Answer Addiction

Author: The Fix

  • Mt. Rubidoux Treatment Center

    Mt. Rubidoux Treatment Center

    Residents at this treatment center express gratitude for individualized and comprehensive treatment plans, nurturing and knowledgeable staff, and the great camaraderie they experienced during their time in treatment.

    Mt. Rubidoux Treatment Center, which is part of MFI Recovery, takes its name from the breathtaking mountain it sits beside. Located in Riverside, California, Mt. Rubidoux offers a comprehensive recovery program in a semi-private, apartment-style setting. Each client at Mt. Rubidoux has a treatment plan tailored to their unique, highly specific needs—an individualized approach that helps people struggling with addiction, depression, anxiety or other dual diagnoses to learn strategies that help them long after they’ve left the treatment center. Addiction specialists, psychiatrists and therapists work together with residents to develop the treatment plans, and also to help the residents understand the deeper reasons behind their behaviors.

    Former clients of Mt. Rubidoux described their fellow residents as aged anywhere from 20 to 60 and coming from “all walks of life.” The center welcomes people with a wide variety of backgrounds and personalities but, as one client said, “What they all tended to have in common was a sincere desire for sobriety and recovery.” Another person who replied to our survey agreed with that sentiment, adding that Mt. Rubidoux gave him “the tools I needed to get through some of the darkest times in my life.” Alumni were generally positive about the center’s one-bedroom studio apartments in their reviews, with each resident sharing their living space with a roommate. The apartments all come fully furnished, complete with silverware, cookware, cleaning supplies and a stocked fridge. “I had a roommate I still consider a good friend,” one resident commented.

    Daily life at Mt. Rubidoux is structured, with each room assigned a specific chore to complete. One resident noted that aside from general housekeeping, every day’s routines were “focused on recovery—both mental and physical.” Individual and group therapy sessions occupy the majority of a resident’s daily schedule, with free time allowing for them to call family members, meditate, watch TV or visit the gym.

    Alumni who responded to our survey had high praise for the large and diverse selection of activities and amenities offered at Mt. Rubidoux. In addition to the exercise center, former residents reported that they enjoyed such activities as movie nights, bowling, BBQs, hiking and beach trips, among others. There is a full time chef who prepares the meals during the week and the clients take turns cooking or barbecuing on the weekends. Overall, residents were pleased with the meals, describing them as “healthy home style” and “nutritious” and adding that snacks and coffee were always readily available. “They have what you need to live,” one client said, “[and] some of us were grateful for anything.”

    The medical treatment that former residents received at Mt. Rubidoux was positively rated. While there are no doctors in residence at the center, they visited the site on a daily basis and were described as “very helpful” by several clients. (Medical services and personnel are available 24/7 in order to help residents detox safely and comfortably.)

    Many alumni were very appreciative of the facility’s “nurturing,” “fair” and “knowledgeable” staff, praising the level of care they received. “The knowledge and passion by the staff for my emotional and physical health was truly amazing,” one man wrote about his counselors. “I never asked a question of staff that wasn’t followed by a [prompt] and informed answer.” The majority of former clients were also pleased with the center’s 12-step approach, singling out the camaraderie and fellowship they experienced during their time in treatment. And while spirituality is emphasized over religion at Mt. Rubidoux, all faiths are welcome. “No effort was ever made to silence people of faith,” one resident said. “Simultaneously, agnostics and atheists were respected. [It] made for a very comfortable treatment experience.”

    Overall, residents at Mt. Rubidoux were grateful and appreciative for their time in treatment, counting everything from the staff to the amenities to the center’s tailored treatment plans among the reasons why. Since leaving treatment at Mt. Rubidoux, the majority of the former clients who responded to our survey reported that they’d managed to steer clear of the addiction or problem for which they sought treatment. “I will always be a recovering addict,” one client wrote, “[but] the information I learned will stay with me. It’s helping me recognize what my old mistakes were and [to] not repeat them.” Another person said he had Mt. Rubidoux’s treatment to thank for his sustained sobriety: “I continue to work the program I was gifted by MFI,” he said. “It is working awesome for me.” One individual even admitted to relapsing, but was “thankful” for his experience at Mt. Rubidoux and said he was again clean and sober.

