Will Godfrey
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Will Godfrey is the editor-in-chief of Substance.com. He was previously the EIC of TheFix.com, and before that co-founded a magazine in a prison in London.
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June 27th, 2014
How CNN’s Amber Lyon Became an Evangelist for Psychedelic Healing
The investigative reporter tells Substance.com about her PTSD, her transformative experiences with psychedelics, the website she founded—and why her ex-colleagues at CNN seek her advice about using ayahuasca.... Read More
-
June 25th, 2014
Video: This Beer Commercial Wins the Fourth of July
Stephen Merchant gives America a bloody good talking to on behalf of Newcastle Brown Ale.... Read More
-
June 24th, 2014
This Thursday, the World Rises Up Against the War on Drugs
“Support. Don’t punish,” a global day of action on June 26, will demand basic human rights for people who use drugs. Substance.com checks in with activists making plans around the world.... Read More
-
June 16th, 2014
Video: What Happened When James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway Got Into a Bar Fight?
The legendary writers experienced their fair share of scrapes in the cafés of 1920s Paris.... Read More
-
June 6th, 2014
How Much Longer Will the DEA Have the Power to Bully Doctors?
Recent DEA tactics in Massachusetts underline the importance of making it illegal for the agency to pursue state-licensed medical marijuana providers.... Read More
-
May 29th, 2014
Which European Cities Have the Druggiest Sewage?
Numéro Trois for marijuana consumption? Photo via
There's being dedicated to your job, and then there's trawling through city-specific European sewage samples, like scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology have been doing. They were measuring quantities of the excretions resulting from the consumption of various illegal drugs, in order to shed light on the habits of 42 European cities—effectively giving the continent a giant drug test. The results... Read More
-
May 22nd, 2014
US States Use Internet Drug Searches to Cement Own Stereotypes
Why yes, beer does make you fat. Photo via
An unfeasibly fun, frequently frightening piece of research by the real estate blog Estately, "especially for those curious how their potential neighbors spend their time online," has produced a list of the terms that residents of each US state Google more than people elsewhere. For example, people in Alabama and Kentucky search the term "Obama is the Antichrist" more often than any other Americans. Naturally. Alaska tops the... Read More
-
May 13th, 2014
Map: The Heaviest-Drinking Countries in the World
The World Health Organization's newly released "Global status report on alcohol and health 2014" doesn't just show that over three million of us are dying from alcohol-related causes each year. It also breaks down the extent to which global booze consumption—averaging 6.2 liters of pure alcohol per person (aged over 15) annually—is unevenly distributed.
A whopping 48% of over-15s worldwide don't drink at all, which hugely deflates the averages. But many of others are doing more than... Read More
-
May 7th, 2014
Two Harm Reduction Gurus Take On World Drug Policy
On International Harm Reduction Day, the heads of the Harm Reduction Coalition and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition talk Substance.com through the tricky terrain of drug-law reforms and global politics.... Read More
-
May 5th, 2014
How Vancouver Smashed Prejudice Against People Who Use Drugs
Insite, a facility where people can inject drugs with medical support, is a resounding success that hasn’t been replicated anywhere else in North America. We ask one of its architects how it happened—and why it hasn’t happened again.... Read More
-
May 1st, 2014
What Happens When You Invite AA-Baiting Stanton Peele to AA's National Board Meeting?
Thanks for sharing! Photo via
It's difficult to think of a more prominent or outspoken opponent of Alcoholics Anonymous and the disease model of addiction than Stanton Peele—the ever-provocative addiction theorist, author of books like Resisting 12 Step Coercion (2001), and noted Substance.com contributor. So it may surprise those who know him to learn that he was once invited to the national AA board meeting—it may surprise them less to learn that he was ejected from... Read More
-
April 24th, 2014
Cops in One NJ County Began Carrying Naloxone. Guess What? They Saved Six Lives in Month One.
Just the job. Photo via
In the fiendishly complicated field of addiction, when we know for sure that something works, we should seize on it: Naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses, saves lives. Rapidly changing laws and attitudes are now allowing its increased distribution across the US, and a local report today illustrates its effectiveness in microcosm.
Police officers in Ocean County, New Jersey, began carrying nasal spray kits earlier this month. Since then, they've saved... Read More
-
April 23rd, 2014
This Is Your Bard on Drugs
William Shakespeare, whose 450th birthday is today, is feverishly speculated to have used substances—including the booze that allegedly killed him. What's beyond doubt is that he wrote about drugs and drug users with gusto.... Read More
-
April 9th, 2014
Video: The Ultimate Warrior, Now Dead at 54, Talks About His Steroid Use
James Hellwig—best known as "The Ultimate Warrior"—has died suddenly, at the age of 54, for an unspecified reason. He was one of the icons of WWF/WWE in the '80s and '90s, known for his face paint, his frenzied persona and his bulging physique. Of course, few observers of the "sport" of pro-wrestling believe that the muscles on display are acquired by purely natural means.
