling rise in suicide.”Betty is doing her part, she says, by sharing her story of hope and healing. The CDC and Association for Suicide Prevention advise that anyone can help prevent suicide by taking such steps as learning how to identify the warning signs, how to appropriately respond to those at risk, and contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Betty acknowledges that these steps are not to be ignored. Sometimes, though, the key to getting through to someone contemplating suicide is being able to practice empathy instead of sympathy. “I don’t know you, but I do care because I can empathize with your pain; I feel it myself.”“I find sometimes the crisis lines seem very scripted, and often don’t say the right things simply because they have never been there,” Betty says. “They can sympathize but not empathize… and there is a big difference. I wrote [I Want You to Want to Live] from the heart. I know the things I want to hear when I am suicidal and I think that if my words can reach even one person in their moment of crisis, then sharing my pain was worth it.”Betty’s grateful when her words reach people in need at the right time.“The hardest thing to do is reach out your hand and ask for help but once you do, you would be shocked at the number of people who reach back."Read "I Want You to Want to Live" by Jody Betty and follow her on Twitter.If you or someone you know may be at risk for suicide, immediately seek help. You are not alone.Options include:Calling the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255)Calling 911Calling a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.

[pitz182]

Seniors With Depression, Dementia Still Have Access To Guns

Seniors with symptoms of depression and dementia have access to firearms at similar rates to the overall population, suggesting that safety measures to keep guns out of the hands of people who may be a danger to themselves or others are falling short. A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine asked people about their gun ownership, safe storage practices, and symptoms of dementia or depression. The study found that homes with and without guns had similar rates of people living with depression or dementia.For example, 16% of seniors who lived in homes with guns had a depression diagnosis—compared with 18% of seniors with a depression diagnosis who lived in homes without guns. Epidemiologist Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, who worked on the study, said that researchers would expect to see more safe storage and less gun ownership among seniors with depression or dementia, since these conditions can put people at risk for gun violence, either to themselves or others. "If we were doing a good job in promoting gun safety, you would expect that the prevalence of living in a home with a gun or unsafe storage would be lower when somebody's experiencing dementia or suicide risk factors, right?" he told Pacific Standard. He said the lack of any difference "indicates that many of the guidelines or recommendations so far have fallen short and we need to be much more active about promoting firearms safety."Men who are 65 and older have the greatest rate of suicide and most often use firearms to commit suicide, so it is imperative that seniors who are depressed do not have easy access to firearms. In addition, people with dementia sometimes threaten people with firearms because they get confused and believe family members or healthcare providers are intruders in their home.Last year Kaiser Health News reported on the concerning trend, citing more than 100 cases where people with dementia had injured themselves or someone else with a gun. The Kaiser report found that despite the fact that 9% of people older than 65 have dementia, few families are having conversations about gun safety with their ill relatives. Dee Hill’s husband had spent a lifetime working in law enforcement and was opposed to giving up access to firearms even when he was diagnosed with dementia. “He was just almost obsessive about seeing his guns,” Hill said. One day, when Hill showed her husband his gun, he accidentally shot her.Hill said that she knows the shooting was an accident, but people in favor of tighter regulation say that families need to discuss gun safety and put a plan in action for disabled relatives, just as they would for relatives who are no longer able to drive safely.“My concern [had been] that someone was going to get hurt,” Hill said. “I didn’t in my wildest dreams think it was going to be me.”

[pitz182]