    Many of the center’s former clients would recommend the treatment program to others, as well, using words like “great” and “blessed” to describe their time spent at Mt. Rubidoux. “It’s not a five-star resort, but it provides five-star treatment,” one person said. “I would recommend it to anyone seeking an affordable treatment facility with extremely caring counselors and staff.” One former client was thankful for the second shot at life that Mt. Rubidoux afforded him: “Because of the people at MFI, my kids have a chance today,” he said. “They will go out of their way to help you, if you are serious about staying clean. I will always be grateful for them.”

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  • Controversial "Moderate Drinking" Study Shut Down By Officials

    Controversial "Moderate Drinking" Study Shut Down By Officials

    The news comes on the heels of Anheuser Busch’s decision to pull millions in funding from the study. 

    A highly controversial National Institutes of Health study is no longer in the works, NIH director Francis Collins announced Friday, June 15. 

    According to STAT News, Collins said the $100 million study would be shut down after a task force discovered “severe ethical and scientific lapses in the study’s planning and execution.” 

    The study, which would examine the possible health benefits of consuming one daily drink, had been in the headlines after a New York Times investigation revealed that the federal agency had courted the alcohol industry for funding, leading to concerns that the results could be skewed.

    Recently, Anheuser Busch decided to pull its own funding out of the study.

    STAT News reported that the task force found that the manner in which the NIH funded the research “casts doubt” as to whether “the scientific knowledge gained from the study would be actionable or believable.”

    The task force also found that beginning in 2013, “there was early and frequent engagement” between NIH officials and those in the alcohol industry. These communications, the task force stated, seemed to be “an attempt to persuade industry to support the project. Several members of NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) staff kept key facts hidden from other institute staff members.” 

    Michael Siegel, public health scientist of Boston University, says the decision to end the study was the right one.

    “NIAAA undermined its own scientific integrity by soliciting and accepting alcohol industry funding to study the health ‘benefits’ of alcohol,” he told STAT News.  

    The study raised ethical concerns in part due to how it solicited its funding. The New York Times investigation revealed that in 2014, the scientists involved in the study went as far as to tell executives in the alcohol industry that the study “represents a unique opportunity to show that moderate alcohol consumption is safe and lowers risk of common diseases.”

    The Times also reported that they told officials that the study would supply a “level of evidence [that] is necessary if alcohol is to be recommended as part of a healthy diet.”

    Aside from ethical concerns, the study was also found to have other flaws. According to STAT News, the group looking into it found that it didn’t have enough patients and the follow-up time was not sufficient, meaning “the trial could show benefits while missing harms.” 

    Before the study was shut down, 105 participants had enrolled and $4 million had already been spent. 

    Dr. Kenneth Mukamal of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center was to lead the study. In a statement, the medical center said it is “deeply committed to ensuring the scientific and ethical integrity of any research study involving our investigators.”

    The statement also noted that Dr. Mukamal “is an experienced researcher who has led dozens of important studies over his career. We take the working group’s findings very seriously and will review the report carefully.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Chef David Chang Talks Mental Health, Anthony Bourdain

    Chef David Chang Talks Mental Health, Anthony Bourdain

    “Sometimes I don’t even realize I am in a state of depression because it’s gotten so clever as to how I can’t even recognize it… Every day is a battle.”

    Chef David Chang dedicated the newest episode of his podcast The Dave Chang Show to honor the late Anthony Bourdain. The New York City chef, the host of the Netflix series Ugly Delicious known for his Momofuku restaurants, discusses his own battles with mental health, and the steps he’s taken to address his own issues.

    The chef said he knew he needed help back in college, but did not feel comfortable with the idea. “I needed to see a professional because I was in despair. And I have had bouts of despair since high school. But I was just told to suck it up. I was told that that’s embarrassing,” he said.