The Ultimate Warrior freely admits as much in the interview below, in the context of the death of another... Read More
-
April 8th, 2014
Podcast: What Drug Decriminalization Has Done for Portugal
Podcast:
Portugal decriminalized all drug possession in 2001—meaning that anyone caught with up to about 10 days' supply of any drug isn't subject to criminal sanctions. The country chose to treat drug use as a health and social issue instead, scaling up its harm reduction, treatment and prevention efforts. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, both for people who use drugs and the wider community.
"While critics of the law warned that drug use would... Read More
-
April 7th, 2014
Graphic: National Beer Day Is About Freedom, Too. But Mainly Beer.
See the love.... Read More
-
March 27th, 2014
Photos: What People Who Use Marijuana Actually Look Like
Marijuana's media profile has never been higher, thanks to recent policy changes and debate. Pity, then, the poor photo editors tasked with illustrating the resulting plethora of pot articles. All too often, the tired old default option for news outlets has been stoner stereotypes, wearing tie dye and brandishing preposterously proportioned blunts—a portrayal which, however colorful, is nothing if not skewed, given that half of all US adults have used marijuana.
Enter the Drug Policy... Read More
-
March 26th, 2014
Heroin Maintenance and More: Switzerland's Great Drug Policy Experiment
Former Swiss president Ruth Dreifuss talks about the radical policy changes that helped to mitigate her country's AIDS crisis.... Read More
-
March 21st, 2014
Image: Seattle Cops Release Drug Photos From Kurt Cobain's Death Scene
1967-1994 Photo via
Those of us of a certain vintage and inclination remember where we were when we heard about Kurt Cobain's death like our parents do with Kennedy's. The Nirvana frontman, whose voice and lyrics on the albums Nevermind and In Utero seemed to represent a generation, killed himself with a shotgun in April 1994.
As you'd expect, conspiracy theorists have long posited alternative explanations for his death. As the 20th anniversary... Read More
-
March 19th, 2014
Will Headline Writers Ever Stop Getting High on Pot Puns?
Jaime Fuller at The Washington Post has compiled a list of no fewer than 46 pun-tastic pot headlines to make a drugs journalist blush. "Across the country, more and more states are warming up to legalized medical marijuana," she notes. "However, the puns used to describe such changes in American culture haven't changed much over the past couple of decades. In fact, we seem to be using many of the same ones. Over and over again."
Here are some highlights. Course, now that we've... Read More
-
March 18th, 2014
The Haunting Self-Portrait That Freed a Man From a Long Drug Sentence
This self-portrait by Anthony Papa was painted while he was serving 15 years-to-life in Sing-Sing for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. In 1995, while Papa was still incarcerated, the painting was displayed at the Whitney Museum in New York. The resulting publicity—which Papa had to kick-start himself by writing to a local newspaper, as the Whitney showed "15 to Life," anonymously—eventually led to Papa being released in 1997, having served 12 years.
Papa then became a prominent... Read More
-
March 17th, 2014
Mexican Drug Cartel Finds Mining Iron Ore More Lucrative Than Making Meth
It may seem counterintuitive, but one of Mexico's largest drug cartels has branched out into an essentially legit line of business which is even more profitable than selling drugs: mining iron ore. The Knights Templar, a pseudo-religious outfit whose power is centered around the Mexican state of Michoacán, originally focused on producing and selling methamphetamine. Now, the meth trade only accounts for a fraction of its income.
We probably shouldn't be surprised: The cartels... Read More
-
March 14th, 2014
Dutch Courage: An Attitude to Drugs Worth Emulating
Dutch drug policy has long stood out for embracing new approaches before others dare. Amsterdam's "coffee" shops are most familiar to foreigners and headline writers, but the country has a proud record of rolling out other innovative and effective harm reduction policies, too.
The Netherlands is actually far from being the druggy free-for-all that images of Amsterdam's tourist quarter might suggest. Rather than ideology, Dutch policies are principally guided by a pragmatic, people-first... Read More
-
March 13th, 2014
The New Acting US Drug Czar Is 24 Years Sober
Does Michael Botticelli's track-record of expanding treatment services herald wider improvements in US policy?... Read More
-
March 12th, 2014
Former Undercover Narc Describes the Racist Motives Behind the War on Drugs
Neill Franklin Photo via
Few people have had such an all-round view of the US War on Drugs as (Major) Neill Franklin. For 33 years he served with the Maryland and Baltimore police forces—during which time his roles included being an undercover narcotics agent, posing as a drug user to recruit informants, and leading several narcotics task forces.
After he retired, Franklin "really started taking a critical look at what was going on." The transformation was dramatic. He now heads up Law... Read More
-
March 12th, 2014
Remorseful Creator Killed "Flappy Bird" Due to Game Addicts' Suffering
When 28-year-old Vietnamese programmer Nguyen Ha Dong created the simple, retro-style game Flappy Bird during a spare weekend last year, he had no inkling of the consequences. He made it freely available online, hoping to make a small side-income from in-game ads. Instead, "Flappymania" exploded worldwide—the game has been downloaded more than 50 million times and was earning him $50,000 a day.
