Category: From Addiction Recovery Bulletin

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

MIRACLES HAPPEN –  

May 3, 2024 – Ravaged by addiction and at rock bottom, mother of two credits long night of prayer in abandoned shack for leading to her recovery. It was a desperate plea crying out from a dark and dreary place. After 20 years of addiction, this is where … “I just hit my knees right there and prayed, ‘God, if you are real, please get me out of here.’” That was on a Wednesday in August of 2019. And ever since that day, Holder says that “things have just been falling in place for me — and that’s how I know God was in this (journey) all the way.”

One  month prior to that prayer of desperation, Holder’s mother had died, as a result of being beaten to death by a family member. She hung on for two months until finally succumbing to her injuries. It was a devastating loss for Holder.

“My mom was my angel,” Holder said. “She was the only one that really believed in me up to that point. I just knew at that point, if I didn’t get help with my addiction, there was no coming back, there was no escaping.” It was the hardest of bottoms for Holder, and she indeed found it to be rock hard.

CONTINUE@LeaderCall

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

BUYER BEWARE –  

May 3, 2024 – An influencer revealed that she suffered a diarrhea ‘storm’ and ‘absolute agony’ while taking the blockbuster weight loss drug Ozempic. 

Jaime French, a 33-year-old internet personality in St Louis, Missouri, started taking a generic form of semaglutide – the active ingredient in Ozempic …Like most overweight people, I have always struggled to lose body fat, and calorie deficits literally don’t work for me, at least not long term,’ she said in a video last year. 

Ms French noted that though she works out often, ‘nothing makes a measurable difference.’ ‘[Ozempic] seemed like a very promising solution,’ she said. 

However, immediately after getting her first injection, she said experienced ‘a literal poop storm’ of diarrhea and ‘agonizing’ pain. ‘I was pretty confident it was the drug causing it,’ she said.     

CONTINUE@DailyMail

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

CH-CH-CHANGES –  

May 1, 2024 – Ozempic has already been linked to a host of bizarre bodily changes — including sagging skin and sunken-in cheeks.

But now women are reporting a side effect dubbed ‘Ozempic breasts’ — which is when their boobs either shrink or balloon in size.Doctors say the former is to be expected because as someone loses weight, fat tissue in the breasts also diminish, making them smaller in size.

Another theory is that, as people become skinnier, their breasts simply appear bigger. 

Still, dozens of women have been left feeling disappointed or pleasantly surprised due to the phenomenon.

Dr Andrew Peredo, a plastic surgeon in New York City, told DailyMail.com: ‘With Ozempic, what I have been noticing is a lot of people will take a high dose of the weight loss drug and then lose the weight really fast.

CONTINUE@DailyMail

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

VIDEO – HALLELUJAH –  

April 30, 2024 – Since 1971, marijuana has been in the same category as heroin, methamphetamines and LSD. By rescheduling cannabis, the drug would now be studied and researched to identify concrete medical benefits, opening the door for Big Pharma to get involved with sales and distribution. For the $34 billion cannabis industry, the move would also eliminate significant tax burdens for businesses in states where the drug is legal. 

The Department of Justice’s rescheduling decision could also help shrink the black market which has thrived despite legalization in states like New York and California and has undercut legal markets that are fiercely regulated and highly taxed.

President Joe Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services in October of 2022 to review marijuana’s classification. Federal scientists concluded that there is credible evidence that cannabis provides medical benefits and that it poses lower health risks than other controlled substances.

CONTINUE@NBCNews

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

VIDEO – SAINTS CAN BE BALD –  

May 3, 2024 – “Father Greg Boyle, who has changed countless lives as pastor of a disadvantaged Catholic parish in Los Angeles … through your pioneering gang intervention programs, reminds us the power of redemption and rehabilitation and our obligation to those who have been condemned or counted out,” said President Joe Biden. Homeboy Industries doesn’t just offer employment opportunities for those with nowhere left to go, but it also offers support, love, and hope.

Many of those who now work at Homeboy Industries went through the program, including Pamela Herrera, who has worked as the general manager of Homegirl Cafe for 13 years. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” she said. “I was always at the rock bottom, and I felt I was more than that. He had a dream. A purpose. It came to life, and he provided a place where I can heal.”

Those at Homeboy Industries – and everyone in L.A. connected to Boyle – say the award highlights those marginalized in the community and recognizes their ability to turn their lives around.

CONTINUE@ABC7

The post Homeboy Industries’ Father Greg Boyle Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom  appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

BUSINESS AS USUAL –  

May 1, 2024 – The company announced that it still intends to defend itself amid the ongoing lawsuits, while simultaneously working to garner approval and support for the proposed settlement.  In 2021, J&J was ordered to provide a $2.12 billion award to 22 women who claimed their ovarian cancer was caused by asbestos in J&J talc products. Additionally, in the first quarter of 2024, J&J recorded a charge of $2.7 billion, which accounted for recent talc-related settlements, per CNN.

