Answer Addiction

Tag: drug overdose

  • Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari

    Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong | Johann Hari

    What really causes addiction — to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail firsthand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their addictions. He started to wonder why we treat addicts the way we do — and if there might be a better way. As he shares in this deeply personal talk, his questions took him around the world, and unearthed some surprising and hopeful ways of thinking about an age-old problem.

    TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

    View the original article at ted.com

  • Demi Lovato Celebrates Six Months Of Sobriety

    Demi Lovato Celebrates Six Months Of Sobriety

    Demi Lovato took to Instagram to acknowledge her sober milestone.

    Six months after an overdose led to her hospitalization, singer and actress Demi Lovato is celebrating her recovery. 

    On Friday, Jan. 25, according to People, Lovato shared a photo of her six-month sobriety medallion on her Instagram story. She also shared a photo of a Funfetti dessert from Susiecakes along with a note that read “Happy 6 Mo. We are so f—ing proud of you,” which she captioned “Best day ever.”

    On July 24, 2018, Lovato was reportedly hospitalized after overdosing in her home in Hollywood Hills. According to People, she remained hospitalized for about two weeks before leaving the hospital for an inpatient treatment facility. 

    In August, she posted a message to her Instagram account, which was her first post on social media since the incident.

    “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” she wrote. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet. I want to thank God for keeping me alive and well.” 

    “To my fans, I am forever grateful for all of your love and support throughout this past week and beyond. Your positive thoughts and prayers have helped me navigate through this difficult time,” Lovato added.

    In November after leaving treatment, according to People, a source reported that Lovato was focusing on maintaining her recovery after the overdose.

    “Demi seems to be doing well,” the source stated, according to People. “She looks really good and is in a great mood. She also seems happy about being out and about, but her focus is definitely still her recovery. She attends meetings and receives treatment. Her number one priority seems to be her health.”

    Lovato again reached out to her fans on social media in December, when she posted a number of tweets about her recovery. 

    “Someday I’ll tell the world what exactly happened, why it happened and what my life is like today.. but…I still need space and time to heal,” she wrote. “All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support. … I’m so blessed I get to take this time to be with family, relax, work on my mind, body and soul and come back when I’m ready.”

    Then, to ring in the New Year, Lovato again posted on her Instagram story and stated she was thankful for the previous year. She reportedly spent the night celebrating with sparkling cider and her sober friend Henry Levy, who, according to People, has been rumored to be her boyfriend.

    “So grateful for the lessons I’ve learned this year,” Lovato wrote. “I will never take another day in life for granted, even the bad ones. Thankful for my fans, friends, family, and everyone who supported me throughout this year. God bless.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato's Sober New Year's Celebration

    Demi Lovato's Sober New Year's Celebration

    The “Sober” singer took to Instagram to share her celebration with fans. 

    For Demi Lovato, 2018 was a rough year but she made it through and is now sober.

    After singing about relapse and suffering a nearly-fatal overdose in July the singer spent 90 days in rehab, getting out just in time to spend the holidays sober. Despite the ups and downs of the year, the singer took to Instagram to say that she’s looking at 2018 in a positive light. 

    “So grateful for the lessons I’ve learned this year,” Lovato wrote on her Instagram story on New Year’s Eve, according to USA Today. “I will never take another day in life for granted, even the bad ones.”

    Later in the evening, she posted a picture of herself ringing in 2019 with a virgin drink: Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider. Beneath the photo she put the caption #sober. 

    Lovato, who has expressed gratitude for her supportive fans throughout the year, once again thanked everyone who has been by her side through her relapse and recovery. 

    “Thankful for my fans, friends, family and everyone who supported me through this year,” she wrote. “God bless.”

    Lovato stayed away from social media during the time she was in rehab, but during the past month she has again been posting. Before Christmas she expressed frustration with the endless news cycle around her recovery.  

