August 7-10, 2020 • Vol. 7., No. 49
Trading Places WATCH
Jamie Lee Curtis talks about her new podcast and her sobriety WATCH - August 4, 2020 - Actress Jamie Lee Curtis has succeeded in many genres, from horror movies to TV dramas to children’s books. But now she’s tackling a new medium, producing and starring in “Letters from Camp,” a scripted mystery podcast... more@Today
Doctor’s life of luxury built on naltrexone implants
July 27, 2020 - A slice of the money they brought was used to pay “body brokers,” also known in the rehab industry as “junkie hunters” — usually recovering users who recruited other addicts for unneeded medical procedures. Recruiters got kickbacks of some $12 million for their troubles... more@OCRegister
Addiction-treatment doctor arrested for alleged involvement in $681 million scheme
July 31, 2020 - “This massive, multi-year alleged fraudulent billing scheme by a trusted medical professional generated millions of dollars by preying on patients seeking substance abuse treatment,” said Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Ligotti owned Whole Health in Delray Beach...@Sun-Sentinel
Know Your Rights WATCH
How laws protect people in recovery from discrimination WATCH
July 30, 2020 - Substance use disorder can be recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Housing Act, and Rehabilitation Act. Substance use disorder requires a medical diagnosis. But once diagnosed, you can be protected from discrimination in employment, housing, & federally-funded programs. more@KUTV
Compulsive buying can be a damaging addiction
July 28, 2020 - With many people left at home feeling bored and anxious, the problem with compulsive buying is intensifying. That is because many people are discovering the ease of shopping and buying things over the internet. more@CapitalGazette
Another reason not to drink it WATCH
FDA says AVOID 100's of hand sanitizers WATCH - August 1, 2020 - The agency says that in most cases, methanol Does Not appear on the product label but that it is “not an acceptable ingredient in any drug, including hand sanitizer! more@USAToday
21 Proudly Sober Celebrities
July 31, 2020 - Deciding whether or not to abstain from alcohol is a really personal decision, and often it’s not an easy one either, so it can be helpful to hear from others who’ve made it work for them. more@Cosmopolitan
Lily Allen Celebrates a Year! ‘So Grateful for My Health and Happiness’ July 28, 2020 - The British singer, 35, posted on Instagram to celebrate the milestone, sharing a series of before and after shots that showed the change her sobriety has had on her. more@People
Demi Moore Says Her Drug Addiction & Marriage Problems Came From the Same Place
July 29, 2020 - With the publication of her memoir Inside Out, actress Demi Moore has turned a new corner as a star. Now, it’s all out on the table: her years of struggle with addiction, her marriages to Freddy Moore, Bruce Willis, and Ashton Kutcher, and her career transformation... more@Yahoo
California’s Huge Overdose Increase Didn’t Have to Happen - July 28, 2020 - The picture that emerges is one where California, until now largely spared from the tragedy of the opioid-involved overdose crisis, is beginning to catch up to so much of the rest of the United States. “We’re a little bit behind everybody else ...” more@FilterMag
Mia St. John’s Memoir: ‘Surviving Loss’ WATCH
July 29, 2020 - Fighting for My Life, will take readers through her journey of surviving the loss of her beloved son, ex-husband Kristoff St. John and 30 years of sobriety. The former five-time world boxing champion is ready to tell her story — the good, the bad and the ugly. more@People
How I Wish My Parents Had Reacted to My Heroin Use - July 31, 2020 - I’ve often imagined what it would have been like if my parents had responded with kindness and understanding, rather than anger and attempts at control. Because their reaction actually brought about the opposite of what they wished...
Motorcycle club helps men maintain sobriety
July 28, 2020 - “My whole life I was raising hell and now I’m doing something a little different,” said Ed Bullio, founder of the Last Chance Motorcycle Club. He started drinking when he was 12 and by 13, he was using other substances. @WickedLocal
Mural honoring recovery nears installation
July 26, 2020 - “It belongs to the community, and it was created by the community,” she said. The project will serve as a visible reminder that light is on the other side of addiction.
