Answer Addiction

Author: The Fix

  • On Moderation and Other Fantasies

    On Moderation and Other Fantasies

    Even though I’ve quit drinking, I don’t pretend to understand moderation. I will never be someone who stops when they’re full. Not really.

    I remember when I first became suspicious of moderation. 

    I was reading Prevention magazine long before it made any sense to me: I had no wrinkles, I had no libido, I was not in menopause. I was 11.

    Prevention informed me that, in moderation, chocolate was actually good for me! I was advised that dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao, whatever that was) is the best. Just a square or two, the article warned.

    Wait… why on earth would I eat a “square or two” of chocolate? What is the point?  It struck me as nonsense. A square or two equates to a maximum of 60 seconds of pleasure. Why waste the guilt?

    At 11, I already knew that if I was going to feel guilty about food, it had better be in exchange for at least 20 minutes of pleasure. Maybe even a whole evening of it.

    Moderation did not come naturally to me. I can still remember the first time I made myself sick with eating. My small-town church held a dessert auction to raise money, and my table bought the turtle cake. I ate so much I thought I would puke. When I got home, I stuck a finger down my throat. I vaguely understood that forced puking was something bad, but I also felt really bad.

    I wasn’t bulimic; I just needed relief. I just wanted the nasty feeling to go away. Do other people eat like this, too? How much cake did my sister eat? Even at that early age, I was desperate to see the same behavior mirrored in others. Especially in my naturally thin, naturally moderate older sister.

    Three years later, flipping through Prevention, I again wondered if I was alone in this. Perhaps the world is chock-full of women who feel satisfied after two squares of chocolate. Maybe they’re really just in it for the antioxidants.

    Eight years later, “antioxidants” once again provided the green light. A daily glass of wine is actually good for you; just make sure it isn’t two or three! (Wink.) By this time, I was learning to use alcohol as a social lubricant, and that playful admonishment – anything in moderation – was just as mystifying as it had been at age 11; just as unattainable as it was at 8. 

    Because: A single rum and coke, mixed in cheap plasticware on my dorm room floor, would ease my nerves just enough to get me out the door. It certainly wouldn’t see me through a night of small talk with strangers, trying to be cool and relaxed, trying to be just the type of girl who floats between parties with a gaggle of friends. The type of girl who forgets about her exposed midriff, and whispers to her friends that she shaved down there “just in case.”

    By age 22, the jig was up. When it came to alcohol, I gave up the quest for moderation pretty early. Now, at three and a half years sober, I stare in wonder as my friends nurse a single drink over the course of an hour or two. I marvel when they order a coke instead of a beer – not because they can’t or shouldn’t drink, but because they just don’t want to. My friends often opt to join me in sober activities rather than hitting the bars. But isn’t that boring? Aren’t I boring? Wouldn’t you rather be drinking?

    After all: If I wasn’t an alcoholic, I’d drink every day.

    Even though I’ve quit drinking, I don’t pretend to understand moderation. I will never be someone who stops when they’re full. Not really. I might stop in public, dutifully cutting my burger in half on a first date — but I will not be falling asleep on an empty stomach. I want that sense of fullness, sedation. And sometimes it feels like food can get me there.

    This chronic need for fullness isn’t just expressed through food or alcohol, but also through work, relationships, appearance. It’s never quite enough. 

    Although I have worked a strong program of recovery, I still look with total bewilderment at people who embrace moderation. People who drink beer for the taste; dine at interesting restaurants just for the experience; go for months without sex because they haven’t found the “right person” to share it with (and can’t be bothered to settle for less). People whose daily exercise involves mindfully listening to their bodies. People whose nighttime routine involves mindfully acknowledging their thoughts.

    At the dessert auction, in the wake of the turtle cake, I needed to know that others struggled too. No, I wasn’t a sadist; I didn’t wish pain on others. I was just afraid of being alone. Even at eight years old, I needed to know that others sometimes eat, drink, sleep, scroll, and swipe themselves into oblivion. I needed to know I wasn’t alone.

    I wasn’t. And if you can relate to me, you aren’t either. We just feel empty sometimes.

    Take a second to conjure up a shiny moment. It’s important that in this moment you were not chemically altered. A moment when you thought, Wow. Maybe sober life isn’t so bad. Maybe sometimes, it’s even great. A moment in which you felt closer than ever to serenity, bliss, and pure, shameless embodiment.

    Have you got it yet? This is important.

    Last week, I stood at the top of Table Rock in Boise, Idaho, next to a Scottish stranger I’d met three days before. He and I had a brief, perfect, crystalline connection. We understood each other deeply. For a moment, my belly was fully of gratitude. For a moment, the sun was on my back, there was laughter in my eyes, and I did not feel empty.

    That’s my moment. And I didn’t have to scour my memory for it. That was just last week.

    Within 24 hours of flying home, the moment had evaporated. The connection was lost. I will never see the Scot again, and maybe I will never again look out over the City of Trees from Table Rock. The bliss was fleeting, but no more so than the emptiness that sometimes stands between me and sleep. For better or worse, nothing lasts.

