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  • Elizabeth Vargas On Going Public With Alcoholism And Anxiety

    Elizabeth Vargas On Going Public With Alcoholism And Anxiety

    “If I’ve helped one person, I feel really great, but I hear from people daily. That makes me feel like it was worth it to be as brutally honest as I was.”

    In 2014, former 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas went public in a series of interviews, sharing her struggles with alcoholism and anxiety. Now she is opening up about the life-changing events that followed her decision to be transparent with her battle.

    After the release of her memoir on addiction and anxiety in 2016, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, Vargas interviewed with The Fix.

    “Every person battling addiction is going through hell,” she said. “There’s still a lot of judgment. People say, ‘You chose to do that.’ But why would anybody choose to destroy themselves and the lives of everybody precious to them?”

    Telling People magazine that putting her story out in the world was “one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve done,” Vargas—now the host of a new A&E series Cults and Extreme Belief—reflected on the changes in her life since the publication of her memoir.

    “If I’ve helped one person, I feel really great, but I hear from people daily,” she told People. “That makes me feel like it was worth it to be as brutally honest as I was.”

    Vargas was so inspired by the positive public response to her story that she now travels the country, speaking out about alcoholism and anxiety. Her hope is to minimize the stigma surrounding those issues, in direct contrast with her feelings during the worst years.

    “I felt very alone when I was in the grip of the disease,” she said to People.

    Elizabeth Vargas suffered with anxiety from the time she was very small, which worsened as she entered her early forties and after the birth of her son.

    In her interview with The Fix, Vargas noted that in research with Diane Sawyer for a 20/20 special, they learned that 63% of women with alcoholism also battle anxiety, and women who struggle with anxiety are at two times the risk of relapse.

    Vargas told AARP that her anxiety got so bad that she had experienced an anxiety attack on live television. Unable to pinpoint exactly what the turning point was from alcoholism to sobriety, Vargas now credits meditation, gratitude and her experiences in rehab and therapy, along with the active involvement of her parents and sibling, for her enduring sobriety.

    Vargas told CKTV 5 News, “I feel grateful that I could take what was a painful part of my life and make something good out of it.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Girl Admitted To Rehab For Fortnite Addiction

    Girl Admitted To Rehab For Fortnite Addiction

    “This is a serious issue and it is destroying our little girl’s life, and someone needs to step in to ban it before it becomes an epidemic,” said the girl’s mother.

    The Daily Mirror is reporting that a nine-year-old girl in England has allegedly been admitted to rehabilitation for a dependency on the hugely popular survival game Fortnite.

    The story quoted the girl’s mother, who claimed that her daughter would regularly play the game until dawn, which negatively impacted her grades and health. Her dependency eventually grew so severe that she would not interrupt her gameplay to use the bathroom, prompting her parents to take her to a counselor for “intensive” therapy.

    The girl’s story comes on the heels of Culture Minister Matt Hancock declaring video games as “potentially damaging,” a stance that appeared to be supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), which included gaming in a draft of its 2018 list of “disorders due to addictive behavior.”

    According to the Mirror, the girl’s parents noted that her personality began to change two months after she downloaded Fortnite on her Xbox. She reportedly began to lose interest in sports, and her teachers contacted the parents about missing homework and other issues.

    When the couple confronted the girl, she reportedly became “unusually argumentative”—which they chalked up to “hormones.”

    The girl’s mother stated that they discovered small but consistent charges on a credit card—Fortnite is free to download but offers in-app purchases—which caused the girl to lash out and allegedly strike her father when he confronted her.

    For the parents, the final straw came when the father found the girl sitting on a urine-soaked cushion while playing the game. “She was so hooked to the game, she wouldn’t even go to the toilet,” claimed the mother.

    The girl later confessed that she played the game every night, sometimes until dawn. Her parents contacted Steve Pope, an addiction counselor, who began treating her for the reported dependency. Pope told the Sunday People that hers was not an isolated case.