    “People will literally make up stuff to sell a story,” she wrote on Twitter. “Sickening. If I feel like the world needs to know something, I will tell them MYSELF. Otherwise people stop writing about my recovery, because it’s no one’s business but mine.”

    Lovato said that despite the fact that she is famous, she needs space to work through her relapse and recovery on her own. 

    “I still need space and time to heal… someday I’ll tell the world what exactly happened, why it happened and what my life is like today.. but until I’m ready to share that with people please stop prying and making up shit that you know nothing about,” she wrote. “I am sober and grateful to be alive and taking care of ME…All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support.”

    Lovato has been very open about her addiction and mental health issues in the past, and in July she promised she would share again in the future — once she knew her health was secure. 

    “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction,” she wrote. “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato Sets The Record Straight About Her Recovery

    Demi Lovato Sets The Record Straight About Her Recovery

    “I am sober and grateful to be alive and taking care of ME…All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support,” Demi Lovato tweeted.

    For Demi Lovato, 2018 was a tough year. After six years of sobriety, Lovato admitted to the public in the song “Sober” that she had relapsed; then after the song’s release, the pop star suffered an overdose on July 24.

    Now she’s posted a series of tweets updating the world about her progress and her need for privacy as she continues her recovery.

    On December 21, the singer launched her tweetstorm by professing her love for her fans and her hatred for the tabloid press. “People will literally make up stuff to sell a story,” she tweeted. “Sickening. If I feel like the world needs to know something, I will tell them MYSELF. Otherwise people stop writing about my recovery, because it’s no one’s business but mine.”

    She also implored, “I still need space and time to heal,” and that “someday I’ll tell the world what exactly happened, why it happened and what my life is like today.. but until I’m ready to share that with people please stop prying and making up shit that you know nothing about.”

    Lovato added, “I am sober and grateful to be alive and taking care of ME…All my fans need to know is I’m working hard on myself, I’m happy and clean and I’m SO grateful for their support.”

    As the holidays approach, Lovato concluded, “I’m so blessed I get to take this time to be with family, relax, work on my mind, body and soul and come back when I’m ready.”

    Last month, it was reported that after she spent 90 days at an in-patient rehab facility, Lovato reached out to her ex-boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama, for emotional support. She has also been spending time with a sober coach, as well as attending 12-step meetings.

    Lovato has always been open about her struggles with her mental health (the singer suffers from bipolar disorder) and sobriety. After her overdose, fans created a hashtag, #HowDemiHasHelpedMe, where many shared stories of how Lovato’s music and personal troubles encouraged them to get help themselves.

    As Lovato posted on social media in July, “I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction. What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Heartbreaking Billboard Aims To Raise Awareness About Addiction

    Heartbreaking Billboard Aims To Raise Awareness About Addiction

    The billboard spotlights a brief, powerful message: “Tim Hatley: Addiction Can Lead to Death.”

    Amidst the pre-fab buildings and snow of northern Michigan sits a stark reminder for the Hatley family.

    It’s a roadside billboard with a simple message: “Tim Hatley: Addiction Can Lead to Death.” 

    On a rural road outside the town of Grayling – population 1,800 – the signage is aimed at raising awareness about addiction, using the story of a former high school football player who died by suicide last year after struggling with addiction. 

    “When he turned 19 he moved out of my house and moved down the street with a friend and that’s kind of when it all started that he started snorting Norcos,” his mother Karen told CBS affiliate WWTV. “He had a huge addiction with the Norcos, went through three withdrawals with him.”

    It started after he was prescribed painkillers for a sports injury. Afterward, he kept using the pills and pain management gave way to a larger problem. After more than a decade of drug misuse, he turned from opioids to meth, his mother said. 

    A month before his death, he had a psychotic episode. On Dec. 30 of last year he killed himself.

    “His fiancé had called me and said ‘he’s gone’ and hung up on me. And I was like ‘what is she’s talking about?’” Hatley told the TV station. “I called my husband and said ‘you need to come home now.’ So, he came home, and when he walked in he was crying, and just shook his head and I fell to the ground.”