    In moments when you feel the most empty, you may find it necessary to submerge yourself. So do that, if you must — but forgive yourself for it. Forgive yourself and never lose hope. Never forget your deep, sober, and startling capacity to feel full.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • In Australia, Frustrations Rise As Opioid Crisis Takes Hold

    In Australia, Frustrations Rise As Opioid Crisis Takes Hold

    “We’re living in a country that is oblivious to what’s going on.”

    Jasmin Raggan watched as her brother developed addiction and died of an opioid overdose, and her brother-in-law became addicted to OxyContin.

    Raggan, who lives in Australia, began researching opioids and the toll they were having in the United States, and realized that no one was talking about the real dangers headed Down Under. 

    “If only Australia could understand how quickly this can get out of hand. We’re not immune to it,” Raggan told The Associated Press. “I was screaming from the mountaintops after Jon died and I’d started doing my research. And it was like I’m screaming and nobody wants to hear me.”

    Lack of Awareness

    In Australia, both opioid prescription rates and overdose rates have risen steeply in recent years, but the increase has been largely overlooked. Even Sydney pain specialist Dr. Jennifer Stevens, didn’t realize how bad it was until she tallied up data from her hospital and saw that prescriptions for one specific opioid had risen 500% in eight years. More alarmingly, 1 in 10 patients was still on opioids three months after a procedure, increasing their risk for dependence and addiction. 

    “We were just pumping this stuff out into our local community, thinking that that had no consequences, and now, of course, we realize that it does have huge consequences,” Stevens said. 

    Pharmaceutical Companies’ Aggressive Marketing

    Drug companies are in part to blame for the rise, pushing the same aggressive sales tactics that now have them in trouble in America. It’s illegal for pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers in Australia, but companies like Mundipharma, the international affiliate of Purdue, have skirted around the laws with “awareness campaigns” that don’t mention specific drugs by name, but still direct consumers to websites with information on the drugs. 

    Stevens recalls Mundipharma marketing aggressively to doctors at her hospital. 

    “Marketing, on the whole, is very clever and very successful — otherwise it wouldn’t be done,” she said. 

    At the same time, the country lacks programs like prescription monitoring databases, which can help prevent overdoses and “doctor shopping.”

    In 2012, Australian Matthew Tonkin came home after serving in Afghanistan alongside American troops. He had been injured, and was also dealing with PTSD after witnessing the death of his best friend. He proudly showed his father David Tonkin the Americans’ solution: a strip of powerful opioid pills. 

    Davis Tonkin recalls his son saying to him “Look, Dad, the Yanks really know how to look after you.”

    At home, Matthew started doctor shopping for powerful opioids, until he died of an overdose in 2014. 

    Not Learning from America’s Mistakes

    Sue Fisher, whose son died of an overdose in 2010, said it’s frustrating to see the lack of policies, especially since Australia can look to the US to see what solutions have worked to help stem overdose deaths — like prescription monitoring and Narcan programs.

    “We’re living in a country that is oblivious to what’s going on,” Fisher said. “Why aren’t we learning from America’s mistakes? Why don’t we learn?”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ohio Man Calls Police, Demands Return of "Prestige Weed"

    Ohio Man Calls Police, Demands Return of "Prestige Weed"

    Officers tried, with little success, to explain to the caller that weed is still illegal in Ohio.

    An Ohio man called 911 to demand the return of a small amount of marijuana that he alleged was stolen from his home by police officers.

    The Sharonville Police Department posted a recording of the call on its Facebook page, in which an unidentified man harangued a sergeant at the dispatch about the loss of four grams of his “prestige weed” – which he claimed was legally his to possess after what he described as the passage of a state law which allowed 100 grams for recreational use in Ohio.

    When informed that the law – which was, in reality, an ordinance passed in Cincinnati, Ohio – actually decriminalized possession of up 100 grams within city limits, the caller grew irate and charged the sergeant with looking into its loss.

    The Sharonville PD post concluded by noting that recreational marijuana was “still ILLEGAL… per our STATE LAW.”

    “The mother f—ers took it!”

    The New York Post broke down the remarkable exchange in its coverage, which opened with the caller claiming that two police officers had come to the hotel where he was staying in Sharonville at approximately 2:30 in the morning, and according to his wife – whom he identified as “Marilyn Manson” – made off with his marijuana without leaving a ticket for possession.

    “It was only, like, four grams, but it was, like, you know, prestige weed,” said the caller. “And the motherf—ers took it.”

    The caller then asserted that the marijuana was legally his to possess, and cited an alleged state law that allowed for the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana for recreational use in the Buckeye State.

    Dispatch Sergeant Mark Dudleson attempted to inform the caller that he was incorrect (“Where did you get that information from?”), to which the caller said that since he was in Hamilton County – one of two counties in which Sharonville is located – he was well within state rights.

    When Sgt. Dudleson attempted to again correct the caller’s assumption, he was met with an angry response.

    “What do you mean it’s not, dude?” the caller said. “I know I’m right here, dude. Don’t try to f—ing talk to me like I’m dumb.” He then demanded to know if any officers had turned in confiscated marijuana, adding that he was willing to “take [the case] as far as you want to go.”

    When pressed for information by Sgt. Dudleson on the alleged incident, such as the name of the hotel where the theft was reported to have taken place, the caller took an abrupt about-face. “I can tell this is a losing situation,” he said, before reiterating the particulars of the supposed theft and then wishing the sergeant a good evening.

