Salon.com > Recovery http://www.salon.com Wed, 22 May 2013 00:22:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Do electronic cigarettes work? http://www.salon.com/2013/05/07/do_electronic_cigarettes_work_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/07/do_electronic_cigarettes_work_partner/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 17:36:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13291809 Scientific American

Everyone knows that cigarettes are bad for you. Yet 45 million Americans smoke, a habit that shaves a decade off life expectancy and causes cancer as well as heart and lung diseases. Nearly 70 percent of smokers want to quit, but despite the deadly consequences, the vast majority of them fail.

Going cold turkey works for fewer than 10 percent of smokers. Even with counseling and the use of aids approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, such as the nicotine patch and non-nicotine medicines, 75 percent of smokers light up again within a year. “We need better treatments because the current ones just aren’t working all that well,” says Jed Rose, director of the Duke Center for Smoking Cessation.

To create treatments that are more up to snuff, researchers are tinkering with combinations of existing drugs, looking at the role genetics plays in who gets hooked and turning to social media as a counseling platform. What’s more, a new smoking cessation medicine could be approved this year: electronic cigarettes, which have existed for a decade but only recently become the focus of efficacy trials.

The grip of addiction

Smoking at once relaxes and stimulates the body. Seconds after inhalation nicotine reaches the brain and binds to receptor molecules on nerve cells, triggering the cells to release a flood of dopamine and other neurotransmitters that washes over pleasure centers. A few more puffs increase heart rate, raising alertness. The effect does not last long, however, spurring smokers to light up again. Over time the number of nicotinic receptors increases—and the need to smoke again to reduce withdrawal symptoms such as irritability. On top of that, smoking becomes linked with everyday behavior or moods: drinking coffee or a bout of boredom, for instance, might also trigger the desire to reach for a cigarette—all making it difficult to kick the habit.

Smoking treatments help users gradually wean themselves off cigarettes or put an end to their cravings—most commonly via delivery of nicotine in patches or chewing gum. In addition, two non-nicotine drugs are available: a sustained-release form of the antidepressant bupropion reduces cravings; varenicline blocks nicotine receptors in the brain, reducing the flood of dopamine.

New research is teasing out why the seven FDA-approved medications have seen only limited success. For instance, researchers recently showed that some people are genetically predisposed to have difficulty quitting: Particular variations in a cluster of nicotinic receptor genes (CHRNA5–CHRNA3–CHRNB4) contribute to nicotine dependence and a pattern of heavy smoking. Moreover, a study of more than 1,000 smokers reported in a 2012 The American Journal of Psychiatry paper found that people with the risk genes don’t quit easily on their own whereas those lacking the risk genes are more likely to kick the habit without medications.

New research also suggests that the sexes respond differently to the drugs. Rose and colleagues have found that giving a combination of bupropion and varenicline to people who have worn a nicotine patch for a week raised the quit rate of patch users to 50.9 percent up from 19.6 percent—but only in men. “We don’t know why the effect seemed entirely confined to male smokers,” Rose says. “Bit by bit we’re starting to learn how to tailor treatment to sex, early response to nicotine patches, and genomic markers.”

New treatment hope

A reason for the limited success of nicotine treatments may be that they do not address a crucial aspect of cigarette use: the cues that prompt smoking. Electronic cigarettes have as a result become a popular alternative to lighting up for those seeking to quit. E-cig users inhale doses of vaporized nicotine from battery-powered devices that look like cigarettes. Carcinogen levels in e-cig vapor are about one thousandth that of cigarette smoke, according to a 2010 study in the Journal of Public Health Policy.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that the devices, on the market for about a decade, help smokers quit. Yet there’s little hard science to back up the claim, and the gadgets are not regulated as medicines. (In 2010 a court overturned the FDA’s effort to treat e-cigs as “drug delivery devices.”) “We just don’t know if they are as good as existing nicotine-replacement therapies,” says David Abrams, executive director of the nonprofit Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies and former director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health.