Crack on a screen. Photo via
Then, one month ago, Nguyen sensationally tweeted: "I... Read More
-
March 11th, 2014
Graphic: Drug Incarceration Rates Are Still a National Disgrace
In 1970, 16% of the people in US federal prison were incarcerated because of drug offenses. Today, that figure stands at just over 50%. This chart and table show just how much this category of nonviolent offenses dominates:
US Federal Prison Population (as of January 25, 2014)
Key below. Graphic via
Chart... Read More
-
March 10th, 2014
Video: The Deadly Genius of Mexican Drug Cartels
The landscape may be somewhat changed in the wake of last month's capture of "El Chapo" Guzman, but the principles surely remain: This TED talk by Yale business professor Rodrigo Canales details how Mexican drug cartels operate, behind the familiar headlines. Groups like Los Zetas, the Knights Templar and the Sinaloa cartel, he explains, are highly sophisticated organizations that rely on complex distribution networks, branding and business strategies, multinational partnerships and even social... Read More
-
March 10th, 2014
Crack-Pipe Vending Machines Are Vancouver's Latest Good Idea
Vancouver has long been the leading light of North America's harm reduction efforts, thanks in large part to Insite, the supervised drug consumption facility that has been saving lives for over a decade. Now the Portland Hotel Society, the organization behind Insite, has set up two vending machines that sell sterilized crack pipes for 25 cents each, as this short film by Nadim Roberts shows.
Sharing pipes, which sometimes cut or blister users' mouths, can help to spread diseases like HIV and... Read More
-
February 20th, 2014
What's the Relationship Between Addiction and Choice?
If, like me, you sometimes struggle to get your head around the apparent contradiction that although being addicted isn't a choice, addicted people do still retain free will, this piece by Vaughan Bell might help. It's well worth reading in full, but here's the crux of his explanation:
"Addiction has a massive effect on people’s choices but not so much by altering the control of actions but by changing the value and consequences of those actions. If that’s not clear, try thinking of it... Read More
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Will Godfrey has not posted any comments.
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June 27th, 2014
How CNN’s Amber Lyon Became an Evangelist for Psychedelic Healing
The investigative reporter tells Substance.com about her PTSD, her transformative experiences with psychedelics, the website she founded—and why her ex-colleagues at CNN seek her advice about using ayahuasca.... Read More
-
June 25th, 2014
Video: This Beer Commercial Wins the Fourth of July
Stephen Merchant gives America a bloody good talking to on behalf of Newcastle Brown Ale.... Read More
-
June 24th, 2014
This Thursday, the World Rises Up Against the War on Drugs
“Support. Don’t punish,” a global day of action on June 26, will demand basic human rights for people who use drugs. Substance.com checks in with activists making plans around the world.... Read More
-
June 16th, 2014
Video: What Happened When James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway Got Into a Bar Fight?
The legendary writers experienced their fair share of scrapes in the cafés of 1920s Paris.... Read More
-
June 6th, 2014
How Much Longer Will the DEA Have the Power to Bully Doctors?
Recent DEA tactics in Massachusetts underline the importance of making it illegal for the agency to pursue state-licensed medical marijuana providers.... Read More
-
May 29th, 2014
Which European Cities Have the Druggiest Sewage?
Numéro Trois for marijuana consumption? Photo via
There's being dedicated to your job, and then there's trawling through city-specific European sewage samples, like scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology have been doing. They were measuring quantities of the excretions resulting from the consumption of various illegal drugs, in order to shed light on the habits of 42 European cities—effectively giving the continent a giant drug test. The results... Read More
-
May 22nd, 2014
US States Use Internet Drug Searches to Cement Own Stereotypes
Why yes, beer does make you fat. Photo via
An unfeasibly fun, frequently frightening piece of research by the real estate blog Estately, "especially for those curious how their potential neighbors spend their time online," has produced a list of the terms that residents of each US state Google more than people elsewhere. For example, people in Alabama and Kentucky search the term "Obama is the Antichrist" more often than any other Americans. Naturally. Alaska tops the... Read More
-
May 13th, 2014
Map: The Heaviest-Drinking Countries in the World
The World Health Organization's newly released "Global status report on alcohol and health 2014" doesn't just show that over three million of us are dying from alcohol-related causes each year. It also breaks down the extent to which global booze consumption—averaging 6.2 liters of pure alcohol per person (aged over 15) annually—is unevenly distributed.
A whopping 48% of over-15s worldwide don't drink at all, which hugely deflates the averages. But many of others are doing more than... Read More
-
May 7th, 2014
Two Harm Reduction Gurus Take On World Drug Policy
On International Harm Reduction Day, the heads of the Harm Reduction Coalition and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition talk Substance.com through the tricky terrain of drug-law reforms and global politics.... Read More
-
May 5th, 2014
How Vancouver Smashed Prejudice Against People Who Use Drugs
Insite, a facility where people can inject drugs with medical support, is a resounding success that hasn’t been replicated anywhere else in North America. We ask one of its architects how it happened—and why it hasn’t happened again.... Read More
-
May 1st, 2014
What Happens When You Invite AA-Baiting Stanton Peele to AA's National Board Meeting?
Thanks for sharing! Photo via
It's difficult to think of a more prominent or outspoken opponent of Alcoholics Anonymous and the disease model of addiction than Stanton Peele—the ever-provocative addiction theorist, author of books like Resisting 12 Step Coercion (2001), and noted Substance.com contributor. So it may surprise those who know him to learn that he was once invited to the national AA board meeting—it may surprise them less to learn that he was ejected from... Read More
-
April 24th, 2014
Cops in One NJ County Began Carrying Naloxone. Guess What? They Saved Six Lives in Month One.