    Cincinnati Marijuana Ordinance

    In June 2019, the Cincinnati City council passed an ordinance that decriminalized possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana with no age limit, but only within the city limits.

    As WCPO coverage noted, the ordinance only affected areas within the city of Cincinnati; townships or municipalities outside of Cincinnati – such as Sharonville – would apply their own marijuana-related laws to persons found with that amount.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Candy Finnigan Interventionist

    Candy Finnigan Interventionist

    Finnigan has an ability to balance assertiveness with the addict alongside shining a light on how the family’s actions may have contributed to the addiction. At the same time, she is incredibly compassionate, caring and understanding.

    Since the A&E network is airing a special limited season of its popular series Intervention this month, we thought it fitting to recognize a name that’s synonymous with the show: Candy Finnigan. Finnigan is a trailblazer in the interventionist field. Being in recovery herself for over three decades, she came to the profession after her children were grown. She was looking for something new and challenging. Finnigan obtained her certification from UCLA in Alcohol-Drug Counseling (CADC) and Alcohol-Drug Abuse Studies (CADAS) in a time when women weren’t commonly working in the world of addiction. In fact, one of her professors, Dr. Vernon Johnson of The Johnson Model of Intervention, once informed her that women didn’t have a place in this line of work. Finnigan didn’t agree, and eventually became not only one of the most well known and sought after interventionists in the country, but also a celebrated author with the publishing of her book, When Enough is Enough. 

    However, none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for Evelyn Finnigan, the mother of Mike Finnigan, Candy’s husband of over 45 years. Candy recalls in an interview that her mother-in-law once pulled her aside and informed her that she would not let her two grandchildren, Candy and Mike’s children, grow up with alcoholic parents. Mike Finnigan became a popular musician after college, and though they didn’t fall victim to some of the other dangerous temptations that musicians often face, their drinking became more and more of a problem. 

    Candy Finnigan credits her mother-in-law, Evelyn, for giving her a 60-day time limit to get herself sober. And though she admits it wasn’t until day 56 that she finally put a stop to her boozing, to this day she thanks Evelyn, and God, for her sobriety. 

    Candy Finnigan on Intervention 

    When Intervention first aired, it shocked households across the country. The show featured addicts at their very worst and really shined a spotlight on the disease of addiction. If watching individuals passed out on their front lawns while their children are standing there horrified and ashamed didn’t make someone want to avoid going down the same path, then not much would. 

    And while the show’s subject is indeed compelling, the heroes of the show—the interventionists—are what bring viewers back. Candy Finnigan has been involved with the project since its inception. 

    When it comes time for the family members of the episode’s subject to get together to discuss what will take place once the intervention is in motion, Finnigan enters with a calming presence and authoritative demeanor, that somehow manages to simultaneously lift spirits and manage expectations.

    Regardless of the intervention’s outcome, Finnigan breaks down the steps of the process for the family members, and is stern when someone waffles or hints about not sticking to their guns. Finnigan knows what she is doing, and captivates viewers. 

    Different Intervention Approaches

    Most people envision the process in the way it is showcased on the television series but there are different approaches when it comes to staging an intervention. Those who are seeking a career as an interventionist usually undergo training that involves studying the different methods. Whatever the style of intervention, the intended result is always the same—get the person the proper help before it is too late. 

    One of the most well known types of interventions is the aforementioned Johnson Model. This type is the one most often seen on the television show. An addict is invited into a room that is filled with family members and loved ones. One by one they tell the person how their addiction has affected their lives, and ask them if they are willing to get help. Along with this, each person in the room presents the individual with the potential consequences of refusing the help. This model has been shown to be highly effective in getting people into treatment programs. The intention is to convince the person struggling that first of all, they are loved, and secondly, they will not have resources to fall back on if they choose not to accept the gift of treatment. 

    The Johnson Model was at one time considered the most “popular” style of intervention. It relies on confrontation and the notion that the family should help “raise the bottom” for the addict. Its intention is to diffuse any possible threat or fight from the subject of the intervention by inviting him or her to make a choice, and have an open conversation about going to rehab. 

    The Johnson Model was the training that Ms. Finnigan received, and she eventually considered Dr. Johnson her mentor, despite his initial opinions regarding women in the field. Dr. Johnson, an Episcopal priest who was also in recovery, is also known for implementing the “Minnesota Model” and co-founding the Johnson Institute, which has trained thousands of professional interventionists. What is so unique about Dr. Johnson’s approach is the belief in early intervention, and disrupting the progression of the disease before it is too late. 

    Another confrontational approach is the “Love First” method. This is similar to The Johnson Model in that it generally takes place in a neutral zone, like a family member’s home, and there are consequences mentioned if action is not taken to seek help. When the Love First method is applied, those who are holding the intervention must remain calm, no matter the circumstances, and avoid any type of accusatory tones or behaviors. The intention of this style is to bombard the person struggling with love and support, as the family members remain compassionate and positive throughout the process. 

    Other intervention forms, like the ARISE method and CRAFT model, focus on creating a bond between the addict and loved ones. To facilitate this bond, the CRAFT model suggests that the individual battling addiction and the family members both seek help. These styles implement self-care for the entire family and aid in opening up communication and encourage healing for both parties. 