That’s about to change. Two e-cig trials will report results this year. The first is a study of 300 smokers in Italy. It is a follow-up to a similar study in which 22 of 40 hard-core smokers had after six months either quit or cut cigarette consumption by more than half. Nine gave up cigarettes entirely, although six continued using e-cigs. The findings of the larger study, which is to be published this month in PLoS One, are “in line with those reported in our small pilot study,” says lead researcher Riccardo Polosa of the University of Catania in Italy.

Interestingly, he adds, a control group of smokers who used an e-cig without nicotine also showed a significant drop in tobacco cigarette consumption—although not as great as those using the nicotine e-cig. This decline, he says, “suggests that the dependence on the cigarette is not only a matter of nicotine but also of other factors involved,” like the need to relieve stress or activities that trigger smokers to reach for a cigarette.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/07/do_electronic_cigarettes_work_partner/feed/ 10 Am I a TV writer yet? http://www.salon.com/2013/05/03/am_i_a_tv_writer_yet/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/03/am_i_a_tv_writer_yet/#comments Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287704 Dear Cary,

I'm a month into my 30s, an age I always looked forward to because by then I should have my life together, know what I want, know my purpose, and know who I am.

As is the irony of life, my life is in shambles, I am unemployed (for almost a year!) and in debt. I want to be a paid television writer. I think writing is part of my life's purpose, but I haven't had any success due to a series of compulsively squandered job opportunities and years hiding in the petrifying fear of showing up to my career -- all of which I blamed on my youth. I am still, at the age of 30, on the square before square one while many of my peers have passed me by and are writing on successful shows.

Even though I was wrong about most of what achieving 30 would mean, I, with the help of five years in a 12-step program, thought I knew who I was, or at least what I was not. I recently discovered I qualified for three additional programs in addition to my first. So, instead of victorious self-awareness, I've had a whole new surprising part of me exposed, a part that was a total mystery, one of which is my debtor behavior.  

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/03/am_i_a_tv_writer_yet/feed/ 21 Stop dogging Michael Vick! http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/michael_vick_calls_off_his_book_tour/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/michael_vick_calls_off_his_book_tour/#comments Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:11:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13226988 Delete it from your iCal: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and convicted former animal abuser Michael Vick will not be appearing in a bookstore near you any time soon. His publisher announced this week he has withdrawn from a scheduled book tour due to "credible threats."  Nice grasp of how it works, bullies. Because nothing says I am a compassionate humanitarian who's on the higher moral ground than anybody else like throwing around a few threats of violence.

Vick, who served over a year and a half in prison after pleading guilty in 2007 to felony charges regarding a dogfighting ring, has spent the past six years trying to prove he's a changed man. Since serving his sentence, he's not just gone back to his football career; he's become a volunteer for the Humane Society, speaking out in schools and public events about animal abuse and dogfighting. Last year, his foundation gave $200,000 to renovate a rundown local Philadelphia football field. He even became a dog owner, and when the news of his family's new addition emerged, he announced, "I want to ensure that my children establish a loving bond and treat all of God’s creatures with kindness and respect. Our pet is well cared for and loved as a member of our family. To that end, I will continue to honor my commitment to animal welfare and be an instrument of positive change." And now, he's written a memoir for a Christian book publisher with the hopeful title, "Finally Free" – a tale his publicity materials describe as the story of "how a broken man sought and received forgiveness for his wrongs."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/michael_vick_calls_off_his_book_tour/feed/ 44 Addiction’s shrinking gender gap http://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/addictions_shrinking_gender_gap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/addictions_shrinking_gender_gap/#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13225789 the fix
 The worse women have it, the better off they are. This is the lesson we might draw from looking at one (and only one) global trend: addiction. Worldwide, women have always had lower rates of drug and alcohol use and dependence than men. Butas women’s access to opportunities grows along with a nation’s affluence, this gender gap begins to close. In fact, just as women often outstrip men in the classroom and office if given the chance, they have already forged ahead in the abuse of certain substances. It may not be the most celebratory way to mark International Women's Day (March 8), but the fact is, equal rights have their penalties.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/addictions_shrinking_gender_gap/feed/ 2 Jake “The Snake” Roberts: “I started drinking when I was 11″ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/jake_the_snake_roberts_i_started_drinking_when_i_was_11_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/jake_the_snake_roberts_i_started_drinking_when_i_was_11_partner/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:04:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13218550 the fix When it comes to the giants of pro wrestling, Jake “The Snake” Roberts (real name Aurelian Smith, Jr.) is right up there. From 1986-1992, Roberts wrestled in stadiums throughout the world with the WWE, winning immense popularity for his intense character, his in-ring psychology and his ever-present pet python.