Just the job. Photo via
In the fiendishly complicated field of addiction, when we know for sure that something works, we should seize on it: Naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses, saves lives. Rapidly changing laws and attitudes are now allowing its increased distribution across the US, and a local report today illustrates its effectiveness in microcosm.
Police officers in Ocean County, New Jersey, began carrying nasal spray kits earlier this month. Since then, they've saved... Read More
-
April 23rd, 2014
This Is Your Bard on Drugs
William Shakespeare, whose 450th birthday is today, is feverishly speculated to have used substances—including the booze that allegedly killed him. What's beyond doubt is that he wrote about drugs and drug users with gusto.... Read More
-
April 9th, 2014
Video: The Ultimate Warrior, Now Dead at 54, Talks About His Steroid Use
James Hellwig—best known as "The Ultimate Warrior"—has died suddenly, at the age of 54, for an unspecified reason. He was one of the icons of WWF/WWE in the '80s and '90s, known for his face paint, his frenzied persona and his bulging physique. Of course, few observers of the "sport" of pro-wrestling believe that the muscles on display are acquired by purely natural means.
The Ultimate Warrior freely admits as much in the interview below, in the context of the death of another... Read More
-
April 8th, 2014
Podcast: What Drug Decriminalization Has Done for Portugal
Podcast:
Portugal decriminalized all drug possession in 2001—meaning that anyone caught with up to about 10 days' supply of any drug isn't subject to criminal sanctions. The country chose to treat drug use as a health and social issue instead, scaling up its harm reduction, treatment and prevention efforts. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, both for people who use drugs and the wider community.
"While critics of the law warned that drug use would... Read More
-
April 7th, 2014
Graphic: National Beer Day Is About Freedom, Too. But Mainly Beer.
See the love.... Read More
-
March 27th, 2014
Photos: What People Who Use Marijuana Actually Look Like
Marijuana's media profile has never been higher, thanks to recent policy changes and debate. Pity, then, the poor photo editors tasked with illustrating the resulting plethora of pot articles. All too often, the tired old default option for news outlets has been stoner stereotypes, wearing tie dye and brandishing preposterously proportioned blunts—a portrayal which, however colorful, is nothing if not skewed, given that half of all US adults have used marijuana.
Enter the Drug Policy... Read More
-
March 26th, 2014
Heroin Maintenance and More: Switzerland's Great Drug Policy Experiment
Former Swiss president Ruth Dreifuss talks about the radical policy changes that helped to mitigate her country's AIDS crisis.... Read More
-
March 21st, 2014
Image: Seattle Cops Release Drug Photos From Kurt Cobain's Death Scene
1967-1994 Photo via
Those of us of a certain vintage and inclination remember where we were when we heard about Kurt Cobain's death like our parents do with Kennedy's. The Nirvana frontman, whose voice and lyrics on the albums Nevermind and In Utero seemed to represent a generation, killed himself with a shotgun in April 1994.
As you'd expect, conspiracy theorists have long posited alternative explanations for his death. As the 20th anniversary... Read More
-
March 19th, 2014
Will Headline Writers Ever Stop Getting High on Pot Puns?
Jaime Fuller at The Washington Post has compiled a list of no fewer than 46 pun-tastic pot headlines to make a drugs journalist blush. "Across the country, more and more states are warming up to legalized medical marijuana," she notes. "However, the puns used to describe such changes in American culture haven't changed much over the past couple of decades. In fact, we seem to be using many of the same ones. Over and over again."
Here are some highlights. Course, now that we've... Read More
-
March 18th, 2014
The Haunting Self-Portrait That Freed a Man From a Long Drug Sentence
This self-portrait by Anthony Papa was painted while he was serving 15 years-to-life in Sing-Sing for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. In 1995, while Papa was still incarcerated, the painting was displayed at the Whitney Museum in New York. The resulting publicity—which Papa had to kick-start himself by writing to a local newspaper, as the Whitney showed "15 to Life," anonymously—eventually led to Papa being released in 1997, having served 12 years.
Papa then became a prominent... Read More
-
March 17th, 2014
Mexican Drug Cartel Finds Mining Iron Ore More Lucrative Than Making Meth
It may seem counterintuitive, but one of Mexico's largest drug cartels has branched out into an essentially legit line of business which is even more profitable than selling drugs: mining iron ore. The Knights Templar, a pseudo-religious outfit whose power is centered around the Mexican state of Michoacán, originally focused on producing and selling methamphetamine. Now, the meth trade only accounts for a fraction of its income.
We probably shouldn't be surprised: The cartels... Read More
-
March 14th, 2014
Dutch Courage: An Attitude to Drugs Worth Emulating
Dutch drug policy has long stood out for embracing new approaches before others dare. Amsterdam's "coffee" shops are most familiar to foreigners and headline writers, but the country has a proud record of rolling out other innovative and effective harm reduction policies, too.