    The above examples rely on some pre-planning prior to the event itself. But there are plenty of times when a person is in crisis and it is clear that something needs to be done and fast. Crisis interventions can be tricky in that they are usually thrown together last minute, often as a last ditch effort. This is also a time when an intervention actually results in having the subject involuntarily committed due to the risk of them harming themselves or others, or in the case of neglect. 

    Finnigan’s Approach

    An interventionist’s goal is to not only get the addict into a treatment program, but also to help their families get back on track and on the road to healing. The role includes helping to prepare for the event, informing and educating the family members of what to do during and after, and staging the actual intervention services. 

    There are agencies that offer over the phone guidance for organizing an intervention, however it is recommended that if possible, a professional be present. 

    As it is often documented on Intervention, in her approach Finnigan usually shows up several days before the intervention takes place and gets the wheels in motion. As a viewer of the television show, Finnigan’s arrival is always an exciting element. One can see and almost feel the relief wash over the family members in her presence. 

    The prep period prior to the intervention is as important as the event itself. Interventionists like Finnigan have extensive knowledge of treatment centers around the country, and this stage is when they present the family with rehabs that will address their loved one’s issues. They then make a selection. 

    The pre-intervention is also the time when Finnigan firmly insists that loved ones establish boundaries and end their enabling behaviors. Family members write a letter to the person who is struggling with addiction, expressing how much they are loved and cherished, and how their addiction has affected them. 

    It is very clear that Finnigan has an ability to balance assertiveness with the addict alongside shining a light on how some of the family’s actions may have contributed to the addiction. 

    At the same time, she is incredibly compassionate, caring and understanding. Finnigan usually mentions that she is also in recovery and realizes how hard this is for everyone involved. This acknowledgment instantly takes the shame and blame out of the equation, and helps everyone get to the root of what needs to be done. 

    The Moment of Truth

    On Intervention, Finnigan waits with family members in a little room until their loved one arrives. Other scenes reveal the addict, who is informed that he or she is heading to their final interview for what they believe is a documentary about addiction. Once the door opens and reveals the interventionist and the family, it suddenly becomes apparent that this is in fact an intervention. 

    This moment has high stakes both in the show and in everyday, non-televised interventions. The surprise element carries the risk of the subject running away, which does happen from time to time, or getting angry and lashing out. The tension is thick.

    This is when the interventionist steps in, diffuses the tension, and starts to calmly direct the room. In Finnigan’s case, she simply explains that all they’re going to do is sit down with their family, and listen to how much they are loved and cared for—that’s it. Incredibly, the addicted person usually obliges, and as the letters are read, emotions are expressed, and tears are shed, the person is given a second chance at life. 

    Assuming the person agrees to get help, a sober companion escorts him or her to the chosen rehab, leaving the family to begin their own healing and introspection. The interventionist provides resources such as referrals to Al-Anon meetings, therapists, and help in addressing codependency issues. An intervention is not just for the addict, but for everyone that loves them. 

    Why Candy Finnigan Makes Such an Impact

    Ms. Finnigan is extremely open and honest with the families and addicts. She is quoted as saying that she cries every time she leads an intervention. She makes it clear that she is not just in the business of recovery for the paycheck, but because she genuinely wants to help save lives. 

    Finnigan and Intervention report a success rate of about 71 percent. But what makes an even bigger impact is the nation’s newfound awareness of the actual issues that addiction presents, and how many people are affected by it. The show spotlighted the reality of addiction for the first time on a large scale, and it got people talking. 

    Addiction was no longer a taboo subject, and it certainly was not going to be swept under the rug any longer. Intervention opened the door for the conversation about the disease of addiction, and also made many feel like getting help, getting clean and sober, was a possibility. 

    Finnigan made it her mission to help those who were suffering from addiction and their families, and continues to do so with grace and humility. Because, as she so eloquently puts it, “It’s not just my work. It’s my life.” 

    Candy Finnigan maintains frequent speaking engagements and appearances all over the country. Learn more about Candy Finnigan and her body of work on her website, www.candyfinnigan.com. Find Candy Finnigan on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Doctors Prescribe More Opioids Late In The Day, When Running Late

    Doctors Prescribe More Opioids Late In The Day, When Running Late

    Time constraints and “chaotic practice environments” may be to blame for the troubling reliance on prescriptions.

    Doctors are significantly more likely to prescribe opioid pain pills later in the day or when their appointments are running behind schedule, according to a new study. 

    The study, published in JAMA Network Open, looked at records from nearly 700,000 primary care appointments. The study authors found that doctors were 33% more likely to prescribe opioids late in their day than they were during their earlier appointments. In addition, appointments running behind schedule increased the likelihood of an opioid being prescribed by 17%. 

    It’s often mentioned that time constraints on patient appointments cause doctors to turn to prescriptions, rather than engaging to find alternative treatments, a process that can take much longer. The researchers wanted to use measurements and data to see if that is truly the case. 