But all the while, this dark public persona was being outmatched by his true-life troubles outside of the ring. Roberts frequently used drugs and drank heavily throughout his wrestling career, which ultimately led to him being fired from the WWE during a 1997 comeback attempt. A highly unflattering portrayal followed in the 1999 wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat, in which he was reported to have smoked crack in a hotel room after a reunion with his estranged daughter. As he began wrestling on the independent circuit—the equivalent of baseball's minor leagues—his behavior became increasingly erratic, including instances of drunken breakdowns in the ring and exposing himself to the crowd.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/jake_the_snake_roberts_i_started_drinking_when_i_was_11_partner/feed/ 2 Is Dr. Drew too dangerous for prime time? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/is_dr_drew_too_dangerous_for_prime_time/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/is_dr_drew_too_dangerous_for_prime_time/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:40:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13211659 With the news last week of country star Mindy McCready’s suicide by gun, the death toll among Dr. Drew’s "Celebrity Rehab" patients now stands at five, giving the show an unusually high mortality rate of nearly 13 percent. But what’s even more disturbing is that most of those deaths — possibly even McCready’s — might have been prevented if the program had utilized treatment practices proven to be most effective.

the fix

Although Dr. Drew appears to truly believe in what he does, addiction experts say that the treatment philosophy and policies demonstrated in his show and public statements often do not reflect the best evidence-based practices. His rejection of maintenance treatments, use of punitive detox practices and humiliating therapy, and insistence that people cannot truly recover without complete abstinence through 12-step programs reflect the conventional wisdom of the 1980s, not the data of the 21st century. Indeed, "Celebrity Rehab’s" treatment — leaving aside the massive confidentiality violation of being televised — diverges dramatically from the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Principles of Drug Treatment, a guide that lays out standards for the best addiction care.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/is_dr_drew_too_dangerous_for_prime_time/feed/ 21 The housing “recovery” is a myth http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/the_housing_recovery_is_a_myth_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/the_housing_recovery_is_a_myth_partner/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:40:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13193555 AlterNet

Every day, it seems a new report comes out praising the ongoing housing recovery. In Georgia, home prices are up 5 percent over last year, a year in which we also had one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. Seems a little odd, doesn’t it? Don't foreclosures usually drive down the market?

That’s because the housing “recovery,” as they’re calling it, is fueled almost entirely by Wall Street private equity firms, hedge funds and the Fed's unwavering support. After creating a massive bubble in home prices that eventually burst and caused our economy to go into a tailspin, these guys have decided to come back for more, and figured out a way to profit off their destruction -- by turning foreclosed homes into rentals and securitizing the rental income.

Many are claiming this is the “private-sector solution” for the recovery we need to get the economy going again. The argument goes that investors snapping up these homes and fixing them up does more for the community than letting the houses just sit there, blighting the neighborhoods and lowering values.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/the_housing_recovery_is_a_myth_partner/feed/ 8 Robin Roberts to return to “Good Morning America” on Feb. 20 http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/robin_roberts_to_return_to_good_morning_america_on_feb_20/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/robin_roberts_to_return_to_good_morning_america_on_feb_20/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:50:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13193414 NEW YORK (AP) -- ABC News says Robin Roberts will be back on the job at the "Good Morning America" anchor desk on Feb. 20. Her return will be five months to the day since her bone marrow transplant to treat a rare blood disorder.

Roberts has gotten the all-clear from her doctors, according to the announcement made Thursday on "GMA." She reached the critical 100-day benchmark in December.

In January, she began a series of dry runs at the "GMA" studio to re-acclimate herself to the work routine.

Her last day on "GMA" was Aug. 30 before she started her medical leave.