The Netherlands is actually far from being the druggy free-for-all that images of Amsterdam's tourist quarter might suggest. Rather than ideology, Dutch policies are principally guided by a pragmatic, people-first... Read More
-
March 13th, 2014
The New Acting US Drug Czar Is 24 Years Sober
Does Michael Botticelli's track-record of expanding treatment services herald wider improvements in US policy?... Read More
-
March 12th, 2014
Former Undercover Narc Describes the Racist Motives Behind the War on Drugs
Neill Franklin Photo via
Few people have had such an all-round view of the US War on Drugs as (Major) Neill Franklin. For 33 years he served with the Maryland and Baltimore police forces—during which time his roles included being an undercover narcotics agent, posing as a drug user to recruit informants, and leading several narcotics task forces.
After he retired, Franklin "really started taking a critical look at what was going on." The transformation was dramatic. He now heads up Law... Read More
-
March 12th, 2014
Remorseful Creator Killed "Flappy Bird" Due to Game Addicts' Suffering
When 28-year-old Vietnamese programmer Nguyen Ha Dong created the simple, retro-style game Flappy Bird during a spare weekend last year, he had no inkling of the consequences. He made it freely available online, hoping to make a small side-income from in-game ads. Instead, "Flappymania" exploded worldwide—the game has been downloaded more than 50 million times and was earning him $50,000 a day.
Crack on a screen. Photo via
Then, one month ago, Nguyen sensationally tweeted: "I... Read More
-
March 11th, 2014
Graphic: Drug Incarceration Rates Are Still a National Disgrace
In 1970, 16% of the people in US federal prison were incarcerated because of drug offenses. Today, that figure stands at just over 50%. This chart and table show just how much this category of nonviolent offenses dominates:
US Federal Prison Population (as of January 25, 2014)
Key below. Graphic via
Chart... Read More
-
March 10th, 2014
Video: The Deadly Genius of Mexican Drug Cartels
The landscape may be somewhat changed in the wake of last month's capture of "El Chapo" Guzman, but the principles surely remain: This TED talk by Yale business professor Rodrigo Canales details how Mexican drug cartels operate, behind the familiar headlines. Groups like Los Zetas, the Knights Templar and the Sinaloa cartel, he explains, are highly sophisticated organizations that rely on complex distribution networks, branding and business strategies, multinational partnerships and even social... Read More
-
March 10th, 2014
Crack-Pipe Vending Machines Are Vancouver's Latest Good Idea
Vancouver has long been the leading light of North America's harm reduction efforts, thanks in large part to Insite, the supervised drug consumption facility that has been saving lives for over a decade. Now the Portland Hotel Society, the organization behind Insite, has set up two vending machines that sell sterilized crack pipes for 25 cents each, as this short film by Nadim Roberts shows.
Sharing pipes, which sometimes cut or blister users' mouths, can help to spread diseases like HIV and... Read More
-
February 20th, 2014
What's the Relationship Between Addiction and Choice?
If, like me, you sometimes struggle to get your head around the apparent contradiction that although being addicted isn't a choice, addicted people do still retain free will, this piece by Vaughan Bell might help. It's well worth reading in full, but here's the crux of his explanation:
"Addiction has a massive effect on people’s choices but not so much by altering the control of actions but by changing the value and consequences of those actions. If that’s not clear, try thinking of it... Read More
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July 1st, 2014
Can We Unlock Marijuana's Potential as an "Exit Drug"?
With the myth long since debunked that cannabis is the "gateway" to addiction ruin, increasing evidence points to its value as a substitute for far more dangerous substances, such as alcohol. ... Read More
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June 30th, 2014
The Drug-War "Beast" Is Vulnerable, Says Award-Winning Director Eugene Jarecki
The director of the powerful documentary "The House I Live In" explains his growing optimism.... Read More
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June 30th, 2014
Nerd Nite: Where Geekdom Meets Drunkenness
Opportunities to learn about paleontology or ornithology while blitzed used to be few and far between.... Read More
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June 30th, 2014
Why SMART Recovery Is an Increasingly Important Alternative to AA
Substance.com goes inside a program that supports abstinence from alcohol and other drugs—with no mention of spirituality or powerlessness.... Read More
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June 27th, 2014
Images: How the Original MAD Men Mocked Cigarette Ads
In the '60s, before Big Tobacco became Public Health Enemy No. 1, cigarette advertising blanketed the known world. MAD magazine lampooned the whole stinking business.... Read More
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June 27th, 2014
Join Our Opioids Twitter Chat With Phoenix House
Get involved in the debate about Rx pills and heroin on Wednesday, July 16 at 3 pm EST, using #pillchat on Twitter.... Read More
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June 27th, 2014
Video: Popular Music Genre Celebrates Mexico's Drug War
The massively popular "narcocorridos" musical industry is making millions off (probably non-fictional) songs about drugs, gun violence and murder. Meet some of the genre's major players.... Read More
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June 26th, 2014