    Mental illness evolves with time, Chang said, and is a daily struggle. “After a 15-year-plus battle of it, [my mental illness] is an incredibly complex organism that is smarter than I am half the time,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t even realize I am in a state of depression because it’s gotten so clever as to how I can’t even recognize it. It is constantly morphing and evolving. Every day is a battle.”

    Opening Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City in 2004 became his “vehicle to fight depression.” The massive undertaking kept the young chef busy after experiencing the worst of his depression in 2003.

    Alcohol didn’t help the situation. “Along the way, drinking really fucked me up,” said Chang. “I had a hard time communicating. I had a hard time dealing with the stress. I had a hard time with impostor syndrome, I still do.”

    He sought help with a mental health professional around the same time, and after a few “false starts,” he settled on a psychiatrist that he’s been seeing since 2003.

    He said that being able to talk through his problems is the “genuine benefit” of therapy. Though he himself had trouble opening up in the first few sessions, out of embarrassment, he still went back.

    Chang acknowledged that there are many paths to recovery. “You cannot assume that what works for some person will ever work for another. There is not just a universal standard for depression or neuroses or any other kind of mental disorder, because we are each completely unique individuals. We all experience the world independently and uniquely,” he said.

    Chang said he hopes that through conversation and dialogue, he will help others shed the embarrassment of dealing with a mental illness.

    “We all need help, even those of us that think that everything is going great. It’s so hard to ask for help. And more specifically it’s really hard to find that help,” he said. “I thought the best way to honor Tony would be to talk about my own struggles with depression… If it makes any of you feel a little bit better for seeking help for your own struggles, then it was worth it. I think it was what Tony would want me to do.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Walgreens Sued By Kentucky For Alleged Role In Opioid Crisis

    Walgreens Sued By Kentucky For Alleged Role In Opioid Crisis

    “While Walgreens’ slogan was ‘at the corner of happy and healthy,’ they have significantly harmed the health of our families in fueling the opioid epidemic,” says the Kentucky AG.

    The state of Kentucky is suing Walgreens, arguing that the pharmacy giant used “unlawful business practices” to fuel the state’s opioid crisis, CNN Money reports.

    State Attorney General Andy Beshear claims that the retailer not only filled “massive” and “suspicious” orders of opioids, but failed to report those same orders to authorities.

    Walgreens also played dual roles “on the opioid supply chain” as both distributor and dispenser, the lawsuit contended. As a distributor, Walgreens delivered opioids straight to its own pharmacies while, as a dispenser, it filled opioids prescriptions for consumers.

    Walgreens had “a unique and superior position of knowledge with regard to the gross amount of opioids pumped into its stores and poured out onto the streets of Kentucky,” Beshear said in the lawsuit.

    Nevertheless, Walgreens is being accused of filling orders “for such large quantities of prescription narcotic pain medication that there could be no associated legitimate medical purpose for their use.”

    Beshear added that the company ignored its own “safeguard systems” in the process.  

    The Walgreens lawsuit isn’t the first one Beshear has filed over Kentucky’s health crisis, either. This year alone, the Attorney General has leveled lawsuits at drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, as well as opioid distributors like AmerisourceBergen and McKesson Corporation.

    “While Walgreens’ slogan was ‘at the corner of happy and healthy,’ they have significantly harmed the health of our families in fueling the opioid epidemic. I want to make sure these billion dollar companies take responsibility and become a part of the solution,” Beshear said.

    His latest lawsuit seeks to stop Walgreens from “over-dispensing opioids,” in addition to have them pay back “the amount it earned from the allegedly illegal gains.”

    In the meantime, other companies have taken actions that they believe will help curb the crisis. Walmart, for one, recently introduced a method to safely destroy leftover opioids at home: DisposeRx, which, when it’s mixed with warm water, turns any form of opioid into a biodegradable gel. Walmart and CVS both announced that they would limit the lengths of opioid prescriptions.  

