Substance Abuse Can Cause Progressive and Permanent Disease of the Metabolism

Research on opioid abuse and use, has shown that use, especially addiction to opioids, causes metabolic malregulation.  This also goes for many illicit drugs.  But we don’t often talk about that part of addiction because perhaps it’s not medically or legally as “popular” as other serious consequences.

This is however, without a doubt yet another serious consequence that should be brought to the forefront of the discussion on drug use and abuse as well as prevention.  Experts have known for years that drug and alcohol use and abuse, over time or even short term in some cases, causes progressive and permanent disease of the metabolism.  Why don’t we hear more about it?  


I recently stumbled upon a FOX news article where Elvis Presley’s former doctor spoke about his beliefs on how Elvis died and I felt it was important to talk about it.  Keeping in mind that Elvis had 10 drugs in his system at the time of his death, his doctor of 12 years expressed his opinion on how he believed Elvis died.

Dr. George Nichopolous cited autopsy results of Elvis to show he had an extremely abnormal colon and with this, unimaginable and most certainly painful digestive problems, resulting in chronic constipation.  The article described shocking autopsy findings citing “Presley’s colon was 5 to 6 inches in diameter (whereas the normal width is 2 to 3 inches) and instead of being the standard 4 to 5 feet long, his colon was 8 to 9 feet in length.”  Further stating “in the autopsy we found stool in his colon which had been there for four or five months because of the poor motility of the bowel.” 

  

The question is, how did Elvis’ colon it get like that?  Was he born this way and if he was, did the opioids and uppers he frequently took, prescribed by his doctor, slow his metabolism so much that it killed him?  How can we know for sure? 

What we do know form these findings are that if a person who is born with an abnormal colon or if they have a history of bowl paralysis in his or her family, they should be extremely cautious when taking doctor 

prescribed medications.

Morphine: Treatment for Addiction at Birth?

Babies born addicted receive morphine for drug withdrawals.  Morphine, a drug that has withdrawals symptoms which are some of the worst of all opioids.

Recommended Reading: Addiction: A Family Affiar

There are a lot of great books out there that do a good job with explaining the scientific aspects of what happens when we become addicted.  In Dr. Teitelbaum’s new book “Addiction: A Family Affair” this is also true.  But one thing I have found in this book is that Dr. Teitelbaum has a gift to put extremely complicated scientific arguments into simple terms we can all understand and that he believes family should be involved in a person’s recovery early on.  That is why I think his book belongs on every family’s bookshelf.  

By the time we become addicts and we have done our wreckage, our family either wants nothing more to do with us, helplessly worries, watches and wonders when we’ll die, or they do the wreckage with us.  Either way, addiction affects the behavior and dysfunctional emotional responses of the entire family, not just the addict.   When we go into recovery and gain some time and our family is not there to experience the real life changes we have made, they will always view and remember us by our behavior, in our addiction.  This is unfortunate and it prevents the family to have the love and union they once knew.

This is an amazing read that covers many subjects and the effects of many different drug abuses.  Truly, treasure and a must read.

Find it on Amazon

On Being a Model: The Swimsuit or Lingerie Shot Can Get You In Trouble

See this picture?   Yeah, that’s me, almost 20 years ago.  

The swimsuit or lingerie look is usually part of a model's portfolio and models are proud of this look.  But models need to watch out.  While a golden tan, great hair and a rockin’ body is what many models work hard at to accomplish, chances of getting a swimsuit or lingerie modeling gig out of it, that launches your career are pretty slim.  That is unless you’re like  Kim Kardashian and have a “Momenger” who looks out for you, or you’ve been booked a Victoria’s Secret model.


When you show people your portfolio who are not real agents, that know what they are doing, they might see a swimsuit or a lingerie shot as something models might not want them to see.  Also, if a model does not have a good manager, agent and maybe even a lawyer and people know this, you might end up at a sleazy photographer’s house or God forbid some place worse, like I did.  Unfortunately, some models do end up in these sleazy places, where they learn drug abuse and bad behavior and get taken advantage of, instead of keeping the focus on how to become a successful model.  One piece of advice here would be:  Don't hang out with models who end up in these situations, cause chances are they could get you in trouble just by hanging out with the wrong people.  

Sleazy people are easier to find while trying to find work than those who are for real.  They prey on you when you least expect it and some of these people have agencies that hardly ever book a legitimate assignment or just want to show you off in their catalogue.  Make sure that you always have somebody who cares about you watching your back and if you have pictures like this in your book, don’t make them a priority.  Put them at the end of your portfolio pages.  Not the last photo, but close to the last one.  You always want people to see your commercial looks, your close-ups and most importantly, your fashion looks. 

Agents want to see that you have a good body and that you have allure.  But always remember to study what is most important in mainstream fashion.  

(the fur in this picture in not real.)

For more images from my portfolio click here

Rosie O'Donnell: Let Lindsay do her Job!