Some Pregnant Women Turn To Substance Use When Depression Is Untreated

A large percentage of pregnant women who are experiencing symptoms of depression do not get help, and sometimes turn to substance use to self-medicate, risking harms to themselves and their fetus. A study published in Psychiatric Services found that just 49% of pregnant women who had experienced a major depressive episode were treated. This is compared with 57% of non-pregnant women who had a major depressive episode. Researchers were surprised to find that pregnant women had a lower treatment rate, since they are visiting healthcare providers more often than non-pregnant women, and therefore—in theory—should have more access to screening and treatment. “What we would expect is that pregnant women are visiting the ob-gyn more and they should have more opportunities to see a psychologist or psychiatrist,” study author Maria X. Sanmartin told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “But that is not what we found.”Instead, researchers saw that all women had low treatment rates, but pregnant women fared especially poorly. “In general, treatment rates are very, very low,” Sanmartin said. The lack of treatment could lead women—including pregnant women—to self-medicate. The study found that in the month before the study, 6% of pregnant women used opioids, 17% used marijuana, and 23% used alcohol. The real rates may be even higher, since pregnant women may underreport their substance use for fear of facing criticism or punishment. For pregnant women who did seek help, medication was the most common form of treatment. While this is a good start, people with depression also need access to talk therapy to see optimal results, Sanmartin said. “The easiest way to cope with these things is to just give medication, but medication alone might not be what would help the patient,” she said. Earlier this year, a government task force recommended that all pregnant women be screened for depression. Although this is a massive initiative, proponents say that the effort is well worth it. “The benefits of increased maternal and infant wellness and decreased stigma to seek mental health assistance would likely lead to less of a toll on our healthcare system than when mental health concerns are unaddressed,” American Counseling Association president Simone Lambert said.  Jeff Temple, a University of Texas psychologist in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, told Time that the measure is important, but will require significant mental health resources. “I am very happy to see anything related to prevention, whether it’s mental health generally or perinatal depression specifically. If we can prevent problems from occurring, not only do we do a great service to humans, but [the health care system] saves a great deal of money,” he said. 

[pitz182]

Cocaine "Superhighway" Created By Destabilization In Venezuela

A CNN report has found that the political destabilization of Venezuela has created a “cocaine superhighway” as authorities look the other way, resulting in tens of billions of dollars' worth of the drug entering the U.S. in 2018 alone.U.S. officials are blaming the Venezuelan military and political elite, saying that they’re profiting from the increasingly active drug trade during the years of upheaval and hyperinflation.According to the extensive report put together after a months-long investigation, small planes allegedly full of Colombian cocaine have dramatically increased in number, from two per week leaving Venezuela to nearly one every day. Not only this, but they are now leaving from the northwest region of the country instead of its southern jungles, reducing air time.The planes mainly travel to Honduras and Guatemala, where many migrants and asylum seekers are currently traveling from to reach the relative safety of the U.S.The cocaine on board is so valuable that it’s worth significantly more than the planes themselves, which are often “then discarded or set on fire upon arrival.”In 2018 alone, over $39 billion worth of the illegal drug likely entered the U.S. from this Venezuelan highway.Some U.S. officials are concerned that Donald Trump’s proposal to cut off all financial aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador would only make the situation worse. This aid has been specifically used to fight the drug trade, and without it, anonymous officials told CNN that the sudden shortfall could cause a “bonanza” for traffickers."Right now, it's wide open," said one U.S. officer, "then it'll just be a free for all."Authorities have been unable to stop these flights largely due to the fact that Venezuela has such a large border area. At the same time, shipments by truck flow through the border with the aid of the Venezuelan military, according to a border patrol defector.“Everything was coordinated by the brigade commander,” said the anonymous defector, now living in Colombia. “He'd send a lieutenant to tell you what needed to cross, and this was arranged high up above. Those who didn't agree were swapped out... Automatically.”Recent reports in the U.S. have found that cocaine overdose deaths have increased in recent years, but these statistics have been overshadowed by the opioid epidemic.Data from the National Center for Health Statistics obtained by The Washington Post found a spike in cocaine-related deaths from 2011 to 2016, rising about 13% each year.Batches of the drug mixed with the highly potent opioid fentanyl have also been an increasing problem, with police in Massachusetts finding a threefold increase in drug samples containing both from 2016 to 2017.