    A Long-Suspected Factor in Overprescription

    “Many observers have blamed chaotic practice environments (ie, increasing financial pressure, productivity expectations, and the cognitive effort of caring for complex patient populations) for high rates of opioid prescribing because opioids can be a quick fix for a visit where pain is a symptom,” study authors write. “The concept that time pressure can drive physician decision-making is long-standing, but little empirical literature has examined the existence of this phenomenon or its magnitude.”

    They found that the theory did hold up, across all providers. 

    “Physicians were significantly more likely to prescribe opioids as the workday progressed and as appointments started later than scheduled,” they wrote. 

    Awareness of Bias May Help Reduce Opioid Dependence

    The researchers said that there are vast difference in prescription rates between individual doctors and hospitals that can’t be explained just looking at the the time of day of appointments. However, they point out that the difference in prescribing at different times of the day can also help explain some of the difference in prescribing between different providers.

    “Full-time clinicians may have higher opioid prescribing rates simply because of the effort involved in long clinical days,” they wrote. “Sharing individual data on these patterns with physicians could raise awareness of this bias and help them develop approaches such as schedule modifications to lower the burden of taxing or time-consuming decisions late in the day.”

    On a national level, addressing this difference could help reduce opioid prescriptions and ultimately lead to fewer people becoming dependent on opioids. 

    “If similar patterns exist in other clinical scenarios, such as managing challenging chronic illness, this phenomenon could have relevance for public health and quality improvement efforts,” the study authors write. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Serving Life In Prison For Selling Pot

    Serving Life In Prison For Selling Pot

    “I have been incarcerated for 4,252 days and counting for a non-violent marijuana conviction — something that is becoming legal in this country more and more every day.”

    Ferrell Scott doesn’t know if he’ll ever sit with his 96-year-old mother again. He’s never been able to spend a leisurely afternoon with his three grandchildren. Scott, 56, has no control over his future, because he is serving a life sentence for selling marijuana. 

    “You see a lot of states making (pot) legal,” Scott told USA Today. “I don’t think I did anything any different.”

    Three-Strikes Law

    Scott was charged under a three-strikes law after being arrested on marijuana charges in 2008. He wasn’t a small-time dealer: he was tracking marijuana by the truck load. He was charged with conspiracy to possess and intent to distribute more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana. 

    Coupled with drug convictions from the 1980s, that charge led to serious time. However, it didn’t have to be that way. Scott was offered a plea deal that would have seen him do eight years in prison, but he declined it because he didn’t want to name others who were working for him. Instead, he opted to go to trial, and was sentenced to life. 

    “You would think that selling marijuana is the worst thing in the world because I was given a life sentence for it,” he wrote. 

    Even the prosecutor in Scott’s case felt that the verdict was unjust, and wrote a letter to support Scott’s clemency appeal. However, that appeal was denied in 2016. 

    “I have been incarcerated for 4,252 days and counting for a non-violent marijuana conviction — something that is becoming legal in this country more and more every day,” Scott wrote in a letter published by USA Today. 

    Unequal Justice

    Black Americans, like Scott, are arrested for marijuana offenses much more often than whites, even though Black and white Americans use cannabis at about the same rates. Now, Scott is frustrated to see white entrepreneurs getting rich off marijuana sales, while he spends his entire life in prison for the same offense. 

    “I’m not looking for sympathy. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me,” Scott writes. “At the end of the day I just ask for empathy — the ability to understand other peoples’ situations and deal with the difference.”

    Sam Adetunji is one of few Black entrepreneurs moving into the legal cannabis space. He said that the impact of the war on drugs and unequal enforcement of marijuana laws keeps other people of color from getting involved in what’s now a profitable sector. It also keeps people like Scott behind bars for activities that are now legal. 

    “There’s a lot of fear with getting into the industry for minorities because there are so many people who look like us getting thrown into jail,” Adetunji said. “People had to do what they had to do to make ends meet and feed their families. Now that the laws have been changed, there hasn’t been as a big of a movement to get those people out of jail.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • THC Breathalyzer That Uses Nano Tech Faces Federal Road Blocks

    THC Breathalyzer That Uses Nano Tech Faces Federal Road Blocks

    Nanotechnology may help law enforcement measure driver impairment due to marijuana use.

    NPR has reported on the development of a breathalyzer-type device that could be used by police to detect if an individual’s ability to drive is impaired by THC.

    The device, announced by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, uses nanontechnology to determine the presence of THC in a driver’s breath in a manner similar to how breathalyzers can analyze alcohol impairment. 

    The device – currently in prototype form – is the latest in a series of attempts to provide law enforcement with technological assistance in preventing traffic accidents and fatalities due to impairment; however, the roadblocks that have prevented those inventions from entering the mass market – namely, accurate levels of impairment and marijuana’s status as a Schedule I drug, which prevents research – also stand in the path of the new device’s further development.

    Carbon Nanotubes Key To Marijuana Breathalyzer

    The prototype for the device was constructed by Alexander Star, a chemistry professor who oversees the Star Lab at the University of Pittsburgh, with electrical and computer engineering professor Ervin Sedjic, who began work in 2016.

    As NPR noted, the device uses carbon nanotubes – cylindrical molecules made of rolled-up sheets of single layer carbon atoms that measure less than 1/100,000 the size of a human hair that can be used in electronic, chemical and electrochemical devices – which bind to the molecules in THC – the psychoactive component in cannabis – when detected.