    Kentucky’s lawsuit also follows on the heels of other states that have sued drug makers and distributors in recent months. In May, the Texas Attorney General’s Office sued Purdue Pharma for allegedly fueling the opioid crisis and “misrepresenting the risks” of opioid addiction.

    “We must make those who have caused the opioid crisis feel the pain that they have inflicted on our community,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.

    Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi also filed an action against some of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers claiming that they used deceptive techniques to increase prescriptions.

    “The complaint I filed today, seeks to hold some of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers and distributors responsible for their role in this crisis and seeks payment for the pain and destruction their actions have caused Florida and its citizens,” Bondi said in a statement.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Shame, Alcoholism, Stigma, and Suicide

    Shame, Alcoholism, Stigma, and Suicide

    In addiction treatment circles, conventional wisdom suggests we have to let people hit rock bottom before we can help them. But what happens if rock bottom is dying from suicide?

    Historical records as far back as ancient Athens have the underpinnings of the stigmatization of suicide. In 360 BCE, Plato wrote that those who died by suicide “shall be buried alone, and none shall be laid by their side; they shall be buried ingloriously in the borders of the twelve portions the land, in such places as are uncultivated and nameless, and no column or inscription shall mark the place of their interment.” Fast-forward a couple millennia and suicide is still criminalized in many places around the world. In the Western Judeo-Christian tradition, suicide has long been considered the ultimate sin, to such an extent that even the body of a person who died by suicide was legally brutalized and dehumanized. This long history of shaming and penalizing suicide has created deeply seated (mis)beliefs that are engrained in cultural norms. Suicidal ideation is stigmatized, and those who experience such thoughts often suffer in silence.

    Alcoholism (both alcohol use disorder and alcohol dependence) is also highly stigmatized. Past research has found that public attitudes are very poor towards people with substance use disorders (SUD). Across the globe, around 70% of the public believe alcoholics were likely to be violent to others. As recently as 2014, research has found 30% of people think recovery from SUDs is impossible and almost 80% of people would not want to work alongside someone who had or has a substance use disorder.

    Alcohol dependence and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are high on the list of risk factors for suicide. Mood disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, are even higher risk factors. What is particularly concerning is that mood disorders frequently go hand in hand with AUDs. Alcohol causes depression, and it can be hard to distinguish whether the alcohol or the depression came first because they feed each other. In his book Alcohol Explained, author William Porter explains, “hangovers cause depression whether you are mentally ill or not…the real cause of it is the chemical imbalance in the brain and body. ”

    People who have alcohol dependence are 60 to 120 times more likely to attempt suicide than people who are not intoxicated and individuals who die as a result of a suicide often have high BAC levels. Alcoholism is positively correlated with an increased risk of suicide and “is a factor in about 30% of all completed suicides.” A 2015 meta-analysis on AUD and suicide found that, across the board, “AUD significantly increases the risk [of] suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide.”

    Suicide attempts with self-inflicted gunshots have an 85% fatality rate. If someone does survive a suicide attempt, over 90 percent of the time they will not die from suicide. That margin of survival gets smaller with alcohol dependence. Being intoxicated increases the likelihood that someone will attempt suicide and use more lethal methods, such as a firearm.

    When a suicide attempt survivor encounters medical professionals, half of the time they will be interacting with someone who has “unfavorable attitudes towards patients presenting with self-harm.” (These statistics have cultural and regional variations.) When a patient with AUD encounters medical professionals, they are also likely to be met with negative perceptions. Myths about AUD and alcohol dependency are pervasive and not even nurses are immune to such prejudice.