[pitz182]

Grandparents Raising Kids Affected By Opioid Crisis Get Support From New Bill

One of the most devastating effects of the opioid crisis has been the enormous amount of children with addicted parents who are abused, neglected, or left without parents due to the parent’s death or inability to caretake.A new bipartisan bill in Washington, D.C., Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse Act, is seeking to support those children and their grandparents.The act, introduced by Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee, and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), would grant access to services under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).Families raising these children (typically grandparents) would have access to support for the children who have experienced various traumas, including specialized training to help families access, understand and take advantage of the myriad supports they could be eligible to receive.Grandparents and caregivers often have numerous resources as foster parents that disappear once they are given permanent custody. Generations United reported that 21% of grandparents caring for grandchildren are living below the poverty line.States like Louisiana and New Mexico passed similar bills as the Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse Act, while many states, including Massachusetts, Illinois and Georgia, have bills that still have not been voted on.“We must be there for the children whose parents have died or are absent because of their substance use disorder,” Senator Hassan said. “Largely due to the opioid epidemic, 2.6 million children are currently being raised by their grandparent—or other relatives or close family friends—without their parents in the home. This bipartisan bill will help ensure that these children get the care and support that they need to thrive.”Last year, Senator Collins and Senator Hassan worked together to introduce and get passed into law the bipartisan Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act. Senator Hassan met this year with grandparents and children in New Hampshire who have been impacted by the opioid epidemic to brainstorm strengthening child abuse prevention laws in order to better support these unique families.On Senator Hassan’s press release, Senator Collins said, “As the opioid epidemic continues to devastate families across Maine, grandparents increasingly are being called on to become the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. Although this caretaker role can be a source of tremendous comfort and stability for families, it also presents several challenges. The Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse Act would provide grandparents access to important resources they need to help their grandchildren succeed.”Click here for more information on the bill and read the bill text here.

[pitz182]

Mitch McConnell Pushes To Raise Minimum Smoking Age To 21

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing a bill that would raise the smoking age from 18 to 21. His proposal, to be introduced in May, will affect all tobacco products, including the now immensely popular vapes.McConnell’s home state of Kentucky is home to both a thriving tobacco industry as well as some of the highest rates of cancer in the United States. By the count of the American Cancer Society, lung cancer was responsible for about 66% of cancer deaths in Kentucky between 2012 and 2016.McConnell’s plan would hold retailers responsible for ensuring that all tobacco-purchasing customers are of age.The senator believes vaping is “the most serious threat” and hopes that raising the buying age will prevent more of these devices from being passed down to middle- and high-schoolers from their slightly older counterparts.Preventing teens from getting hooked early is important as almost 9 out of 10 cigarette smokers tried it before they become 18 years old, according to the CDC. Vapes seem to have exacerbated the problem, considering over 3 million high-schoolers used e-cigarettes in 2018—a 78% increase from 2017.“I hope my legislation will earn strong, bipartisan support in the Senate,” said McConnell. “I’m confident many of my colleagues will agree that protecting our young people from starting tobacco use at an early age can have remarkable, long-term health benefits for Kentucky and the country.”The bill will exclude those who serve in uniform.Altria, the producers of Marlboro, say they “strongly supports raising the legal age of purchase for all tobacco products.”McConnell’s idea isn’t novel. Twelve states have already moved to raise the smoking age to 21. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Maryland and New York are also set to enact similar laws.But according to one Hawaiian lawmaker, raising the age to 21 just isn’t good enough. State Representative Richard Creagan wants to eventually make it illegal for anyone under the age of 100 to get tobacco products.“We don’t allow people free access to opioids, for instance, or any prescription drugs. This is more lethal, more dangerous than any prescription drug, and it is more addicting, said Creagan, “We, as legislators, have a duty to do things to save people’s lives. If we don’t ban cigarettes, we are killing people.”