 Staying busy with work is one of the best things for recovery.  But Rosie O’Donnell doesn’t seem to understand that part.  Her opinion of Lindsay Lohan is a good example of what is wrong in how we view recovery.  In this interview, Rosie O’Donnell acts like the tosspot that’s calling the kettle black.  If I had one thing to say to Rosie, it would be that she should learn to be kinder and more tolerant to those who are fighting for their life while trying to find long-term recovery.

And so, the question is, should Lindsay be taking on the role of Elisabeth Taylor?  How should we view the answer to this question?  Of all the Hollywood biographies I have read, and I have read many, the most books I have read on the life of a celebrity are those of Elisabeth Taylor. 

The late Ms. Taylor, who suffered from chronic alcoholism, had an extremely turbulent life and was extremely hard on herself.  She had a moral standard that was unique in that she would not allow herself to fall in love with a man, unless she was married to him.  As has been well documented, Elisabeth Taylor has, by her standards, fallen in love many times and therefore has married and divorced seven times. 

Taylor struggled with alcoholism and had a cycle of co-alcoholism she could not shake.  Elisabeth Taylor’s life is an example of what alcoholics call living life through “a geographic cure.”  Meaning, alcoholics think in ways of changing his or her environment rather than themselves, a dangerous system of denial.

Surely, at fist blush, Elisabeth Taylor’s story is one better suited for a more seasoned and mature actor, though we should give Lindsay Lohan the benefit of the doubt.  Every one has to move on at some time or another in their life.  The same goes for Lindsay and as far as alcoholism goes, Lindsay knows this problem well, as she struggled with alcoholism since she was a teenager. 

Rosie O’Donnell, should be more supportive of Lindsay who has had a very tough time lately and is trying to overcome serious obstacles.  Lindsay is young and ambitious and is not out to criticize anyone.  Let’s give her a chance. 

Wall Street Journal: "Rethinking the Drug War"

Painter Thomas Kinkade Death at 54; Suspected Alcoholism Relapse

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Whitney Houston Final Autopsy: The Horror of Addiction

"(NewsCore) - Whitney Houston's body was ravaged by scars, cuts and burns when she died, autopsy details showed.

She also had a needle mark on one arm and was high on a cocktail of nine drugs when she died in a hotel bath in Los Angeles on Feb. 11, 2012.

Years of drug and alcohol abuse had left the "Bodyguard" star with a damaged heart and liver, a hole in her nose and 11 front teeth missing.

Sources said the temperature could have been as high as 150F (66C) when she got into the tub. Evidence from police and medical teams showed swaths of skin was burned from Houston's back after she got into the scalding water. It also resulted in "skin slippage" on her legs. Six hours after her death, the water was still 91F (33C) and medical sources said she may have been so high she did not notice how hot her bath was.

Traces of cocaine, cannabis, anxiety pill Xanax, muscle relaxant Flexeril, allergy medicine Benadryl and painkiller Ibuprofen were found in her body.

Houston's lifestyle also had weakened her heart so badly that one of her coronary arteries had narrowed by 60 percent. She had marks on her stomach, chest and upper left thigh believed to be from cosmetic procedures. A scar on her left forearm may also have been self-inflicted. The 48-year-old was also scarred by decades of cosmetic surgery, alcohol-fueled fights and falls.

The official cause of death was accidental drowning with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors."

Read more: MyFoxLA

George F. Will: Legalized Drugs would Solve one Problem, Create Many More

Today, the National Post published an article well worth reading. George F. Will's argument against illicit drug legalization sheds light on subjects seldom highlighted in the debate on what would actually happen if illicit drugs were legalized. Something I for one am wholeheartedly against, as this would make the problem of addiction far worse.

"WASHINGTON — The human nervous system interacts in pleasing and addictive ways with certain molecules derived from some plants, which is why humans may have developed beer before they developed bread. Psychoactive — consciousness-altering — and addictive drugs are natural, a fact that should immunize policymakers against extravagant hopes as they cope with America’s drug problem, which is convulsing some nations to our south.

The costs — human, financial and social — of combating (most) drugs are prompting calls for decriminalization or legalization. America should, however, learn from the psychoactive drug used by a majority of American adults — alcohol.

Mark Kleiman of UCLA, a policy analyst, was recently discussing drug policy with someone who said he had no experience with illegal drugs, not even marijuana, because he is of “the gin generation.” Ah, said Kleiman, gin: “A much more dangerous drug.” Twenty percent of all American prisoners — 500,000 people — are incarcerated for dealing illegal drugs, but alcohol causes as much as half of America’s criminal violence and vehicular fatalities.

Drinking alcohol had been a widely exercised private right for millennia when America tried to prohibit it. As a public health measure, Prohibition “worked”: Alcohol-related illnesses declined dramatically. As the monetary cost of drinking tripled, deaths from cirrhosis of the liver declined by a third. This improvement was, however, paid for in the coin of rampant criminality and disrespect for law.