    So what improves professional perceptions and treatment outcomes? Education. Training works to dispel myths and reinforce the fact that SUDs are diagnosable conditions that require as much care and attention as any other potentially fatal ailment. Perhaps increased understanding of these conditions and experiences could fuel progress for treating addictions and preventing suicide. Doctors are sometimes at a loss for what to do with alcoholic patients; interestingly, the physicians who had more confidence in their abilities in this area were associated with worse outcomes. Meanwhile, there has been little progress in treatment availability outside of basic peer support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

    Peer support groups do help a lot of people get and stay sober and to live happier and healthier lives: 12-step proponents credit the steps and meetings for saving their lives; many say they were suicidal and that after getting sober they no longer had those thoughts. But while suicidal ideation may go away for some people who receive treatment, it doesn’t work like that for everyone.

    People who are abstinent from drugs and alcohol still die from suicide. In the case of post-traumatic stress disorder, quitting drinking can exacerbate feelings of hopelessness and despair. Continuing to drink may reduce the severity of the symptoms in the very short term, but ultimately “a diagnosis of co-occurring PTSD and alcohol use disorder [is] more detrimental than a diagnosis of PTSD or alcohol use disorder alone.”

    Suicide is a leading cause of death across the world and ranks as the 10th most common cause of death in the United States. For every completed suicide, there are an estimated 25 attempts.

    It’s clear that we must do something to reduce the number of lives lost by suicide. Raising awareness of the relationship between alcohol-dependence and suicide attempts is an important part of the equation. Medical professionals, social workers, law enforcement, employers, and others who are frequently the first point of contact need better training to improve attitudes and fine tune skill sets for taking appropriate action. The public also needs to be armed with information that they can use to help their family and friends who may be at risk for suicide, and in particular what to do if that person has a co-occurring SUD.

    Despite evidence to the contrary (particularly in the case of comorbidity with another mental illness) conventional wisdom in addiction treatment suggests that we have to let people fall to rock bottom before we can help them. But what happens if rock bottom is dying from suicide? It’s true that we can’t force health onto another person, but we also can’t help them if they’re no longer alive. For many people, prior trauma and mental health issues come before addiction. More evidence-based intervention and prevention programs are needed if we hope to make any headway in fighting this epidemic.

    Until that happens, opportunities do exist to help prevent suicide. After Logic released his Grammy winning song titled “1-800-273-8255” (the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline), calls to the Lifeline increased exponentially. There is nothing quite like hearing another human voice offering support and comfort. There is also a growing number of online crisis support services which provide help through live chat and email. These, unlike many crisis phone numbers, are not limited by location. Texting a crisis hotline such as the US Crisis Text Line at 741741 is also an option and can be done with just basic SMS, no data needed.

    If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. Find your country’s equivalent to 911 on this wiki page or through The Lifeline Foundation. Find a list of additional suicide prevention resources worldwide on this page.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Raincross Treatment Center

    Raincross Treatment Center

    Raincross offers a traditional 12-step program and treatment specifically geared toward women, including relationship rebuilding, family support, and trauma-focused therapy in an environment of trust and safety.

    Raincross Women’s Treatment Center, which is part of MFI Recovery, takes its name from the breathtaking mountain it rests at the base of. Located in Riverside, California, Raincross offers a comprehensive recovery program in a semi-private, apartment-style setting. Each client is presented with treatment that’s tailored to their unique, highly specific needs—an individualized approach that helps women struggling with depression, addiction, anxiety or other co-occurring conditions to learn strategies that help them long after they’ve left the treatment center. Counseling at Raincross is specifically geared toward women, including relationship rebuilding, family support and trauma-focused therapy. Addiction specialists, psychiatrists and therapists work together with residents to not only develop treatment plans, but also to help them understand the deeper reasons behind their challenges and behaviors.

    Former Raincross residents who responded to our survey described their fellow residents as aged anywhere from 18 to about 60 and coming from “all walks of life.” The center welcomes women with a wide variety of backgrounds and personalities. “Some people came from homelessness like me [and] some from a wealthier lifestyle,” one client reported. “We could all relate when talking about addiction and our recovery.” Another alum said that “there was a wide variety of difference in age and income and even drug of choice.” The residents we surveyed were also generally positive about the center’s fully furnished accommodations, which they share with roommates. “I had two roommates and became good friends with them,” one former resident commented.