    “Over the last two months, I’ve been contacted by dozens of parents  with children as young as eight showing signs of addiction to Fortnite. I’ve been working in this field for three decades and never seen anything like it—how widespread and potentially damaging this is.”

    The girl’s mother called for government action to intervene in the growing problem. “This is a serious issue and it is destroying our little girl’s life, and someone needs to step in to ban it before it becomes an epidemic,” she told the Mirror.

    A ban against loot boxes—a game feature that allows players to acquire rewards through gameplay or for money—has already taken effect in Belgium, which declared the feature in violation of the country’s gambling legislation.

    In comments to the Daily Telegraph, Culture Minister Hancock expressed concern that “too much screen time could have a damaging impact on our children’s lives,” and specifically cited Fortnite as “aggressive” and potentially “addictive.”

    Hancock—who had previously voiced support for more active gaming business in the UK—also stated that the British government is working with game publishers and developers to promote safety and allay parental concerns.

    Though the WHO has submitted gaming addiction for consideration on its list of addictive disorders (the organization must still approve it for final inclusion), medical professionals are divided on the subject.

    Research from 2017 noted that gaming increases dopamine levels twofold, whereas drugs like heroin or cocaine increase the chemical response by ten times that amount.

    A 2016 study found that addiction to gaming occurred more frequently in individuals who already showed signs of depression or stress, and video games had become their chosen form of avoiding those feelings.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Opioid Deaths Have Surpassed Vietnam War Fatalities, Study Says

    Opioid Deaths Have Surpassed Vietnam War Fatalities, Study Says

    A new study examined the 15-year period from January 2001 to December 2016 to determine the number of American deaths caused by the opioid crisis.

    American deaths as a result of the opioid crisis have surpassed those during the Vietnam War, a new study has found. 

    According to the Washington Post, less than 1% of American deaths in the year 1968 were due to serving in the Vietnam war. Now, a new study has found that in 2016, 1.5% of deaths were at the hands of opioids. 

    The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the 15-year period from January 2001 to December 2016 to determine the number of American deaths caused by the opioid crisis.

    It found that between 2001 and 2016, the number of deaths caused by the opioid crisis rose from 9,489 to 42 ,245—a 345% increase.

    According to the study, in 2001, opioids were responsible for 0.4% of deaths, or 1 in 255 people. But 15 years later, in 2016, that rose to 1.5%, or 1 in 65 deaths—a 292% increase. Study authors found that the greatest impact was on those ages 24 to 35, an age group in which 20% of deaths were associated with opioids. Study authors also found that deaths connected to opioids were more prominent in men than women.

    In all, study authors estimate that in 2016 alone, nearly 1.7 million years of life were lost in the U.S. population due to the opioid crisis. 

    “These findings highlight changes in the burden of opioid-related deaths over time and across demographic groups in the United States,” study authors wrote. “They demonstrate the important role of opioid overdose in deaths of adolescents and young adults as well as the disproportionate burden of overdose among men.”

    Study findings also indicated that there has been an increase in the number of opioid-related deaths in those 55 and older. 

    “The relative increase in recent years requires attention, as it could be indicative of an aging population with increasing prevalence of opioid use disorder,” study authors noted. “This is particularly problematic as recent estimates from the United States suggest that the prevalence of opioid misuse among adults aged 50 years and older is expected to double (from 1.2% to 2.4%) between 2004 and 2020.”

    Because of the impact on those of younger ages, study authors also indicated that there is a need to put more programs and policies in place.

    “Premature death from opioid-related causes imposes an enormous public health burden across the United States,” study authors wrote. “The recent increase in deaths attributable to opioids among those aged 15 to 34 years highlights a need for targeted programs and policies that focus on improved addiction care and harm reduction measures in this high-risk population.”

    According to the Post, this research leaned on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, which is thought to underestimate the number of opioid deaths by 20 to 30%, resulting in a “conservative estimate” of the true impact of the crisis. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Bipartisan Bill To Protect States With Legalized Marijuana Gains Traction

    Bipartisan Bill To Protect States With Legalized Marijuana Gains Traction

    The bill would allow states to determine “the best approach to marijuana within [their own] borders.”