    So this year, she paired up with the Crawford County Partnership for Substance Abuse Prevention to put up a billboard reminding passersby of her son’s story and offering a solution. “If you need help, recovery starts here. Call 1-800-834-3393,” the sign says.

    “I chose the billboard going towards the high school because I want kids on a bus to see that every single day, and I want parents to get the message that you know, you’re [sic] kid doesn’t have to be a troubled kid to end up this way,” Hatley said. “This loss is the worst thing I’ve ever had to go through, and I don’t want anyone else to go through this.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lil Xan On Mac Miller's Death, His Own Sobriety: "I'm Not Completely Clean Yet"

    Lil Xan On Mac Miller's Death, His Own Sobriety: "I'm Not Completely Clean Yet"

    “You relapse. You don’t want to. You get clean again. And you relapse. It’s a process. You need treatment, and sometimes, that doesn’t even help.”

    Hip-hop artist Lil Xan spoke candidly about the overdose death of his idol, rapper Mac Miller, and his own struggles with substance use, including a recent relapse.

    In a conversation with TMZ on Nov. 5, Lil Xan (born Diego Leanos) said that while he wasn’t surprised that fentanyl played a role in his fellow artist’s demise, he remains devastated by the news.

    “It’s always fentanyl,” Leanos told TMZ in regard to Miller’s death on Sept. 7, 2018. He said that the synthetic opioid was among the primary reasons that he stopped dealing pills prior to his music career.

    “I was selling Xanax before I was a rapper, you know, when it was real,” he said. “And the minute it got to fentanyl, I was like, ‘I’m not going to sell this.’ My friends were taking it, they were puking. I was like, ‘I can’t… I’m out of the game.’”

    In regard to Miller’s death, Leanos told TMZ, “There’s been so many people [who died from fentanyl overdose], but in particular, Mac hurt the most, because it definitely changed my everything.”

    Leanos had been left so devastated by Miller’s death that in September, he considered retiring from music after fulfilling his recording contract. “When your hero dies, f—k that s—t,” he declared during a podcast interview. “I don’t want to make music no more.” 

    Most recently, Leanos has been recording a tribute album to Miller called Be Safe, which is reportedly due in December. He canceled a quintet of live appearances to focus his energy on completing the project, but added that he was also working on his sobriety.

    “I’m not completely clean yet,” he told TMZ. “I’m off Xanax, but narcos I’m still trying to wean off. ” 

    Leanos said that following his recent relapse, he sequestered himself in a forest and “detached from the world” to regain his sobriety. In regard to the relapse, he said, “Any addict would understand that s—t happens. You relapse. You don’t want to. You get clean again. And you relapse. It’s a process. You need treatment, and sometimes, that doesn’t even help.”

    Change, said Leanos, can only come when the individual wants it. “It has to come from within,” he said. “I’ve gone through periods of like, six months. And now it’s because of me. It’s because I want to be clean.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato’s Sister Says She’s Working Hard At Sobriety

    Demi Lovato’s Sister Says She’s Working Hard At Sobriety

    “We’ve been through a lot together and every single time…we always come out on the other side a 100 times stronger than before.”

    Demi Lovato’s 16-year-old sister said that the star is working hard at her sobriety, 60 days after the singer reportedly started treatment. 

    “She’s working really hard on her sobriety and we’re all so incredibly proud of her,” Madison De La Garza said, according to E! News. De La Garza was being interviewed as part of the promotions for her new movie, Subject 16. During the conversation, she talked about how difficult Lovato’s July overdose was for her family. 

    “It’s been crazy for our family,” she said. “It’s been a lot.”

    De La Garza said that the family is focusing on the positive. 

    “We’ve been through a lot together, and every single time—I mean if you read my mom’s book, you would know—every time we go through something, we always come out on the other side a hundred times stronger than before,” De La Garza said. “So, we’ve just been so thankful for everything—for the little things.”