About a year ago, Roberts began feeling the symptoms of her illness, known as MDS.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/07/robin_roberts_to_return_to_good_morning_america_on_feb_20/feed/ 1 Can magic mushrooms help cancer patients? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/04/can_magic_mushrooms_help_cancer_patients_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/04/can_magic_mushrooms_help_cancer_patients_partner/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:21:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13190728 the fix
 Psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in “magic” mushrooms, may have the power to help cancer patients deal with the psychological suffering associated with cancer, claims new research from the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD). Previous studies have suggested that psilocybin may help ease depression and increase "openness." And according to Anthony Bossis, PhD, a clinical assistant professor at NYUCD and Langone Medical Center, it may also relieve cancer patients of some of the "existential distress" that can accompany a life-threatening diagnosis. "The emotional, spiritual and existential distress that can often accompany a diagnosis of cancer often goes unidentified and untreated," says Bossis. He notes that cancer sufferers often experience side effects from the physical pain of illness and chemotherapy—such as anxiety, depression, anger, denial, social isolation, hopelessness, and loss of independence—which the hallucinogenic drug could help alleviate.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/04/can_magic_mushrooms_help_cancer_patients_partner/feed/ 6 Do electronic cigarettes really work? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/do_electronic_cigarettes_really_work/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/do_electronic_cigarettes_really_work/#comments Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13173599 the fix Smoking without the health risks may sound like a pipe dream for many smokers; but this is just what makers of electronic cigarettes (or "e-cigs") promise their consumers. E-cigarettes are battery-operated products, often resembling cigarettes, that turn nicotine and/or other chemicals into a vapor that users inhale. Companies like LOGIC E-Cigarettes use aggressive marketing tactics, like street campaigns and taxi cab ads, to push their products as an easy, safe alternative to smoking. Although these companies are profit-driven, they also claim to have the public's interest at heart. “This is the 21st century. The public deserves an alternative to smoking,” Eli Alelov, CEO of LOGIC, tells The Fix. Alelov says that his products emulate the experience of smoking a cigarette—the motion of smoking, the oral fixation and the inhaling—but without tobacco, tar or “4,000 other chemicals in cigarettes.” A nicotine addict himself, he lost his father to lung cancer at the age of eight; he believes e-cigarettes are a way to “save hundreds of thousands of lives every year.” Alelov is urging the US government to back e-cigarettes as an alternative to "poisonous" tobacco, "which the American government now benefits from tax-wise."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/do_electronic_cigarettes_really_work/feed/ 21 Is John Boehner hitting the bottle? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/is_john_boehner_hitting_the_bottle/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/is_john_boehner_hitting_the_bottle/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:36:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13170822 the fix Five days before Christmas, House Speaker John Boehner stood before the Republican-controlled Congress—his Plan B alternative for avoiding the fiscal cliff defeated by lack of votes from his own party, a public humiliation and repudiation of the Speaker’s authority, rare in House history. Choking back tears, Boehner faced his colleagues and surrendered himself to a Higher Authority: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference,” Boehner intoned.

The Serenity Prayer was an odd choice for a guy whose drinking had drawn years of public and private scrutiny (there’s even a blog called DrunkBoehner dedicated to chronicling his meltdowns).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/is_john_boehner_hitting_the_bottle/feed/ 27 My friend is out of control http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/my_friend_is_out_of_control/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/my_friend_is_out_of_control/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13165516 Dear Cary,

I'm a graduate student in my mid-20s and my best friend is someone whom I have known since kindergarten and we've been friends since we were 10. My best friend is someone whom I love dearly. I want more than anything for her to be happy, but she's been kind of a mess for a while now and it's starting to affect our friendship. For the past four or five years she's never been single for more than a couple of weeks and has dated a series of men who in a variety of ways have all treated her extremely poorly. I'm not a fool and I realize these poor choices in men stem from her lack of self-worth. I've tried to be there for her as best as I can even though I've always hated these guys, and I've always told her that while I might not approve of her dating choices, I love her no matter what, and I can't judge her decisions to do what she feels she needs to do.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/14/my_friend_is_out_of_control/feed/ 22 My own sober miracle http://www.salon.com/2013/01/12/my_own_sober_miracle/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/12/my_own_sober_miracle/#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13169051 the fix I’m not sure how many times I’ve heard some asshole at an AA meeting telling some poor newcomer, "Hey, don't quit before the miracle happens." It’s one of the many seemingly meaningless platitudes repeated over and over again in 12-Step rooms.