    Daily life at Raincross is very structured “with a little wiggle room,” as one person noted, where routines play a central role. “Every day we were woken up at 6:30 for breakfast, which was hard to get used to but it helped me build structure in my life and now I can get up early with no problem,” one woman said. When residents aren’t completing their basic, light housekeeping tasks (“We did chores that taught us how to live life outside of treatment successfully”), they participate in a full schedule of individual and group therapy sessions. Almost every resident we surveyed made a point of singling out the gym as their favorite amenity. Yoga, Zumba and weekly equestrian therapy is also offered to Raincross clients. Residents also enjoy “Fun Fridays,” which involve offsite activities like movies, mall trips, mini golf and visits to the nail salon, among others. TV watching is permitted, but personal cell phones and internet use are not. Clients are allowed two phone calls per day using the house phone.

    For the most part, residents at Raincross were pleased with the food options available to them. By and large, clients cook their own meals based on menus that are provided by the staff. “I made the menu with the help of everyone,” one resident wrote. “We rotated cooking.” Coffee and snacks are always available to clients throughout the day. Menu options are varied, with French dip sandwiches, turkey chili, spaghetti, chicken pot pie and soup counted among the residents’ favorites. Some women also enjoyed using the outdoor BBQ grill. “Most of the food was a bit over-processed for my diet but I informed my counselor and she made sure that I could add items to the grocery list and prepare my own meals,” one client cautioned. For the most part, residents described their meals as “healthy,” “excellent” and “delicious.”

    The medical treatment that former Raincross residents received was positively rated. While there are no doctors in residence at the center, they regularly visited the site and were described as “very helpful” and “knowledgeable” by clients. (Detox services are available to Raincross clients at MFI’s Mt. Rudiboux center.) “If we needed to see a doctor, [Raincross would] provide transportation and were always willing to let us make appointments and get the help we need,” one client noted.

    Non-medical staff also received praise (one person described the staff-client interaction as “amazing”), with most of the residents reporting that they were treated fairly and with respect. Many believed that rule infractions were handled well for the most part, too, with phone and visiting privileges taken away when necessary. “I was completely out of line one time and as a consequence, my weekend privileges were revoked,” one woman noted. “I deserved it and I don’t think I threw a fit again.” The phrase “tough love” was repeatedly used to describe the approach staff members took with clients. “As long as you’re participating and doing the right thing, it’s easy going and fun,” one person wrote, “but if you slack off they do hold you accountable.”

    Raincross offers a traditional 12-step program, with treatment plans customized to each client, including a tailor-made aftercare plan. Alumni noted that alternative treatment modalities were also available, including meditation and relapse prevention groups. Religion isn’t emphasized in the program at all, though participants are encouraged to focus on their higher power and Sunday church visits are an option for those who want it. One former resident cited her assigned counselor as the most important factor of her time at Raincross: “She was instrumental in my recovery and was crucial in helping me work past major psychological roadblocks that would have been tough to deal with outside of treatment,” she said. “I continued to see her when I was in outpatient [therapy] because I valued her help that much.” The program is aimed at helping clients understand and address the roots of their issues. “The most memorable thing for me was being with a group of women who could relate to the disease of addiction,” one person wrote, adding that the “lack of outside interference” helped her and her fellow residents bond.

    Overall, residents were positive about their time spent at Raincross. Nearly every client who responded to our survey reported that they’d steered clear of the addiction or problem for which they sought treatment since leaving Raincross. Some indicated that they were now regularly attending AA or NA meetings and working the steps, too, in addition to using the number of tools Raincross had provided them, such as the tailored aftercare plans. “My experience could not have been more positive,” one resident said, while another echoed that sentiment, calling it “a life-changing experience.” Many alumni said they’d recommend the recovery center to anyone similarly struggling with addiction. As one former Raincross resident said: “I love MFI and truly credit them with helping me save my life.”