J&J also shared in the statement that “none of the talc-related claims against it have merit.” Johnson & Johnson has offered to pay $6.475 billion in response to thousands of lawsuits that have alleged the brand’s baby powder and talc products contained asbestos, which allegedly caused ovarian cancer.

The company announced this settlement in a statement on Wednesday, May 1, noting its intent to pay over the next 25 years. 

This would “resolve 99.75% of all pending talc lawsuits” related to ovarian cancer claims against the company. Additionally, this would also settle current and future ovarian cancer claims.

J&J stated that the attorneys “representing the overwhelming majority of current ovarian claimants” support the current proposal.

CONTINUE@People

The post Johnson and Johnson to Pay $6.5 Billion for Talcum Powder Ovarian Cancer Lawsuits appeared first on Addiction/Recovery eBulletin.

Addiction Recovery Bulletin

DIFFICULTLY –  

May 2, 2024 – “Excess sugar has very addictive properties,” says Rhian Stephenson, nutritionist. “It activates opiate receptors, then we experience a surge of dopamine, which lights up the reward and pleasure centers in the brain—these are associated with addictive behavior activated by things like gambling and cocaine.” 

A feel-good physiological mechanism, when we do get our sugar fix, we are likely to experience feelings of alertness, happiness, and/or comfort. When we don’t, we may experience cravings, the urge to binge and/or feel withdrawal symptoms, such as agitation, anxiety and headaches. “Physically, it can lead to glucose disregulation [or imbalanced blood sugar], and hyperinsulinemia, inflammation, impaired immunity and more.” Sugar triggers a cascade of inflammatory reactions in the body and skin,” says nutritionist Lola Ross. “When we eat sugary foods or refined carbohydrates, it causes a spike in blood glucose levels, then the pancreas produces insulin to circulate sugars to be used as energy in our cells. Diets that are chronically high in sugary foods can lead to insulin resistance, a state where blood sugar becomes poorly managed in the body.” Insulin resistance can lead to health issues such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes, so it’s definitely something to avoid.

CONTINUE@Vogue

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

VIDEO – LIKE SO MANY OTHERS –  

May 1, 2024 – They accuse the company of improperly billing taxpayers for phone calls with clients, falsely billing group activities as if they were a series of individual interactions, and overstating the times spent on van rides to and from recovery treatment.

“I’ve spent many sleepless nights,” Lea Jondal explained.

What’s been keeping Jondal up is a story she’s now driven to tell. 

“I hate to be labeled as the whistleblower,” she told KARE 11, “but it had to happen.”

Jondal is one of the former workers and clients who accuse Evergreen Recovery, a St. Paul addiction treatment center, of overbilling. Records show Evergreen’s practices have allowed them to rake in millions of dollars a year for peer services since they first started billing in September of 2021 – more than twice as much as any other licensed addiction recovery program in the state during the same period.

Evergreen officials denied they’ve deliberately done anything improper.

Although Evergreen’s attorney sent two “Cease & Desist” letters alleging unethical conduct by KARE 11’s reporters such as digging through the facility’s trash. KARE 11 denied any improper conduct and continued reporting.

CONTINUE@KARE11

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

IT REALLY AIN’T THE SAME –  

May 11, 2024 – Frequency of use was another risk factor for psychosis, such as weekly or daily use, with those using the drug daily at elevated risk for serious psychiatric problems such as psychosis. In addition, individuals who use other addictive substances in addition to marijuana, such as tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs, have a greater risk for psychosis.

The United States is confronting a public health crisis of substance use disorders and overdose deaths. We need to refocus and reenergize prevention and educational initiatives and support psychiatric treatment alternatives for youth. Addiction often begins with use in the teenage years, and 90% of all adults with substance use disorders began using alcohol, nicotine, or marijuana before age 18. Also, using any one substance (alcohol, nicotine, marijuana) significantly increases the likelihood of using the other two. A growing body of scientific evidence shows that even a one-year delay in drug use during adolescence can lower future trajectories of use for years to come. Brain researchers believe teenagers are extremely vulnerable because adolescent and young adult brains are still developing. Although marijuana is perceived as harmless by many, the dangers outlined in my prior post are amplified with much more dire consequences in youth.

CONTINUE@PsychologyToday

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Addiction Recovery Bulletin

REBEL YELLS…QUIETLY –  

May 1, 2024 – “I really started to think, ‘I should try and go forward and not be a drug addict anymore,’ and stuff like that,” Idol, 68, recalled. “It took a long time, but gradually I did achieve some sort of discipline.” He is getting candid about his past struggles with drug addiction and how he’s managed to get clean and “California sober.” The “White Wedding” rocker recently spoke with People about his substance abuse issues, and how a near-death motorcycle accident in 1990 finally convinced him to kick the habit.

“I really started to think, ‘I should try and go forward and not be a drug addict anymore,’ and stuff like that,” Idol, 68, recalled. “It took a long time, but gradually I did achieve some sort of discipline.”

“I’m not really the same kind of guy I was in the ‘80s,” Idol continued. “I’m not the same drug addicted person.”

CONTINUE@ET

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