    De La Garza said that she wants to do “so many little things” with her sister once Lovato leave treatment — including getting frozen yogurt. 

    “It sounds so small, but [I want to] go to Menchie’s,” she said. “Honestly, I’m more of a Pinkberry person, but she likes Menchie’s, and so we usually go there.”

    Lovato is at an undisclosed facility. In early August she released a statement on Instagram, saying, “What I’ve learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.”

    She told fans that she would be off the radar while she focuses on recovery. 

    “I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery,” she wrote. “The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side. I will keep fighting.”

    Although Lovato has not made any public statements since then, her family members say that she is doing the necessary work to live sober. 

    “I can honestly say today that she is doing really well,” Lovato’s mother, Dianna De La Garza, said in September. “She’s happy, she’s healthy, she’s working on her sobriety, and she’s getting the help she needs.”

    De La Garza added that Lovato’s overdose came as a shock, but that the family’s faith helped them cope. 

    “We just didn’t know for two days if she was going to make it or not,” she said. “I just feel like the reason she is alive today is because of the millions and millions of prayers that went up every day.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Demi Lovato's Mother On Overdose: "We Didn't Know If She Was Going to Make It"

    Demi Lovato's Mother On Overdose: "We Didn't Know If She Was Going to Make It"

    “I literally start to shake a little bit when I start to remember what happened.”

    The mother of singer Demi Lovato spoke at length about her daughter’s drug overdose and recovery in an emotional interview for Newsmax TV.

    Dianna De La Garza said that she still finds it difficult to recall the events of the July overdose, which she learned about through phone texts. Though alarmed by her daughter’s condition, she said that her faith provided her with the strength to support Lovato through her hospitalization and subsequent rehabilitation.

    “I can honestly say today that she is doing really well,” she revealed.

    As TMZ reported, paramedics arrived at Lovato’s home in the Hollywood Hills in the early hours of July 24, and found the performer unconscious from an apparent drug overdose. She was treated with the overdose reversal drug Narcan before she was transported to a Los Angeles hospital, where she remained for 12 days before being released and taken to a rehab facility outside of California. 

    In an Instagram statement posted on August 5, the pop star thanked her family and the staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for getting her through the ordeal, as well as her many fans who had expressed their support during her hospitalization. “The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side,” she wrote in her statement.

    In her interview with Newsmax TV, De La Garza said that she still struggles with recalling or talking about the events of July 24. “I literally start to shake a little bit when I start to remember what happened,” she said.

    She said that she found out about her daughter’s condition when texts from individuals expressing their concern began to flood her phone.

    Confused by the outpouring of support, De La Garza said that her mood quickly changed when she received a call from Lovato’s assistant.

    “She said Demi overdosed,” recalled De La Garza. “It was something I never, ever expected to hear as a parent about any of my kids. I said, ‘Is she okay?’ And she stopped for a second and said, ‘She’s conscious, but she’s not talking.’ I knew at that point that we were in trouble.”

    De La Garza said that Lovato was in “bad shape” when she saw her at the hospital, but needed her to know that her family was with her.

    “I said, ‘Demi, I’m here, I love you.’ At that point, she said back to me, ‘I love you too.’ From that point on, I never allowed myself to ever think that things were going to be okay.”

    While Lovato lingered in critical condition, De La Garza turned to her faith to help her dispel worries about Demi’s health.

    “We just didn’t know for two days if she was going to make it or not,” she recalled. But the singer pulled through with the help of the hospital staff and support from her many fans. “I just feel like the reason she is alive today is because of the millions and millions of prayers that went up every day,” said De La Garza.

    Today, as Lovato continues to work on her recovery while in rehabilitation, De La Garza said that her daughter is “doing really well. She’s happy, she’s healthy, she’s working on her sobriety, and she’s getting the help she needs.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Journalist Reports On Daughter’s Overdose Death To Raise Awareness

    Journalist Reports On Daughter’s Overdose Death To Raise Awareness

    “The opioid epidemic has hit home in a tragic and devastating way for me, personally. On May 16, my 21-year-old daughter Emily died from an overdose.”