New York's "Support. Don't Punish" Demo Targets the UN
Protestors in NYC join those in 100 other cities around the world on the June 26 global day of action against the war on drugs.... Read More
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June 26th, 2014
UN Report: Global Drug Use Stable, But Opium Production Rising
The number of acres devoted to opium poppy cultivation has risen for the third year in a row.... Read More
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June 26th, 2014
Ten Non-New Age Ways to Replace What Heroin Gave You
Now that you're off smack, how to recreate that dreamy feeling you used to get from nodding out? Or the thrill of scoring? My answers don't involve meditation and green tea.... Read More
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June 25th, 2014
Graphic: Big Tobacco Is Making Cigarettes More Addictive Than Ever
A tobacco-free charity reveals the underhanded tactics tobacco companies now use to make sure you get addicted. And they've gotten much worse in the last 50 years.... Read More
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June 25th, 2014
I Still Blame Myself for My Sister's Addiction and Suicide
Two years ago this week, I received the worst news imaginable. And the person who gave my sister Christin her very first Oxy was me.... Read More
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June 24th, 2014
Hints Emerge of Legal Pot's Threat to Alcohol Sales
The evidence is good that when marijuana is legally available, it takes a bite out of booze profits. One liquor company has just voiced its fears.... Read More
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June 24th, 2014
Dutch Star's World Cup Cocaine Tweet Enrages Colombians
A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador's Photoshop skills caused a diplomatic incident.... Read More
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June 23rd, 2014
Chris Christie Says Drug Addiction Is a "Pro-Life" Issue
The New Jersey governor and possible presidential candidate supports drug policy reform and more compassion towards drug users—even as he remains a staunch opponent of legalization.... Read More
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June 23rd, 2014
Gay Shamelessness, Beyond the Crystal Meth Crisis
For many gay men, meth spoiled the pleasures of drugs in the way that AIDS had spoiled sex. A decade after meth use peaked, what can the sheer resilience of one generation offer the next?... Read More
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June 20th, 2014
Video: The Cutest Song Ever About Your Drinking Problem
Who says a song about an alcohol-induced shame spiral can't be adorable, funny, and catchy as hell!? Drinkers, enjoy: "The Drunk Song."... Read More
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June 20th, 2014
Pope Francis Condemns All Drug Legalization
The Pope comes out as a prohibitionist, saying that the solutions to the "evils" of addiction lie in "life, love and education."... Read More
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June 20th, 2014
Anorexia Fueled My Stand-Up Comedy Career
I've made it my mission to break the silence and stigma surrounding anorexia—by telling my own story. And making people laugh.... Read More
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June 19th, 2014
Seven Female Writers Who Drank—A Lot
Alcoholism isn't just a man thing in the literary world, either.... Read More
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June 19th, 2014
Bogota Bans Booze During World Cup Match
The move is an attempt to prevent booze-'n'-soccer-fueled violence.... Read More
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June 19th, 2014
How Tom Robbins Taught Me to Use Drugs Like a Grown-Up
I was a God-fearing hedonist when I first encountered the author of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and other counterculture classics. His new memoir reminds me why he set me straight.... Read More
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June 18th, 2014
Canada Invents the Weed Breathalyzer
Cops may soon be able to catch people driving under the influence of pot much more easily, thanks to a couple of clever Canadians.... Read More
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June 18th, 2014
Teen Dies at Chinese Military-Style Internet Addiction Rehab
China is putting teens in military-style "treatment centers" for web addiction. But the conditions are extreme and sometimes life-threatening.... Read More
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June 18th, 2014
These "New Face of Heroin" Stories Are Just the Old Face of Racism
Revelations that white, middle-class people are—now! suddenly! for the first time!—using heroin stem from the pernicious lie that "typical" users are black. ... Read More
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June 17th, 2014
Photos: Former Drug Convict Breaks Back Into Prison for One Night
An award winning photojournalist revisits the prison where he spent 13 years for murdering his drug dealer. He captures the experience with haunting photos.... Read More
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June 17th, 2014
Alaska to Offer Free Pregnancy Tests at Bars
The state with the highest rate of fetal alcohol syndrome in the country has introduced a new initiative to encourage women to test for pregnancy before getting drunk.... Read More
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June 17th, 2014
Sebastian Horsley: Requiem for a Dandy
The extreme artist and writer, who died of a heroin and cocaine overdose on this day in 2010, corresponded with me throughout his final years. He was unforgettable.... Read More
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June 16th, 2014
Do Strict Parents Drive Kids to Booze and Drugs?