    Though Attorney General Jeff Sessions continues to wage war against marijuana, President Donald Trump has said that he is willing to support bipartisan legislation that would allow states to determine their own rules regarding the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

    The bill was introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), who, as High Times noted, have taken distinctly opposite stances regarding marijuana in their respective states. But the pair has united over federal cannabis prohibition, which they view as impugning on not only states’ rights to determine their own laws, but also the legal cannabis industry’s ability to access safe banking and insurance.

    Their efforts appear to have earned a positive response from Trump, who told reporters that he would “probably” support the bill.

    The bill, called the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States, or STATES Act, would allow individual states, Washington, D.C., U.S. territories and federally recognized tribes to determine for themselves “the best approach to marijuana within [their own] borders.”

    This would be accomplished by amending the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) so that those states or tribes that comply with basic protection would be considered exempt from federal law regarding the “manufacture, production, possession, dispensation, administration, or delivery of marijuana.”

    The STATES Act would also remove industrial hemp from the CSA, and would implement several “common-sense guardrails” to ensure that states continue to regulate marijuana in a “safe and respectful manner” that is compliant with federal standards. These include prohibiting individuals under the age of 18 to work in marijuana operations and preventing sale or distribution of marijuana to individuals under the age of 21 for reasons other than medical purposes.

    Additionally, and most crucially for legal cannabis business, the bill would allow federally insured banks to do business with such entities.

    In a statement, Senator Warren wrote, “The federal government needs to get out of the business of outlawing marijuana.” She added that current federal laws have negatively impacted the criminal justice system, scientific research and economic development, while states like Massachusetts have implemented commonsense marijuana legislation that has supported these categories. “They have the right to enforce their own marijuana policies,” she wrote.

    Senator Gardner took similar aim at government policies in his statement while focusing his argument on states’ rights issues.

    “The federal government is closing its eyes and plugging its ears while 46 states have acted,” he wrote. “The bipartisan, commonsense bill ensures the federal government will respect the will of the voters—whether that is legalization or prohibition—and not interfere in an states’ legal marijuana industry.”

    At a press conference on June 6, President Trump said that he knew “exactly what [Senator Gardner’s] doing,” and “probably will end up supporting” the STATES Act.

    Given Trump’s penchant for spur-of-the-moment decisions that often take his cabinet and party by surprise, it remains unclear whether he will ultimately voice approval for the bill, but the statement flies in the face of Attorney General Sessions’ stance on marijuana, which was crystallized in a January 2018 memo granting federal prosecutors the “necessary tools” to crack down on cannabis.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Clear My Record" Project To Help Expunge 250,000 Marijuana Convictions

    "Clear My Record" Project To Help Expunge 250,000 Marijuana Convictions

    San Francisco is partnering with tech-nonprofit Code for America to expedite the difficult expungement process. 

    A new initiative aims to speed up the process of expunging a marijuana conviction from a person’s criminal record, with the ambitious goal of clearing 250,000 marijuana convictions by 2019.

    It’s only right. Nine states and Washington, D.C. have legalized marijuana for adult use, while 29 states and D.C. allow the medical use of marijuana. Marijuana has already yielded a booming multibillion-dollar industry, with no sign of slowing down.

    Yet, a marijuana conviction can still be a barrier to employment, housing and other benefits.

    “In a human way, when you see the problem up close it becomes a moral imperative to solve it,” said Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America.

    In January, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced that his office will be retroactively applying Proposition 64—the law that made cannabis legal in California for adult use—to thousands of misdemeanor and felony convictions dating back to 1975.

    Specifically, the DA’s office said it would review, recall and resentence “up to 4,940 felony marijuana convictions and dismiss and seal 3,038 misdemeanors” which were sentenced prior to cannabis legalization in California.

