Tag: News

Lily Allen Discusses Addiction, Self-Medicating

“I’ve used drugs and alcohol as medicine, almost, when things have been really bad. If I’m in a bad place, psychologically, I shouldn’t be anywhere near drugs and alcohol.”

British singer Lilly Allen first broke through in 2006 with her album Alright, Still, and now she’s back with her first new album in four years, No Shame.

As her new release hits, Allen is opening up about her battles with addiction, and why she may not be completely sober (though she’s not partying anymore).

Allen told People, “I definitely don’t rely on substances and alcohol in the way that I used to. It’s a bit about having made a conscious decision to leave that stuff behind. I would wake up in a haze in the middle of the Sheezus [album] tour and be like, ‘I’m 3,000 miles away from my kids.’ Why? What is all of this about?”

When asked if she got sober for her children, Allen said, “I think it was age. Waking up in a tour bus, really hungover with makeup running—it’s not a good look when you’re 30. It’s okay when you’re 19!”

Allen said that her drinking “got to a really bad stage, and I was definitely using alcohol as a crutch. I’m just very glad I’m not there anymore.”

Asked if she considers herself sober, Allen replied, “No, I wouldn’t actually. I would just say I don’t party anymore… I don’t take drugs anymore. I wouldn’t say I gave up drinking, because I might like, once in a blue moon, have a glass of wine at dinner.”

Allen said she was being stalked, which kept her close to home and away from outside temptations. “I think my sobriety was sort of forced by that. I wasn’t gonna sit at home and drink on my own, so I stopped; I stopped going out publicly and to places where people would maybe think that I would be.”

Once she had her “unintentional detox and respite from it,” Allen noticed that she was “thinking a lot more clearly… In the middle of the Sheezus [tour], I did do AA—I did my 90 meetings and 90 days, so I did do that, I went through that process, and I found it really helpful.”

Allen added, “To be honest with you, I don’t think I’ve ever been an addict, so to speak. I think that I’ve used drugs and alcohol as medicine, almost, when things have been really bad. If I’m in a bad place, psychologically, I shouldn’t be anywhere near drugs and alcohol. But if I’m okay… I just don’t, I’m just not really in a space where I want to drink.”

View the original article at thefix.com

21 June 2018
Kratom Supporters Converge on Washington to Fight Potential Ban

Kratom advocates met at the U.S. Capitol in early June to begin a week of lobbying in favor of the substance.

With a federal ban on kratom gaining traction in Washington, D.C, advocates of the plant’s pain management and potential opioid withdrawal properties traveled to the nation’s capital to lobby support for the Southeast Asian plant.

Participants hoped to correct legislators’ misconceptions about the plant, which has been labeled as an equivalent to prescription opioids with no medical benefit by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

But as the Huffington Post noted, supporters found that their efforts generated a mixed response from the House and Senate, where legislative aides reportedly said that if the FDA followed through with the ban, it would most likely receive backing from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Surveys have suggested that between three and five million Americans use kratom, which is consumed as a supplement made from the dried or powdered leaves of the kratom tree.

Users claim that kratom can serve as a stimulant or sedative, and it has been touted as an alternative to prescription opioids for pain management, and in some cases, as a potential tool for withdrawal from opioids. It is currently unregulated in America, though some states have enacted a ban on the substance within their own borders.

Kratom’s interaction with opioid receptors in the body has placed it in the crosshairs of the FDA, which has claimed that it can impact the user in the same manner as opioids, and has the same potential for abuse and dependency.

The agency’s negative press eventually spurred the DEA’s decision to temporarily add kratom to its list of Schedule I drugs in 2016, though public outcry from users who relied on the substance for their quality of life forced it to rescind its order that same year.

The FDA has since renewed its efforts to take kratom off the market, this time with computer analysis that suggested the most prevalent compounds in the substance share “structural similarities” to opioids. It also officially recommended that the DEA move forward with its rescheduling, a decision which, according to sources within the agency, may happen as early as summer 2018.

In hopes of heading off such measures, kratom advocates met at the U.S. Capitol on June 5 to begin a week of lobbying in favor of the substance. Proponents testified to the positive impact of kratom use on their chronic pain, which they claimed to have treated unsuccessfully with prescription opioids.

As the HuffPost article noted, one individual spoke about her anxiety that had driven her to consider suicide, and how she had found relief through kratom use.

But attendees also reported that meetings with legislative aides at the House and Senate could not generate a concrete statement of support. Most appeared to hear and support the advocates’ aims, but could not assure the visitors that they would work on their behalf; others stated that if the FDA wanted to reassign kratom, there would be little they could do to stave off or reverse that decision.

“They were pretty much letting us know that this isn’t looking too great,” said Melanie Victor, a volunteer from Tennessee. “This is probably going to be a pretty big fight.”

View the original article at thefix.com

21 June 2018
Frankie Grande Celebrates Sober Milestone

“I discovered that the path to the light was not in drowning my sorrows, but in facing them head on… in sobriety.”