How One Panic Attack Led to 15 Years of Psych Meds
July 25, 2020 - By Rose Yesha, PhD. The psychiatrist briefly described the side effects of the medication, which were limited to the potential for nausea and increased anxiety at the start of treatment. “You’ll feel like yourself again in just a few short weeks!”, she exclaimed... more@MadInAmerica
Pharma Giant Floods Sioux Reservation with Opioids
July 30, 2020 - McKesson supplied the vast majority of painkillers to Native American communities across the U.S. during the opioid epidemic. “People would come and they would have big bottles. I would keep track of who got what, when they were gonna get their refills.” more@Vice
‘Before I Could Lose 100 Pounds, I First Had To Work On My Mental Health And Sobriety’
July 25, 2020 - My name is Kelli Coennen. Four years ago, I sought mental health treatment for borderline personality disorder and addiction. more@Yahoo
Jujubee on Addiction
JULY, 25 2020 - Below, in an interview just before the finale’s airing, Jujubee discussed her journey with sobriety, the inspiration for her heavenly runway look, and her love of cats. I’m happy that I get to show people that there is a new way of life and that we do recover. I want to use my platform to show people just that. more@Advocate
Mother uses book to help others after loss of her son
July 27, 2020 - Q: You lost your son, Robert Mason Lofink, to a drug overdose at the age of 18 in 2014. What prompted you and Sylvia Blair to team up to write the book “Reclaiming My Life”? more@BaltimoreSun
Recovery Network Programs, Inc. Settles Improper Billing Suit - July 27, 2020 - RNP ... has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments in which it will pay $354,367 to resolve allegations that it caused overpayments for urine drug testing services to be paid by Medicaid Program. more@Patch
Broadway Dancer Lost His Dream Job to Addiction JULY 27, 2020 - Two years into performing in Wicked, he got cast in the out of town run for Moulin Rouge! It was his ultimate dream job ... He went to rehab in Florida, then moved back home to Ohio, figuring that his performing career was over... @Backstage
$1.2 million sobriety pit stop
JULY 28, 2020 - For those on methamphetamine, 6 to 12 hours is not enough. It may take many days to come down and to sleep it off the drug’s effects, which are severe and long-lasting. While intoxicated, they are cognitively impaired to the point that any real conversation is often impossible. more@SacramentoNews
Big star, without the booze WATCH
Ed Sheeran Recalls Battle with Addiction WATCH
July 28, 2020 - In a recent interview for the Hay House Chasing the Present Summit, the singer opened up about the “lowest” point in his life, which came during his world tour in 2015. “I kinda see no point in having a glass of wine, I’d rather have two bottles of wine.”
CA. Pot Tax Used to Boost Police Budgets
July 23, 2020 - To a large degree, the funds are not going towards helping the poor, Black and Brown neighborhoods most harmed by the War on Drugs. They are going to the police! more@FilterMag
Opinion WATCH
Nation’s drug overdose epidemic needs new policy focus WATCH
July 31, 2020 - According to the report, deaths involving - Illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogs jumped 510% from 5,766 to 35,171. - Stimulants such as methamphetamine rose 258% from 4,402 to 15,770. more@AMA-assn
John Brogan, high-profile addiction specialist, found dead
July 31, 2020 - Brogan’s story was complicated in recent years, as he was accused of recommending a probationer take drugs to gain admission to a rehab facility, and of domestic violence charges against his ex-wife, which his lawyer said were dismissed. more@APP
Back from the dead LISTEN
Author and business owner recounts his journey to sobriety LISTEN July 31, 2020 - He began to take his medication as prescribed but weeks following his incident, he was sitting with a coworker at the time who offered him a line of crushed oxycontin. Jason immediately took it hoping to ease more of the pain he felt. more@FM100