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  • New York Plans To Allow Medical Marijuana As Opioid Alternative

    New York Plans To Allow Medical Marijuana As Opioid Alternative

    “We looked at the pros, we looked at the cons, and when we were done, we realized that the pros outweighed the cons,” said one public health official.

    The New York Department of Health will now recommend that the state allow adults to legally use medical marijuana instead of an opioid prescription, or if they are struggling with opioid addiction.

    According to U.S. News, state commissioner Howard Zucker announced that the Department of Health will create regulations that allow patients who have been prescribed opioids or become addicted to the drug, to instead enroll in the medical marijuana program.

    Dr. Zucker proposed that allowing medical marijuana use in place of opioids is backed by research which shows that having access to marijuana reduces opioid use and eliminates the risk of overdose, as well as the risk of addiction for those not dependent on the drug.

    The New York Times pointed out that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo referred to marijuana as a “gateway drug” in the past and was not a supporter of its medicinal use.

    Howard Zucker noted this change, stating in the NYT, “We looked at the pros, we looked at the cons, and when we were done, we realized that the pros outweighed the cons,” adding, “we have new facts.”

    The NYT reported that the New York State Department will now be supporting the legalization of marijuana after the results of their state-sponsored study, backed by Governor Cuomo, were released.

    Dr. Zucker was quoted in NYT, noting that the researchers behind the study were “experts from all across the government.” He said that the researchers had surveyed a broad array of issues, including age, and production and distribution, and decided that the legalization of marijuana in New York was workable.

    News outlet WHEC noted that as of now, the New York medical marijuana program allows only 12 conditions (which must be certified by a physician) in those who use the program. These conditions included HIV/AIDS, and chronic pain conditions such as arthritis and cancer.

    So far the regulations around the program have been strict: no smokeable forms of marijuana are allowed.

    Elizabeth Brico wrote in a recent feature for The Fix that medical marijuana was an integral part of her abstinence from opioids.

    “The ability to soften the blow of that transition helps some users acclimate to life without opioids. Even if the marijuana use doesn’t remain transitional—if someone who was formerly addicted to heroin continues to use marijuana for the rest of his or her life instead—the risk of fatal overdose, hepatitis C or HIV transmission through drug use, and a host of other complications still go down to zero.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Gaming Disorder" Officially Recognized As Mental Health Condition

    "Gaming Disorder" Officially Recognized As Mental Health Condition

    The World Health Organization decided to classify the condition so more health care professionals would be “alerted to its existence.” 

    The World Health Organization just added “gaming disorder” to its official International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

    Gaming disorder was officially added to the 11th edition of the ICD, released Monday. While health care professionals are divided on whether gaming disorder should be included—one expert called it “a little bit premature” to label this as a diagnosis—officials with WHO explained that the intent of the official classification is to raise awareness about gaming disorder and make it possible for more people to recognize it and seek help.

    The intent was not to “[create] a precedent,” but for health care professionals to be “more alerted to the existence of this condition” and ensure that “people who suffer from these conditions can get appropriate help,” Dr. Vladimir Poznyak of WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse told CNN.

    The International Classification of Diseases defines the universe of diseases, disorders, injuries and other related health conditions, according to the WHO website.

    Gaming disorder is defined in the 11th version “as a pattern of gaming behavior characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

    According to the website, the decision to include gaming disorder follows the development of treatment programs for people with health conditions identical to those characteristic of gaming disorder in many parts of the world.

    According to Poznyak, a diagnosis of gaming disorder would refer to a “persistent or recurrent” behavior pattern of “sufficient severity” that has persisted for at least one year.

    Poznyak explained the three main diagnostic traits of gaming disorder. “One is that the gaming behavior takes precedence over other activities to the extent that other activities are taken to the periphery,” he told CNN. The second is showing a lack of control over the behavior: “Even when the negative consequences occur, this behavior continues or escalates.”