Following the one-year anniversary of the horrific Manchester Arena bombing at the Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017, the pop star and the people close to her have opened up about how they have coped in the aftermath of the horrific attack that killed 22 people.

The pop star’s brother, Frankie Grande, a singer, dancer and YouTube personality, penned a heartfelt letter that he shared with People magazine, in which he described the pain and trauma that the attack caused, not only on the victims themselves, but on him and his family.

In his letter, he shares that he is now one-year sober, a decision he made after falling into a “very dark place” that he tried masking with drugs and alcohol.

“Today I am one year sober… and the gratitude that I feel in the face of this milestone is measureless. After the tragic events of Manchester, with the senseless loss of life and fear that came from knowing my family was unsafe and that I was completely powerless to protect them, I went to a very dark place with no tools to handle the feelings that came along with the devastation of the attack. I tried to pull myself out of the darkness by drinking and abusing prescribed drugs as I had done in the past for so many other reasons… but that only made the hole that I was trying to crawl out of even deeper.”

The 35-year-old Broadway performer went on to describe how his previous party-centric life had “turned into a nightmare where I never felt more alone.” This went on until Frankie finally reached a point where “living was just too painful” and decided to seek help.

Since then, life has been different for Frankie. “I am here today because with that help I discovered that the path to the light was not in drowning my sorrows, but in facing them head on… in sobriety,” he wrote.

His letter went on to inspire and encourage anyone to have hope, despite whatever personal hell they might be going through. “In fact, you can become STRONGER than you ever thought possible,” Frankie wrote. The performer said he’s never been happier with his decision to be sober.

“This decision to be sober is a lifetime decision. I live without needing a drink or a drug to change the way I feel or perceive my circumstances and outcomes,” he wrote. “I have repaired relationships I previously thought unsalvageable and I am living my best TRUEST life.”

At the end of his letter, Frankie lists a number of resources that may help somebody who is struggling: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SAMHSA, and the Suicide Prevention Hotline.

In a recent post on Twitter, Frankie thanked his sister Ariana Grande for giving him strength and supporting his recovery.

Last month, the 24-year-old pop singer shared how she’s been coping with the trauma of the Manchester bombing.

“Music is supposed to be the safest thing in the world. I think that’s why it’s still so heavy on my heart every single day,” she said at the time. “I wish there was more that I could fix. You think with time it’ll become easier to talk about. Or you’ll make peace with it. But every day I wait for that peace to come and it’s still very painful.”

View the original article at thefix.com

20 June 2018
Sober Joe Supports Recovery, One Cup Of Coffee At A Time

The national coffee brand raises money for non-profits offering recovery services and funds monthly sober living scholarships.

Coffee and recovery go hand-in-hand, whether the beverage is being served at 12-step meetings, or just helping someone start their day in the morning. Now, a small-batch, craft coffee company is working to support recovery efforts, one cup at a time.

Frank Kerker worked in the beverage industry for 25 years, doing sales and marketing for national brands. However, when Kerker started working a recovery program in 2005 after realizing he was drinking too much, he realized that there was a natural opportunity to use coffee as a fundraiser for recovery.

“This was the perfect intersection for me: beverages and recovery,” Kerker told The Fix in a recent interview.

Not only was it a good fit given Kerker’s professional past, but there was also a well-established connection between coffee and recovery.

“I don’t know why there is that connection, but there is,” Kerker said. “Coffee is mentioned a half a dozen times in The Big Book and 12 & 12. It’s the beverage of choice for 12-step meetings everywhere. It’s ubiquitous, part of the culture. Making coffee is even suggested as a way to perform service work.”

Last September, Kerker began to use coffee as part of his service work, although he went far beyond making a pot for friends. He launched Sober Joe, a coffee brand that raises money for non-profits offering recovery services.

Initially, Kerker was planning to just test the concept, but the positive response was overwhelming.

“Virtually everyone is touched directly by addiction and people want to help but don’t know how,” Kerker said. “Buying a product that you use everyday is an easy way to help. Plus, it’s really good coffee.”

Each month since September, Sober Joe has funded a scholarship to Courage to Change Sober Living, a local halfway house in Bloomington, Indiana, where Sober Joe is headquartered. Kerker estimates the scholarships totaled about $3,000.

More recently, Sober Joe partnered with Compassion4Addiction, an organization that aims to change the perception of addiction through compassion and science. Sober Joe is now launching nationally, and proceeds from national sales will be donated to Compassion4Addiction.

“Shame and stigma can’t coexist with compassion,” said Vicky Dulai, the cofounder of Compassion4Addiction. “If you create a place for compassion, then you can create a space where people can actually heal.”

Kerker agrees that cutting down on stigma is essential to advancing treatment for addiction.

“Accurately understanding the problem is the first step in solving the problem and loosening the stigma that stands in the way of effective treatment,” Kerker said.

View the original article at thefix.com

20 June 2018
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

20 June 2018
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

20 June 2018
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

20 June 2018
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

20 June 2018
"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

19 June 2018
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

19 June 2018