[pitz182]

Feds Undertake Four-State Study to Address Opioid Crisis

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is gearing up to dole out $350 million to Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio to figure out how to stop opioid deaths by 40% in those states over the next three years.By disbursing the money to the University of Kentucky, Boston Medical Center, Columbia University and Ohio State University, the NIH hopes to curb fatalities from drugs like fentanyl and heroin, which took the lives of about 47,600 people in the US in 2017.Researchers will get deeply involved with 15 communities that have been hard hit by the opioid crisis to figure out how best to effectively prevent and treat addiction there. They’ll also take a hard look at how big factors like unemployment and the justice system contribute to the continued crisis and experiment with distributing anti-overdose medications to first responders, police, and even schools.“The most important work to combat our country’s opioid crisis is happening in local communities,” said Alex Azarn, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. “We believe this effort will show that truly dramatic and material reductions in overdose deaths are possible, and provide lessons and models for other communities to adopt and emulate.”The program will proceed forth no matter what kind of budget cuts the NIH faces, according to Azarn. This is welcome news as some experts believe solutions need to be found as soon as possible.“We are in such a period of crisis that we need to know in real time what is working and what is not working,” said Dr. Alysse Wurcel of the Tufts Medical Center in Boston.The opioid crisis is a major issue that requires a multi-faceted approach to solve. On his show, Last Week Tonight, John Oliver called for holding the Sackler family, the minds behind OxyContin, accountable for their aggressive and irresponsible marketing of their powerful opioid painkiller. Oliver had several celebrities dramatize things the elusive Richard Sackler actually said.“The launch of OxyContin tablets will be followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition,” performed Michael K. Williams, repeating Sackler’s infamous proclamation. “The prescription blizzard will be so deep, dense and white.”Some solutions to the opioid crisis may seem unorthodox and unintuitive, such as a Canadian public health expert’s suggestion to install opioid vending machines in Vancouver, “one of North America’s densest populations of injection drug users.” Only proven chronic drug users could scan themselves to get clean drugs for safer consumption.“We’re acknowledging people will go to any extreme to use this drug. To tell them not to use because it’s unsafe is ridiculous,” said program mastermind Dr. Mark Tyndall.

[pitz182]

Morning Roundup: Apr. 22, 2019

Science Professor Allegedly Taught Students to Make Ecstasy [Guardian]A professor at a Japanese university could face up to a 10-year prison sentence if convicted of allegedly teaching students how to produce MDMA. The drug was not found in a police search, but traces of another banned "cannabis-like substance" was. 'Magic' Mushroom Decriminalization Supporters Cite Health Benefits [Colorado Public Radio]If passed, Initiative 301 would de-prioritize psilocybin mushroom use and possession in Denver. Proponents of the measure say that the substance has "tremendous potential" for the treatment of depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions.'Rap and Recovery' Offers Hope for Addiction Treatment in Burnaby [CBC]Rap heals for participants of "Rap and Recovery," a music therapy program in British Columbia. "It's a good way for me to release emotions that I have a hard time dealing with or opening up about," said one participant.  Mitch McConnell: Raising Age to Buy Tobacco to 21 a 'Top Priority' [Politico]The Senate majority leader is placing the tobacco age at the top of his to-do list. His hope is to discourage vaping among young people and promote good health across the U.S.The Church of Living Dangerously: How One Mega-Church Pastor Became a Drug Runner for a Mexican Cartel [Vanity Fair]The story of the "Kmart church" pastor, John Bishop, who welcomed "the unchurched" to his unconventional congregation. Vanity Fair details his rise and fall from grace—and how he got mixed up with a drug cartel in Mexico with his son.Perspective: Death and Resurrection. Addiction and Recovery. [Sojourners]A word from author Timothy McMahan King on Easter, addiction and resurrection. "Resurrection is not just a promise that things can return to the way things were before but that new life, something even better than before, is possible."Urgent Care on Demand, Except This Time for Mental Health [WBUR]When your psychiatrist can't see you soon enough, a unique clinic in Boston—one of a handful in the U.S.—is there to fill the gap. "Sometimes you just need a quick look to see if there's something that can be done in the moment that might get you back on track for your care." Buckets of Pills: Dark Web Crackdown Yields Largest Pill Bust in NJ History [NJ.com]A huge amount of illicit pills were being peddled via the dark web marketplace—but it wasn't enough to evade authorities, who netted a record amount of the drugs.