    Lab tests showed that the nanotubes were able to detect THC in a breath sample that also contained components of carbon dioxide, ethanol, water, and acetone. The developers also established a baseline for THC in the device, which they claimed could avoid one of the lingering problems with other breathalyzer prototypes – the propensity for THC to remain in the bloodstream for weeks and even months after use, which skews the ability to determine if a driver is actually impaired while behind the wheel of a vehicle.

    According to a press release from the university’s Swanson School of Engineering, nanotechnology can “detect THC at levels comparable to or better than mass spectrometry, which is considered the gold standard for THC detection.”

    If the researchers are able to find an industrial partner, they said the device could be ready in “a few months.”

    Marijuana Still A Schedule I Drug

    But even that may not be enough to make the researchers’ device stand out from its predecessors. Sedjic acknowledged that conducting any researching using marijuana remains a challenge in the US due to its classification as a Schedule I drug and illegal by federal standards.

    Without that information, researchers are faced with determining levels of impairment without the actual substance that caused the impairment; further hampering their end goal is the lack of cohesive or scientifically sound data that determines the level of impairment.

    Currently, there are different rules in most states as to what constitutes THC impairment.

    But as legalization efforts continue to mount in the United States, the researchers are hopeful that the government will take the necessary steps to allow more testing in order to put forward devices such as theirs for law enforcement.

    “I think there will be some push even for the federal government to actually allow researchers to look and correlate these levels of smoking and impairment,” said Sedjic to NPR. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams Talks Cocaine Addiction, Sober Living On "The View"

    Wendy Williams Talks Cocaine Addiction, Sober Living On "The View"

    “It’s been a very, very difficult time,” she said.

    Talk show host and entrepreneur Wendy Williams opened up about her former addiction issues, sober living, and her recent divorce as a guest on The View last Thursday.

    The host of The Wendy Williams Show confirmed her divorce proceedings from her second husband, Kevin Hunter, after he had a baby with another woman. In the difficult period after Williams discovered the infidelity, she spent some time in a sober living house so that she could focus on her future in a supportive environment without certain distractions.

    “It’s been a very, very difficult time,” she said. “I couldn’t talk to my mom. Who wants to burden her? I couldn’t talk to my sister. And most of my girlfriends would have said, ‘You should have left him a longggg time ago.’”

    At the sober living house, she could “plot on” her next steps in a place she described as “rehab where they take your phone and lock it in a safe, so people can’t call me and inject their opinions on my life.”

    From Functioning Addict to Raising A Family

    Williams was addicted to cocaine for many years while she built her career as a radio DJ, partying all night after her shifts at the station.

    “I was a functioning addict. I’d work from 3 in the afternoon until 7 at night, get off and party until 7 in the morning — then sleep until 2, go to the radio station and do it all over again,” she said in an interview with In Touch Magazine.

    This continued until she met her future first husband. Her love for him inspired her to quit without her having to reach a breaking point. She hasn’t touched cocaine for 25 years.

    Williams remained with Hunter for a time while their son, Kevin Hunter, Jr., completed high school and went off to college. However, she had no doubts about divorcing her husband when she found out about the new baby.

    “I didn’t even go back and forth with oh do I stay, maybe there’s marriage counseling or something. Nooooo. You do this? Get out!” she said.

    Future Plans

    She also addressed the rumors that she would be joining The Real Housewives of New York City, saying that although the pay would be nice, “I’m not that girl.” She joked that ABC also asked her to be on The Bachelorette. 

    On the contrary, Williams is focused on getting ready for the 11th season of her long-running talk show, which premieres on September 16.

    “Look, I’ve got the purple chair, I worked all my life to have that,” she said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Life After “Blackout”: An Interview with Sarah Hepola

    Life After “Blackout”: An Interview with Sarah Hepola

    I was far more scared to fail — to have written a lousy book that people ignored — than I was embarrassed about people knowing that, say, I had sex with some random guy in Paris.

    Sarah Hepola’s book, Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget was released four years ago, in the summer of 2015. It quickly became one of the best-known and most well-received memoirs about addiction. 

    In Blackout, Hepola recounts her long-term love affair with drinking and the lifestyle that comes with it, and then describes how her relationship with booze transformed into something complicated and dark. Literally dark, as in frequent blackouts where she didn’t remember what she did the night before, or sometimes who the person in bed next to her was. This behavior had disastrous results: “I drank myself to a place where I didn’t care,” she writes, “but I woke up a person who cared enormously.”

    The Fix recently caught up with Sarah to discuss life, recovery, and what it’s like to share your most intimate moments with the world. 

    While I am sure that you were thrilled to have a book deal for Blackout, did you have any trepidation before the book was released about having all of your dark secrets out in the open? Was there ever a feeling of ”Oh my God, what have I done?”

    I crashed my car twice in the months before the book came out. Once I was pulling out of a tricky underground garage, and the second time I was in a middle lane I mistook for a turning lane, and I just smashed into an SUV. I really shouldn’t have been driving. 

    The anxiety is weird. On one hand, maybe no one will read the book. Great! But wait, then nobody reads your book. Your surest route to comfort is your surest route to failure. I was far more scared to fail — to have written a lousy book, that people ignored — than I was embarrassed about people knowing that, say, I had sex with some random guy in Paris. My dark secrets were an exposure I could control, in the sense that I got to say what was included in that book. But to expose your secrets and discover no one cares? That is sad, like someone yawning in the middle of your striptease. 