    And third, one’s personal, family, social, education or occupational life is affected negatively—this may include “disturbed sleep patterns, like diet problems, like a deficiency in the physical activity,” Poznyak explained.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Seth Meyers: More Celebrities Should Speak Out About Depression

    Seth Meyers: More Celebrities Should Speak Out About Depression

    “We’d be better off if more successful people were honest and shared the fact that depression is something that chases you no matter what your status is.”

    Seth Meyers recently appeared on The Van Jones Show where he talked about the difficulties he faced when he debuted on Saturday Night Live and why he feels more celebrities should speak out about their mental health issues.

    When Meyers joined SNL, he said he struggled with impostor syndrome, a psychological phenomenon where an individual doubts their talent or skill and are struck with a fear that they may be exposed.

    “Ultimately it worked out for me by the time I got behind the [Weekend Update] desk,” Meyers says. “But in the beginning, the things that made Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader so great at that show were not skills that I had. It was hard because you get hired at SNL and you think, if they hired me, they know what they’re doing, I’m going to be great at this. Then you realize, maybe they’re having doubts as well that they screwed this up.”

    The SNL environment can be an especially frightening pressure cooker for comedians. Meyers’ former cast mate Bill Hader has also spoken out about the anxiety he felt when doing the show. Hader recently said in a Rolling Stone interview that during his SNL stint, stage fright gave him massive migraines that “were off the charts. I was so nervous all the time and I was smoking like a chimney… I’ve stopped smoking, and I don’t get them so often anymore.”

    Appearing on Van Jones in the wake of the high-profile suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, Meyers also spoke out about depression, and why he feels more celebrities should come forward and be open about it.

    “I think one of the problems for people who are successful, is they think the last thing anyone wants to hear is them talk about is how they’re depressed,” Meyers says. “Because from the outside people are like, ‘What do you have to be depressed about? You have everything anyone could want.’ I think we’d be better off if more successful people were honest and shared the fact that depression is something that chases you no matter what your status is. It’s a very real thing, and the more you talk about it, the better off you’re going to be.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Former 3 Doors Down Bassist Arrested On Drug, Gun Charges

    Former 3 Doors Down Bassist Arrested On Drug, Gun Charges

    Deputies received a call from Todd Harrell’s wife after an argument allegedly took a physical turn.

    The former bassist for the Grammy-nominated rock band 3 Doors Down has been jailed on drug, firearms and domestic violence charges after police in Mississippi responded to a call from his wife about an argument.

    The Sheriff’s Department in Jackson County issued a statement on June 15 that stated that Robert “Todd” Harrell, 46, was in an adult detention center after being arrested at his home in St. Martin; deputies who responded to the call found guns and drugs at the home, which prompted a warrant to search the residence.

    Harrell, a founding member of 3 Doors Down, served two years in prison and a six-year probation term for a charge of vehicular homicide in 2013.

    In the press release, Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell wrote that deputies came to the Harrells’ home after the wife called them to report that the couple’s argument had taken a physical turn.

    Upon arrival, the deputies saw both drugs and guns in the home, and contacted narcotics unit officers with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team to obtain a search warrant for the residence. 

    Harrell was subsequently arrested and charged for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, which carries felony charges, as well as the misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and domestic violence/simple assault. He is also wanted in Tennessee for a probation violation.

    As of June 15, Harrell was jailed with no bond and awaiting an initial court hearing. It is unknown if Harrell has legal representation.

    Harrell helped to found the Mississippi-based 3 Doors Down in 1996, but drug and alcohol use led to an arrest for public intoxication in 1999 and charges of driving under the influence in 2012 before the accident in 2013 that claimed the life of Paul Shoulders Jr. in Nashville, Tennessee.

    He was subsequently dismissed from the band and went on to incur another DUI charge in 2014 before his sentencing in 2015. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but served two, and received six years’ probation upon his release.

    In 2017, Harrell told a group of students and participants from a faith-based community service program that the accident had changed his life. “Having everything at your fingertips. Fame. We had it all,” he said. “[The accident] took who I was and just turned me upside down.”

    View the original article at thefix.com