    The initiative will be helped by the Clear My Record program, a project of Code for America, a non-profit organization that uses technology to tackle local issues by teaming up with state and city governments.

    Clear My Record recognizes that the process of expunging one’s low-level and non-violent marijuana conviction “is a very bad one”—bogged down by paperwork, the cost of hiring legal support, and a whole lot of waiting, according to Pahlka.

    Hoping to facilitate this process, Clear My Record has simplified the application process for people seeking expungement with the help of technology. Its goal is to expand the program and ultimately clear 250,000 marijuana convictions by 2019.

    “That number is an estimate assuming we get a certain number of counties to come onboard showing the same sort of leadership that DA Gascón has shown,” said Pahlka, according to Mashable. “And I would think it’s a high likelihood. It’s ambitious and I’m excited about it. I also don’t want to stop there.”

    The ultimate goal is to right the wrongs of the drug war. “While drug policy on the federal level is going backward, San Francisco is once again taking the lead to undo the damage that this country’s disastrous, failed drug war has had on our nation and on communities of color in particular,” said Gascón in his January statement. “So instead of waiting for the community to take action, we’re taking action for the community.”

    Learn how Clear My Record works.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Deadliest Catch" Star Dies, Drugs Reportedly Found On Scene

    "Deadliest Catch" Star Dies, Drugs Reportedly Found On Scene

    Police discovered a “black substance” and “white crystal substance” near Blake Painter’s body, which they reportedly believe to be heroin and meth.

    Substances that resemble heroin and methamphetamine were found at the scene of Captain Blake Painter’s death in late May. While Painter’s official cause of death is to be determined following a toxicology test and autopsy, the findings, coupled with his drug use history, so far point to a fatal drug overdose. 

    The 38-year-old expert crab fisherman, who appeared on season 2 and part of season 3 of the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch, was discovered in his home in Astoria, Oregon, on May 25. According to police, “It appeared he had been dead for several days.”

    It’s now being reported that police discovered drugs and a “small pipe” around Painter at the time. “Located on the couch were two pill bottles. One pill bottle was labeled Tramadol and contained the same. The other bottle was found to have an assortment of pills inside,” a police report stated. “On the table, I located a straw or pipe, tinfoil with brown residue and a small Altoids container.”

    Police discovered a “black substance” and “white crystal substance” inside the container, which, according to TMZ, they believe to be heroin and methamphetamine.

    There was no evidence of foul play.

    Painter was arrested this past January in Astoria and charged with “driving under the influence of intoxicants, unlawful possession of heroin, tampering with physical evidence and reckless driving,” according to the Daily Astorian. A police officer “allegedly saw Painter smoking the drug while driving” at the time.

    In a 2013 feature “Sharecroppers of the Sea,” Seattle Weekly describes the taxing physicality of being a fisherman. “These days [Painter] wakes up in the morning with his hands clamped closed and pain screaming up to his elbows, an ailment fishermen refer to as ‘the claw.’ He needs surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome, and his shoulders and back have also fared poorly.”

    It’s no secret that drug abuse is rife in the fishing industry, but it’s not just to numb the pain of the physically demanding nature of the job.

    According to the Portland Press Herald, which covered Maine’s lobstering industry over on the East Coast, rather than the need to numb the pain of work injuries, “doctors, counselors and recovering addicts say… [most fishermen who use heroin] try it because it looks fun, because they’re bored and because it’s everywhere.”

    One lobsterman, Tristan Nelson, is recovering from 20 years of heroin use. “I was just one more junkie on a lobster boat, counting down the hours until I could get my cash, until I could score,” he told the Herald. “All those years I didn’t even realize that I had the best job in the world… What a waste.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ariana Grande Opens Up About PTSD, Anxiety

    Ariana Grande Opens Up About PTSD, Anxiety

    The pop singer describes how the suicide bombing that occurred at her Manchester concert in May 2017 affected her.

    In May 2017, Ariana Grande had just finished performing at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England when a suicide bomb attack occurred in the foyer of the arena, taking the lives of 22 people and injuring many more.