Prohibition resembled what is today called decriminalization: It did not make drinking illegal; it criminalized the making, importing, transporting or selling of alcohol. Drinking remained legal, so oceans of it were made, imported, transported and sold.

Another legal drug, nicotine, kills more people than do alcohol and all illegal drugs — combined. For decades, government has aggressively publicized the health risks of smoking and made it unfashionable, stigmatized, expensive and inconvenient. Yet 20 percent of every rising American generation becomes addicted to nicotine.

So, suppose cocaine or heroin were legalized and marketed as cigarettes and alcohol are. And suppose the level of addiction were to replicate the 7 percent of adults suffering from alcohol abuse or dependency. That would be a public health disaster. As the late James Q. Wilson said, nicotine shortens life, cocaine debases it...."

Please visit The National Post for the complete article

Remembering Mike Starr

Mike Starr would have been 45 years old today. Mike, who was a member of the band Alice in Chains, lost his life to addiction. He relapsed and died from a lethal combination of methadone and anti-anxiety medication.

Remembering Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger would have been 32 years old today. He died in 2008 from an early, accidental death due to a lethal combination of prescription drugs.

Shifty Shellshock Out Of Coma

Glad to hear the report that Shifty Shellshock is out of his coma. Wishing him a healthy continued recovery along with love, support and patience from all.

Parents Lock Your Medicine Cabinet

When I was a kid, my parents probably never suspected that I would reach for the medicine cabinet to eat the Children’s Coricidin, candy flavored chewable cold medication, because it tasted good to me. I really had no idea that I was getting high or that I was reaching for drugs. But eating Coricidin cold meds became a regular habit for me when I was a child and no one ever questioned it.

Corecidin children’s cough and cold medication is widely abused by kids today and when I think back at how people assessed me when I was a kid, during the time I was unknowingly abusing Coricidin, the pieces of the puzzle on how I later became a hard core addict begin to show.

Back then, my parents and teachers often wondered what was wrong with me, because it seemed like I was totally absent minded at times and appeared to be oblivious to my surroundings, like I was living in a dream. Yet no one ever factored in drug abuse and in my mind, what I was doing should have had no affect on any part of my life. It didn't occur to me that there was a connection that needed to be made. I thought I was just eating candy and that all the criticism I got was mean.

The reality however is, that I knew that I could find the Children’s Coricidin in my parents medicine cabinet. I also remember wondering if any of the other drugs in the cabinet tasted like candy and I also remember tasting aspirin, which I didn’t like. Had my parents locked their medicine cabinet, or had they known to do so, perhaps things would have been better for everyone.

Shifty Shellshock: Angel on my Watch List

How can so much talent end up like this? Sadly, we know the answer. Tonight, Shifty Shellshock, who has been struggling with sobriety for some time, is holding on for dear life as he lays in a coma, unresponsive in a hospital bed.

Drugs take away all the light we have inside and though we don't know why Shifty is in a coma, we know from watching him on Celebrity Rehab, that Shifty's fight with drug abuse is quite serious. Prayers for Shifty. May angels watch him through the night and wake him with the morning light.

Oaksterdam University: Raid by Feds, No Surprise

Today’s raid of Oaksterdam University and museum by federal agents, the U.S. Marshall and the Drug Enforcement Administration should come as no surprise to anyone. In fact, many have known, it’s been a long time coming, because under Federal law, possession, cultivation and sale of marijuana is illegal.
Richard Lee, founder of Okasterdam and financier for a large part of California Proposition 19, has been pushing a duplicitous drug legalization agenda and it’s about time someone held him accountable.
First, he made the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes, under the guise of Proposition 215, into populist movement of provocateurs, who for the most part could care less how marijuana legalization efforts affect our society. Then, Lee bankrolled the failed ballot measure Proposition 19, which asked voters to legalize pot for recreational use, in violation of federal law.
It doesn’t take an expert on drug policy to recognize, that what people call medical marijuana today, is not really a product mostly sold to those who have “medical necessity.” Instead, those who want to get high are hiding behind the sick, so they can raid the “medicine cabinet”, pretending they are patients, when in fact they have no serious medical necessity at all. I know it, they know it, we all know it; today’s medical marijuana is a sham and we would be better off isolating the truly ill, of which according to statistics there are few, and abandon the idea of “medical marijuana” once and for all.

When Elvis Died, No One Dared to Factor in Drug Use

While this ABC News report says Elivs died from a suspected drug overdose, after his death, no one kept it in the news until decades later.  The Memphis Mafia, Elvis most trusted friends, finally penned a book where they gave insight on what really happened around Elvis and how badly he was addicted to prescription drugs.  In a recent FOX news exclusive, Elvis doctor claims he died from constipation, not drugs.  Even if this theory were true and it is interesting to see Dr. Nick's arguments, prescription pills which Elivs favored are known to cause severe  constipation and if taken over time IBS.  Dr. Nick who was Elvis doctor for 12 years knew this.


Read the more on the FOX exclusive here