"Extreme" parenting at both ends of the spectrum—very strict, or neglectful—is linked to higher risk of alcohol and drug use by teens.... Read More
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June 16th, 2014
The Future of Addiction: My Predictions for the Next 40 Years
My book "Love and Addiction," published in 1975, proved prescient in the decades that followed. How optimistic should we be as we look further ahead?... Read More
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June 13th, 2014
Virtual Phone App Tackles Eating Disorders in High School
The latest version of "High School Story" depicts a teenager in recovery from anorexia, with the aim of exposing the reality of eating disorders and body image issues. But some teens in recovery say the game could be triggering.... Read More
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June 13th, 2014
My Love Affair With Nicotine Gum
First I chewed it to quit smoking, but then I couldn't quit the gum. And why would I ever want to? It was my perfect drug.... Read More
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June 12th, 2014
Big Alcohol Calls the Shots at the World Cup
With Budweiser sponsoring the World Cup, soccer's governing body FIFA has insisted on reversing a decade-old on ban on alcohol in Brazil's soccer stadia. Trouble ahead?... Read More
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June 12th, 2014
Graphic: Teenage Binge Drinkers' Favorite Alcohol Brands
Teens love their hard liquor, but their most chugged booze brand is still a beer. Can you guess which?... Read More
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June 12th, 2014
Video: Scientist on LSD Interrupts Woman's Tryst With Dolphin
A new documentary about Dr. John Lilly's famous talking-dolphins experiments reveals a tragic love story and a scientist who goes psychedelic.... Read More
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June 12th, 2014
My Father, the Secret Cocaine Addict
Discovering my dad's habit when I was a teenager was hard. Finding the close relationship with him that I always longed for was harder—even after we'd both been through addiction and early sobriety.... Read More
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June 11th, 2014
See Your Favorite Fairytale Heroines in Jail
Artist Marilen Adrover has fun turning our childhood memories into mugshots.... Read More
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June 11th, 2014
New Report Condemns the DEA’s Willful Obstruction of Science
It's the latest ammunition against an agency that critics say continues to take the law into its own hands.... Read More
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June 11th, 2014
Video: Maradona's "Drug-Fueled" World Cup Goal Celebration
In 1994, an unforgettable World Cup moment became forever associated with drugs. But was that fair?... Read More
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June 11th, 2014
Believe It or Not, Big Tobacco May Help Make Anti-Addiction Drugs
Decades of research into making cigarettes more addictive is combining with advances in neuroscience in the development of a new class of nicotine-based drugs. R.J. Reynolds has the patents to prove it.... Read More
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June 10th, 2014
Study: People Drink Way More Than They Think They Do
Turns out most people drastically underestimate—or straight up lie about—the amount of alcohol that they consume, especially those who claim to drink the least.... Read More
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June 10th, 2014
This Is What a 17th Century Drinking Game Looked Like
It's no beer pong. photo via
It turns out our modern drinking games are weak sauce compared to how European aristocrats partied in the 17th century. Today it's often about how many shots you can handle in under an hour or what word will signal a waterfall on the latest Bachelorette. Back then, it was apparently about mechanical, heavy, often pointy, and usually animated objects that carried a ton of booze.
An antique drinking game, called Trinkspiel, is currently on display at... Read More
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June 10th, 2014
Five Summer Must-Reads That Are Actually About Addiction
Addiction is all the rage in some of the hottest novels out there right now. We've whittled down the field to five top choices you're sure to get a kick out of.... Read More
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June 9th, 2014
Video: Psy Takes Aim at South Korean Drinking Culture With "Hangover"
The Korean pop sensation and Snoop Dogg get trashed and cause chaos in a new video for "Hangover" which seems to criticize South Korea's alcohol-fueled nightlife.... Read More
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June 9th, 2014
A Union Boss Describes How a Big-Time Factory Deals With Alcoholism
Alcohol lay behind most of the problems that union workers brought to me. The reactions to their issues highlight the hierarchy and the solidarity of factory culture.... Read More
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June 6th, 2014
Meet Kim Kardashian's Doppelgänger Drug Cartel Killer
Claudia Ochoa Felixmore is attracting media attention for her ostentatious selfies and resemblance to her idol, Kim Kardashian. Oh, and she's allegedly the leader of a hit squad.... Read More
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June 6th, 2014
I Quit Drinking, Then I Got Addicted to Food
Booze, pot and painkillers were out of my life, but cakes and ice cream took their place. My new problem was closely related to my old one—and every bit as hard to deal with.... Read More
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June 4th, 2014
My Week at the Thailand Rehab With the Famous "Vomit Cure"
In the Thai foothills, amidst temples and giant sculptures of Buddha, monks have been treating hundreds of thousands of addiction cases for 55 years with a secret herbal purgative. An American artist shows and tells us what it looked—and tasted—like.... Read More
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June 3rd, 2014
How the Original Drugstore Cowboy Snatched Defeat From the Jaws of Victory
The cult classic was gold for star Matt Dillon and director Gus Van Sant, but not for James Fogle, who wrote the original novel. Fogle died in 2012, addicted, imprisoned and obscure. His haunted life left a haunting legacy, including a stack of novels yet to be published.... Read More
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June 3rd, 2014
Video: The X King Is Dead! Long Live the X King!
What Lenin was to the Russian revolution, Malcolm X to the black power movement, and Spinoza to the Enlightenment, Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin was to psychedelia.
Shulgin died yesterday of liver cancer in the Bay Area, where he had lived for his entire 88 years. Shulgin was a lab chemist whose ascension into the Age of Aquarius was much quieter than that of the likes of Timothy O’Leary just as his legacy is far more lasting. Today, the tributes to that legacy are e-accumulating from the... Read More
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June 3rd, 2014
I Was a Cough Syrup Junkie
My struggles with perfectionism, alcoholism and addiction were fairly typical. But my drug-of-choice was not.... Read More
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June 2nd, 2014
Teen Drug Dealers Should Not Be the Victims of Our Thirst for Revenge
A Minnesota high school student overdosed on a synthetic drug she got from some fellow teens. The prosecutor is charging them as adults—with third-degree murder—in order to "send a message." That's the wrong one. ... Read More
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May 30th, 2014
House Votes to Ban DEA From Raiding Medical Marijuana Operations
A Colorado dispensary raid. Photo via
Early this morning, the US House of Representatives voted, 219–189, to prohibit the Drug Enforcement Administration from raiding state-licensed medical marijuana patients and providers. The bipartisan measure was designed to stop the DEA from undermining existing state medical marijuana laws.