    I was also deeply worried the book would have a negative effect on family and friends. That my parents would be judged harshly, or one of my friends would feel mistreated. I volunteered for that kind of scrutiny, I cashed the check, but those people never asked for a spotlight. They only made the mistake of loving me. I think in nearly every case, those relationships were made stronger for the experience, but I worried myself sick over it, which probably tells you something about me, or my deficiencies as a writer, or my overdeveloped sense of responsibility for other people’s happiness. But the short answer to your question is that I didn’t sleep well for months.

    What was it like for you when your book first hit and became hugely successful and your whole scene was out there for all to see? 

    I think it was about 4 p.m. on a Wednesday when my editor called and told me the book was on the New York Times bestseller list. Some part of me had been waiting for that call since I was a little girl, and afterward I walked around in a daze, like: I’m going to be a New York Times bestseller for the rest of my life. No matter what crap I put out after this, no matter how I fail, they can’t take that away from me. The next day, I was like: But why is it in LAST place on the list? Can we nudge that up a bit? So I’d say I felt astonished, and still hungry.

    As for how it felt to have my “whole scene” out there, I don’t know. I’d been writing candid first-person essays for a while, so disclosure was a comfortable position for me, but the book took it to another level. On one hand, I was deeply gratified to hear people connect with the material. On the other hand, it can be a cold and drafty feeling when strangers behave as though they already know you, or you know them. It’s made dating weird. I use the dating apps, and I try not to let potential romantic interests know my last name before we meet, but it doesn’t always work out. To this day, I’m never sure what the person across the table knows about me when I sit down. Usually it’s nothing, though, because it turns out most people don’t read books, or care much about them. 

    Your book has been inspirational to a lot of folks. Do you have a lot of people who are in recovery or considering recovery contact you and talk about how you’ve inspired them?

    Yes, and it’s one of the coolest parts. The emails are often quite personal about their drinking problems, or blackouts, or the struggles they’re having, and you’d think I’d get tired of those emails, but I devour each one. I read them in line at airports and in grocery lines and sitting in my driveway at home, because I’m so riveted by the story I can’t be bothered to turn off the engine and walk inside. I just sit in my parked car with my seat belt fastened, scrolling and scrolling like wow, huh, you don’t say, that’s wild. 

    I’ve always loved people’s stories, especially their darkest ones, and I think the emails have been an antidote to the lonely disconnect I felt when someone knew about me, but I didn’t know them. Every once in a while someone asks if I can call, or help them get sober, and I decided before the book came out I wouldn’t do that. In fact, I knew I wouldn’t respond to most emails. I didn’t have time. But most people just want to just say their piece, and move along. I do occasionally get late-night emails that will say things like, “I’ve never told anyone this, and please don’t write me back.” A couple have said, “I need to tell someone this before I die.” It’s a very strange perch to sit on, to be the recipient of these little confessionals. Mostly secret drinking problems, some affairs, risky sex, that kind of thing. I do have to wonder how many people are drunk when they write me. But many — the majority, by far — are sober people who want to say, “hey this was cool” or “hey, this meant something to me.” I never get tired of it. I’ve heard from a fair number of people who stopped drinking after they read the book, and a few send me updates on their birthday. “I have one year.” “I have two years.” That’s incredibly special. 

    Where are you at with your recovery now? 

    I was five years sober when Blackout came out, and my recovery felt so strong. I mean, jeez, why wouldn’t it? I gave up drinking, and I got the life I always wanted — I’d written a book, the book did well, I was traveling the country, people were cheering, cash and prizes, what’s not to love? I wondered how my recovery would hold up after the excitement went away and life threw me challenges, and — well, recovery got harder. I’ve had some tough years.

    I don’t struggle with a craving for alcohol, because whatever was wired in me got disconnected. I’m better without booze, and I know it. But I struggle with a craving … for what, exactly? For more. For a love relationship that I have never managed to maintain, for a family I never put together in all the years of slipping off bar stools, for a connection I found in alcohol — temporarily and ultimately at a cost that was too steep — but that can be hard to make when you are a quiet writer who works from home and lives with a rotating cast of over-loved tabbies. Twelve-steppers would tell you I need a stronger connection to my higher power, and who knows? Twelve-steppers have often been right, in my experience.

    The book I’m working on now, which has taken a long, long time, is an attempt to make sense of the frustration I’ve felt over the last few years as I edged into my forties as a single woman. Those can be confusing years for a woman who hasn’t had kids yet, if she wanted them—which I always did—because the window is closing on your fertility, and it’s like: Should I give up, or never give up? I also think that’s a challenging stretch in your sobriety. I’ve heard years six to ten referred to as “the desert years.” I just got nine years last May, so maybe I’m almost out of my little Sahara. 

    I’ve never regretted my decision to quit drinking. What I regret is not quitting sooner. But you know what they say: It takes what it takes. For me it took until the age of thirty-five. 

    Since you started your recovery in 2010, what changes have you noticed in the drinking scene, and in the social scene in general?