    It was an event that she says fueled her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a subject she has a difficult time discussing today.

    As the singer told Vogue, “It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But, yeah, it’s a real thing. I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn’t even be talking about my own experience—like I shouldn’t even say anything.”

    Grande added that looking back on the event, “I don’t think I’ll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”

    Grande told Time, “The processing part” of her grief “is going to take forever.” She was reluctant to talk about the bombing because, “I don’t want to give it that much power.

    “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. 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.”

    Grande admits she’s also been struggling with anxiety before the release of her new album, Sweetener. “I think a lot of people have anxiety, especially right now,” she says. “My anxiety has anxiety…”

    Grande then admitted, “I’ve always had anxiety. I’ve never really spoken about it because I thought everyone had it.” She told Time, “I never opened up about it, because I thought that was how life was supposed to feel,” but she added, “when I got home from tour it was the most severe I think it’s ever been.”

    Like a lot of artists, Grande threw her emotions into her music, saying that after going into therapy, “I felt more inclined to tap into my feelings because I was spending more time with them. I was talking about them more. I was in therapy more… When I started to take care of myself more, then came balance, and freedom, and joy. It poured out into the music.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Cocaine Safety Tips Rolled Out As Part Of NYC Awareness Campaign

    Cocaine Safety Tips Rolled Out As Part Of NYC Awareness Campaign

    Though critics feel the safety tips are promoting drug use, the health department counters, “We can’t connect New Yorkers to treatment if they are dead.”

    New York City is trying to get the word out about cocaine laced with fentanyl with a new harm reduction effort: issuing cocaine safety tips.

    As CBS New York reports, this effort has been spearheaded by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene because in 2016, fentanyl was found in 37% of overdose deaths involving cocaine—an 11% jump from the previous year.

    The Department of Health also told Forbes, “In New York City, someone dies of a drug overdose every seven hours. In 2017, there were 1,441 overdose deaths confirmed to date; opioids were involved in over 80% of those deaths.”

    To help make the public aware, warnings against cocaine that could be laced with fentanyl have been printed up on coasters, and health officials have been handing out them out at bars and nightclubs on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

    The coasters being passed around the city ask in bold pink letters, “Using Cocaine?” and they warn the reader that “fentanyl, a drug stronger than heroin, is being mixed into cocaine and is causing a spike in drug overdose deaths.”

    Several of the safety tips on these coasters include using cocaine with other people so they can help you in case of an overdose. These coasters also recommend you have naloxone (Narcan) at the ready in case you’ve accidentally ingested fentanyl.

    The coasters inform the public where to access naloxone, and they recommend downloading the Stop OD NYC app, which has important information on the dangers of fentanyl. (These coasters also list the helpline 888-NYC-WELL, where you can talk to counselors and link up with a number of resources.)

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told CBS New York, “When the health department tries to figure out a public health campaign, they are very mindful of not wanting to have unintended consequences. But, let’s be blunt, tragically there’s a lot of people using cocaine and thinking it’s safe… Any way to tell people it’s not safe anymore and could be laced with an extraordinarily lethal drug—that’s our obligation to get that information out.”

    Officials from the health department also told the network, “The city is not encouraging drug usage—we are encouraging safety. We can’t connect New Yorkers to treatment if they are dead.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Actor Jackson Odell Found Dead At Sober Living Facility

    Actor Jackson Odell Found Dead At Sober Living Facility

    Odell had appeared on a variety of sitcoms including “The Goldbergs,” “Arrested Development” and “Modern Family.”

    Actor Jackson Odell has been found dead at a sober living facility in Tarzana, California on Friday, June 8.

    Odell was 20 years old at his time of death, the cause of which has yet to be confirmed through an autopsy. E! News reported that the LA County Coroner’s Office stated that no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of his death. Odell’s last drug test had been clean.

    According to TMZ, Odell had been in the sober living facility for three weeks.