    South Dakota news anchor Angela Kennecke has reported on the opioid epidemic for a decade, but she never imagined that she would be sharing the news of her own daughter’s overdose death with viewers.

    However, that’s just what Kennecke did when she returned to work four months after her daughter fatally overdosed on fentanyl. 

    “The opioid epidemic has hit home in a tragic and devastating way for me, personally,”  Kennecke said from the news desk. “On May 16, my 21-year-old daughter Emily died from an overdose.”

    In an interview with CBS, Kennecke said that Emily’s father called her and said that he thought Emily had overdosed. “I can’t even describe to you what it’s like to hear those words,” Kennecke said.  

    After speaking at Emily’s funeral, Kennecke felt the need to take her family’s story public in order to raise awareness about opioid addiction, and the role it can play in all families. 

    “I never would have dreamed that, but because it’s hit home in such an awful, devastating way, I just feel so compelled to let everybody know what happened to my daughter can happen to you. It could happen to your child,” she said.

    Kennecke said that after years of asking people to talk about their most intimate losses, she felt that she should share her experience. 

    “I thought I can let this loss, this devastation destroy me, or I can do something about it. I thought I have to talk about it. I have an obligation to talk about it,” she said. “My number one reason to talk about it is to erase the stigma around addiction, especially the use of heroin and opioids.”

    Kennecke said that she knew Emily was using marijuana, but she never imagined that her daughter would be injecting opioids. 

    “It was the most shocking thing to me,” she said in the interview. “Needles? Middle-class kid, privileged, all these opportunities and things like that. It’s hard to explain addiction. It’s hard to understand. My child ran out of the doctor’s office once when she was going to get a shot.”

    Kennecke said that she had to walk a fine line between helping Emily and alienating her. She said that she was working to get Emily help, but said, “I just didn’t get there in time.”

    After her loss, Kennecke said she went from asking “why me” to “why not me,” when she realized that addiction can touch anyone. Now, she has set up Emily’s Hope, a fund that will help others afford treatment. 

    “That’s really all I can do with this,” said Kennecke. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Mac Miller Dies At Age 26

    Mac Miller Dies At Age 26

    Miller was found dead in his home of an apparent drug overdose.

    Rapper Mac Miller was found dead in his home in Studio City, California on Friday (September 7). The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner pronounced Miller dead at 11:51 am, People confirms, and a source says his death was caused by cardiac arrest following a drug overdose.

    “Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26,” his family wrote in a media press release. “He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans. Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy. There are no further details as to the cause of his death at this time.”

    Miller was born in Pittsburgh and struck fame at age 18 with his fourth mixtape, K.I.D.S., in 2010. He was in a public relationship with pop star Ariana Grande for about two years until they broke up earlier this year.

    Just hours before he died, Miller was posting videos of himself in a recording studio on Instagram.

    He had struggled with substance abuse throughout his life. His most recent episode came just a week after his public breakup with Grande when he was arrested for drunk driving. He ran into a power pole and fled, but law enforcement was able to match the plates to his Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and charged him with DUI and hit-and-run.

    “I made a stupid mistake. I’m a human being,” Miller explained at the time. “But it was the best thing that could have happened. Best thing that could have happened. I needed that. I needed to run into that light pole and literally have the whole thing stop.”

    Fellow musicians openly mourned Miller’s passing on social media.

    “I dont know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew,” Chance the Rapper tweeted. “Great man. I loved him for real. Im completely broken. God bless him.”

    Post Malone also shared condolences.

    “God fucking dammit. You were such an incredible person. You changed so many lives. Had so much love in your heart,” Malone wrote on Twitter, “You inspired me throughout highschool, and I wouldn’t be where I was today without you. Never a more kind and sincere and beautiful person. I fucking love you mac.”

    View the original article at thefix.com