It wasn’t a saying I’ve really thought all that much about, and when I did, I’d just think it sounded dumb. Still, at the same time, I guess I was sort of waiting around for some kind of miracle to happen. Not that I believe in God. But I figured if I worked hard enough, eventually something would come along. It's human nature.

And then, not that long ago, I guess it did come along.

But the truth is that there have been a lot of miracles in my life since getting sober. There are the two books I’ve written and the novel I just sold. There is the fact that I re-met my future wife after not having seen her for 15 years, though we were best friends throughout middle school and I was in love with her the whole time. There is the miracle of how much I’ve come to love my life now, after having been so fucking deeply unhappy for so very long. There is the miracle of my relationship with my family and my friends and two dogs and one cat.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/12/my_own_sober_miracle/feed/ 5 Former drunks make unstoppable runners http://www.salon.com/2013/01/06/former_drunks_make_unstoppable_runners/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/06/former_drunks_make_unstoppable_runners/#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13162760 the fixMany drunks won’t be swayed by the symbolism of a turned calendar page. But each year, plenty of chronic drinkers and struggling alcoholics figure that January is a chance for a fresh start. To them, I say run. You’re already pre-programmed to chew up the pavement—even tackle a marathon. In fact, you’ve spent a good chunk of your bleary-eyed, morally dubious days and nights developing the perfect toolbox: single-minded focus; endurance; tolerance for mental and physical distress; prowess at spending time alone; aptitude at navigating embarrassment. You can use these tools to build a new house, rather than deepening the ditch. So for the newly sober, instead of fretting about how far you have to go, here are eight reasons why you should think, “look how far I've already come.”

1. Stamina

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/06/former_drunks_make_unstoppable_runners/feed/ 20 The lie detector test that saved my marriage http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/the_lie_detector_test_that_saved_my_marriage/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/the_lie_detector_test_that_saved_my_marriage/#comments Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:01:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13159863 the fix Men and women in Sexaholics Anonymous and Sex Addicts Anonymous initially come in not remotely sure how to recover. First we deal with the problems that brought us to the meetings—our compulsive, dangerous and often illegal behavior. In SAA, we develop “circles” that define the kind of behaviors that mark us as sex addicts. The “Inner Circle” represents the behaviors we'll never do again—like the drink for the alcoholic, the fix for the drug addict. If we slip, we start counting our time again. In SA, things are defined differently— it's more of a "slippery slope" mentality. Don't do anything that lights the fuse. Don't even masturbate. I've known guys who won't look at a provocative roadside billboard, guys who avert their eyes when they see a panty hose ad in The Financial Times.

Many of these men and women are in marriages or long-term relationships. Their lives are dysfunctional and they know it. They'll expect to spend months, if not years, in 12-step meetings, individual therapy and marriage counseling in hopes of saving their relationships. If they're lucky, they have understanding partners who can see beyond the addiction.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/the_lie_detector_test_that_saved_my_marriage/feed/ 10 Nobody likes a quitter http://www.salon.com/2012/12/30/nobody_likes_a_quitter/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/30/nobody_likes_a_quitter/#comments Sun, 30 Dec 2012 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13157191 the fix I’m 55 days off of smoking cigarettes.