    Well, I’m pretty checked out on “the drinking scene,” though everyone seemed jazzed about the Aperol spritz for a while. What took me by surprise was the growth of the non-drinking scene. Sober bars and sober parties and the “sober curious.” I’m curious to see where the recovery movement goes in the 21st century, because it’s becoming less tied to the spiritual solution of 12-step programs and more tied with health and wellness and lifestyle brands. Is that good? Bad? I have my suspicions, but we’ll see. 

    I’m certainly glad to see sobriety losing its stigma. I’m thrilled to be living in the golden age of seltzers. My refrigerator is filled with La Croix and Bubbly and Waterloo and my current favorite, Spindrift. I like that bartenders who used to be dicks about making a virgin cocktail treat it more like a challenge now. Do you like ginger? Do you like pineapple? That’s nice. Not long ago I went to this amazing restaurant in Oklahoma City called Nonesuch that had non-alcoholic pairings with their dinner that were arguably more interesting than the alcoholic ones. Incredible. I commend the creativity that went into that, but I’m also glad business owners are realizing the money they’ve been leaving on the table. Suckers like me will pay a LOT for pretty drinks with no booze in them. 

    A big change is that young people are drinking less. Fashions change. I suspect we’ll reach a place where the kind of drinking that defined my era — drink-till-you-puke binge drinking — will seem old-fashioned. We’re in an era of pot and pills and whatever behavioral addiction we are all currently acquiring through our phones. I did an event with Chelsea Handler not long ago, the famously vodka-swilling Chelsea Handler, and she’s a pot evangelist. She’s starting her own line, and she’s working on a strain that doesn’t give you the munchies. I’m not into marijuana, but whoa. That sounds like a growth industry. I’m watching mom friends put away the Chardonnay and pick up the one-hitters. 

    What projects are you working on now?

    The new book is another memoir. It pivots around questions I started asking as I edged into my forties, which also happens to be the years since Blackout came out: Why did I never get married? Why did I never have kids? Is singlehood something that happened to me, or did I choose it? Is my solitude a curse, or a gift? Something I should change, or accept? In a way it’s me working through what was underneath my drinking all along, which was loneliness.

    The book dips back into my past choices, and examines deep relationships — with men, with my family, with my writing, with my own body — to try to understand how my story has unfolded, at the same time it’s tracking a larger cultural story about women’s rising place in the world, along with shifting attitudes toward marriage, love and sex, parenthood, etc. I sold the book last summer to Whitney Frick at the Dial Press, which is part of Random House, and she’s been so insightful and patient with me because it’s shifted a bit as I’ve been working on it, as books often do. My hope is that we can push it into world in 2020, but that depends on me making my fast-approaching deadline (yikes), and whatever the fates have in store for the news cycle and the general mood with regard to the presidential election. Let me say this: I was stuck for a long time. But I’m writing as fast as I can.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Access To Gun Shops Increases Suicide Risk For The Uninsured

    Access To Gun Shops Increases Suicide Risk For The Uninsured

    Over a 10-year period, suicide rates increased 41%.

    Having access to gun shops but lacking access to health care contributes to rising suicide rates among rural Americans, according to a new study. 

    The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that suicide rates are increasing for all Americans, especially those who live in rural areas. Between 1996 and 2016, suicides in the U.S. increased 41%.

    Suburbs vs Rural Areas

    There was a large difference in the risk of suicide in suburban versus rural areas. Between 2014 and 2016, metropolitan residents had a suicide rate of 17.6 deaths per 100,000, while rural residents had a much higher rate of 22 deaths per 100,000. 

    “While our findings are disheartening, we’re hopeful that they will help guide efforts to support Americans who are struggling, especially in rural areas where suicide has increased the most and the fastest,” lead researcher Danielle Steelesmith, a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, said in a news release. 

    Counties with the highest suicide rates were found in Western states including Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming; in Appalachian states including Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia; and in the Ozarks, including Arkansas and Missouri.

    Researchers identified factors that contributed to increased risk for suicide. 

    “Suicide is so complex, and many factors contribute, but this research helps us understand the toll and some of the potential contributing influences based on geography, and that could drive better efforts to prevent these deaths,” Steelesmith said. 

    Suicide rates were higher where people had access to a gun store, said Cynthia Fontanella, a study co-author and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at Ohio State. 

    “The data showing that suicides were higher in counties with more gun shops—specifically in urban areas—highlights the potential to reduce access to methods of suicide that can increase the chances an at-risk person will die,” she explained. 

    Service Members

    In addition, areas with more veterans had higher rates of suicide, highlighting the prevalence of mental health issues among former service members. People who had lower socioeconomic prospects and lack of access to resources were also more likely to die by suicide, a trend that was pronounced in rural areas. 

    “In cities, you have a core of services that are much easier to get to in many cases. You may have better access to job assistance, food banks and nonprofits that might all contribute to less desperation among residents,” Steelesmith said.

    The study authors point to ways that suicide risk could be reduced, including increasing social supports in rural areas and community engagement so that residents are aware of these resources. 

    “For example, all communities might benefit from strategies that enhance coping and problem-solving skills, strengthen economic support and identify and support those who are at risk for suicide,” Fontanella said.

    View the original article at thefix.com