    The Los Angeles Times reported that Ed Winter, assistant chief of investigations for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, stated that Odell had a “history with heroin” and that autopsy results would be delayed due to toxicology tests that will be done in order to evaluate if anything was in Odell’s system at the time of his death.

    Odell was an actor and a musician who had portrayed Ari Caldwell on ABC’s The Goldbergs from 2013 to 2015. In addition to other small acting roles on shows such as Modern Family and Arrested Development, he was a singer-songwriter who contributed original songs for the soundtrack of the film Forever My Girl.

    Odell’s family released a statement that focused on the young man’s spirit and place in his family:

    “The Odell family has lost our beloved son and brother, Jackson Odell on Friday,” the statement read. “He will always be a shining light and a brilliant, loving and talented soul.  He had so much more to share. Our family will always carry that truth forward. Our wish is that the rest of the world who knew and loved him does as well.  We are now going to try to make sense of our immeasurable loss privately. We will not be making any further statements.”

    Comedian and songwriter Josh Wolf created songs with Odell, and Wolf’s wife, Bethany, directed the movie Forever My Girl, for which Odell co-wrote the song “Don’t Water Down My Whiskey.”  

    Yahoo News published Josh Wolf’s tribute to Odell:

    “It’s important that people know how ready he was to live. How happy he was to be alive. How much more he had to share with all of us. We are simply crushed. Please go to his site, listen to his music, watch his videos… celebrate his life with us. We love you, Jackson.”

    Modern Family star Ariel Winter shared on Twitter that she had known Odell since they were 12 years old. “We didn’t talk much as we entered into our high school years, but I’m glad I got to spend time with him before his end. Very hard for me to hear about anyone passing away, but someone so young really saddens me.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Olivia Munn Details Depression & Anxiety Struggles, Urges People To Seek Help

    Olivia Munn Details Depression & Anxiety Struggles, Urges People To Seek Help

    Munn got candid about her past struggles with depression and anxiety on Instagram.

    In just one week, the passing of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain has reignited the conversation surrounding depression and suicide. And on Thursday, the CDC reported that from 1999 to 2016, the suicide rate in the U.S. increased in “nearly every state.” Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

    In a recent Instagram post, Olivia Munn shared her own experience with depression and anxiety, hoping to encourage people to shed the shame and seek help.

    “I have lived with anxiety and sporadic bouts of depression for most of my adult life,” wrote the former Daily Show correspondent. “Ten years ago I tackled it, learned to fully understand it and haven’t felt the dark depths of depression in about a decade. But before that, thoughts of suicide crossed my mind more than a few times.”

    Her caption accompanied a list of international suicide hotlines including phone numbers from Argentina, Botswana, and Japan.

    “Please don’t hesitate to call for you or someone you think needs help,” she wrote. “A phone call could change everything.”

    The former TV journalist, actress and model herself has struggled with managing depression and anxiety. According to a WebMD feature from 2015, Munn consulted a doctor and therapist when she began having panic attacks.

    Growing up, depression wasn’t a topic of discussion in her family. Her mother would tell Munn and her siblings to “figure it out,” and they were “never allowed to feel sorry for ourselves.”

    Munn also began seeing a hypnotist to help manage her anxiety and trichotillomania (the “hair-pulling disorder”). Munn began working with a trainer and focusing on exercise, which helped with her anxiety.

    Munn gave insight as someone who contemplated suicide “more than a few times.”

    “For those who don’t understand depression, when someone is in that place it’s not because they want to die, it’s because the ongoing, relentless darkness is too painful to endure anymore,” she wrote in her Instagram post. “You don’t have to suffer from anxiety and depression to feel that low. Something very sad or traumatic can happen to you just once to bring about that feeling of despair.

    “But please listen to me,” she continued, “from someone who is telling you that she’s been where you are, when I say that SUICIDE IS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE.”

    Munn hopes to encourage more people to seek support with her message.

    “With suicide, there’s no do-overs. Please try every single option you can before making a choice that cannot be undone.”

    View the original article at thefix.com