Quitting is an incredibly difficult feat; urban legend tells us that it takes most people an average of seven attempts to quit successfully. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried. Though you’d think that triumphing over alcohol and bulimia would render nicotine an easy feat, it’s been anything but. In theory, it’s odd that I ever took up smoking in the first place. I’m incredibly vain and I’ve always been active. One of my first memories is comprised of rummaging through my mom’s glove box to find a cherry-red pack of Marlboro reds and subsequently tossing them out the window of the moving car while smiling devilishly at her. Needless to say, she was furious with me, and I was crushed that she didn’t find my antics charming. Several years of a pack-a-day habit later, I understand completely.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/30/nobody_likes_a_quitter/feed/ 10 The year in synthetic drugs http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/the_year_in_synthetic_drugs/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/the_year_in_synthetic_drugs/#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2012 17:48:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13154954 the fix This is the year of the knockoff. A witch’s brew of new synthetic drugs, most of them stimulants, peddled as either bath salts or “spice” concoctions, has offered users new forms of Russian Roulette, and has irrevocably changed the face of international drug dealing. 2012 was also the year hysteria took over. Myths began to accumulate, and everywhere you looked, somebody was supposedly doing something psychotic due to the new synthetics. Who can forget Rudy Eugene, Florida’s Causeway Cannibal, the bizarre face-eating man on bath salts? The attack left law enforcement officials wondering how a drug could drive Eugene to strip off his clothes, attack a homeless man, and chew pieces of flesh from the man’s face.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/the_year_in_synthetic_drugs/feed/ 5 My twisted rehab sex life http://www.salon.com/2012/12/20/my_twisted_rehab_sex_life/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/20/my_twisted_rehab_sex_life/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2012 23:41:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13151525 the fix
 Alicia was a blonde bombshell with all the right curves and thick, lush lips. Angelina Jolie lips. One look and I had to have her. At any cost. She was the answer to all my problems. No one could convince me otherwise—not my counselor, my parents, my lawyer, my prescribing doctor.

We were residents at a strict segregated rehab in Southern California, and communication between opposite sexes was extremely limited. This made the task of seducing Alicia all the more daunting, more exciting and more intense. I was a serious drug abuser: I’d do anything for intensity.

I started by violating the “sprinkler rule,” a strictly enforced regulation that forbids men and women from holding eye contact for more than three seconds—or around the time it takes for a lawn sprinkler to pass by a patch of grass. I ignored this rule. In fact, for a few days I sat in the lounge gazing intently at Alicia until she noticed. Somehow, she received my message without being creeped out—at least not entirely. But how could I be sure? We had never spoken a word.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/20/my_twisted_rehab_sex_life/feed/ 3 Cop posts his “drunk” joyride on Facebook http://www.salon.com/2012/12/13/cop_posts_his_drunk_joyride_on_facebook/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/13/cop_posts_his_drunk_joyride_on_facebook/#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:47:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13124402 the fix In an incriminating video posted publicly on his Facebook page, a San Francisco cop boasted of drinking and driving at 100 mph in a car filled well beyond capacity. On September 9th, Sgt. Carl T posted the video of himself (and nine others, according to the tags) rocketing down a tunnel in a Lamborghini, with the caption: “It's roomier than you think. Plus we were all drunk.” The video earned 31 Facebook "likes" and a number of comments from friends and fellow SFPD officers, including one who wrote: “Only 100?” Another comment, from fellow officer Ben Mcalister, says: “Used to do it regularly on the solos going home off the 1900-0300 watch." Since surfacing in the news yesterday, the video has since been taken down, and Carl T. (who changed his name legally from Tannenbaum to fit better on his badge) has disabled his Facebook account. He has since backpedaled from the claims in the initial posting, telling San Francisco Weekly that there were actually only three people in the car, and he wasn't driving or filming. He also claims the 100 mph was an exaggeration, and the drunkenness was a joke. "There was no drunkenness," he says. "I've done some crazy stuff, but I'm not that stupid."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/13/cop_posts_his_drunk_joyride_on_facebook/feed/ 3 8 reasons addiction carries a stigma http://www.salon.com/2012/12/09/8_reasons_addiction_carries_a_stigma/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/09/8_reasons_addiction_carries_a_stigma/#comments Sun, 09 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13119323 the fix The American Society of Addiction Medicine characterizes addiction as a “primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry.” The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as a ‘chronic, relapsing brain disease” that changes the structure and functionality of the brain. So why do so many people still think of addiction as a moral failing? Why do they still refer to victims of substance misuse disorders as meth freaks, alcoholics, junkies, crackheads and garden-variety drunks?

The answer is simple as it is depressing: because that’s the way it’s always been. Addicts are scorned by communities and celebrities with addictions are exploited or hounded by paparazzi. And while the government purports to view addiction as a disease, it often works in opposition to that position through the “War on Drugs,” which counts most drug users as criminals. Even those of us in the treatment community still—consciously or unconsciously—employ stigmatizing programming and language—such as when we focus on “dirty” urine.

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