“This historic vote shows just how quickly marijuana reform has become a mainstream issue," explains Tom Angell, chairman of the Marijuana Majority, "and... Read More
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May 30th, 2014
Graphic: Which Countries Have the Most Severe Screen Addiction?
Most of us are helplessly hooked on technology. From smartphones to laptops to the TV, our eyes are fixed on screens for an average of 6 hours and 50 minutes a day, according to a recent study. But the typical composition of our addiction to devices varies depending on where in the world we live. The graph below, based on a 2014 survey of 16-to-44 year-olds, tracks technology use in 30 different countries.
The country with the longest total screen time is Indonesia—at... Read More
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May 30th, 2014
Video: Passed Out Drunks Become Human Billboards in Japan
Apparently people in Japan are getting too drunk to make it home before they pass out. And those who do now risk more than the usual amount of shame that comes with waking up on the sidewalk. According to "The Sleeping Drunks Billboard" campaign (video below), the country's hard-working culture lends itself to a hard-drinking culture on the weekends. On a Friday or Saturday night in Tokyo, you can find "thousands of people sleeping on the streets" and this is considered "normal... Read More
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May 30th, 2014
Ten Hockey Stars Who Fought Addiction
Brutal and romanticized, professional hockey presents a unique set of challenges to its participants. Plenty of the NHL's toughest and most talented players find that their biggest battles are not on the ice.... Read More
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May 29th, 2014
Cocktails Under a Microscope Look Like Nothing You've Ever Seen Before
BevShots is an Internet company that sells wall art made out of alcohol.
Does that mean they, like, throw red wine, bourbon, crème de menthe and other colorful liquors against a white wall until something pretty happens? No, it does not.
Something pretty definitely happens, but the process is all very high tech. A drop or two of a particular alcoholic beverage is crystalized on a slide and then photographed under a polarized light microscope. Refracted by the crystals, the light turns... Read More
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May 29th, 2014
"Weed Fairy" Doles Out Free Pot to Boost Public Morale
Thanks for caring, Weed Fairy!
Life is hard. The earth is kind of a mess. The economy is not good. And sometimes bad things happen for no reason.
But one woman is out to make a positive difference, one little nugget of marijuana at a time. The self-described "Weed Fairy," 23-year-old Yeni Sleidi, has been posting pot taped to fliers in cities across the country, with the message: "These are tough times. Take this weed. And keep your spirits high." This past weekend, she visited Seattle's... Read More
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May 29th, 2014
The Daily Buzz: May 29, 2014
More evidence that junk food is like drugs, and our kids are getting hooked; heroin use in white suburbia continues to garner news attention; and the pilot of a Houston-bound flight gets stomach problems—from the cocaine he had stashed in there. ... Read More
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May 29th, 2014
Would Prosecuting This British Baron Deter Banks From Laundering Drug Cartel Money?
When big banks are caught washing dirty money for drug traffickers, they escape criminal indictments because they are "too big to fail." Fines, seen as "a cost of doing business," are no deterrent. ... Read More
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May 28th, 2014
Study: Young People Pre-Drink Because They're Scared of Bars
Having fun at a bar is a lot of pressure. Photo via
Pre-drinking or "pre-gaming" with home-bought booze before you hit the bars is a smart way to get stupid drunk without paying as much (because those $5 beers and $8 mixers can really add up). But cutting costs, apparently, isn't the only reason more young people are getting drunk before going out.
A new study examining the "growth of pre-drinking" found that people aged 18-23 often load up on booze at home because they find... Read More
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May 28th, 2014
How the Late, Great Maya Angelou Once "Walked the Precipice" of Drug Addiction
Maya Angelou, 1928-2014 Photo via
Maya Angelou has passed away at age 86. The globally revered author, poet and activist was a powerful voice of hope for the oppressed and disenfranchised, and her story speaks to anyone who has risen from a dark place.
Angelou documented her life in her series of seven autobiographies. The first—I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)—made her an internationally-acclaimed author and a symbol of overcoming struggle. In her books, she discussed... Read More
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May 28th, 2014
For People Overcoming Addiction, Teeth Matter
After years of neglect, the importance of dental work for people who've been through drug problems can be far more than physical. Just ask this former bank-robber.... Read More
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May 27th, 2014
Meet the Humble Maverick Who Legalized Marijuana in Uruguay
Uruguay's president at his farm near Montevideo Photo via
Late last year Uruguay legalized and regulated marijuana—becoming the first sovereign nation in the world to do so. The country's president, José Mujica, once led a Marxist guerrilla group. He now describes himself as a "humble peasant" and reportedly gives away 90% of his salary to low-income housing organizations, making him the world's poorest president.
On his watch, since his election in 2009, same-sex marriage... Read More
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May 27th, 2014
When Narcotics Cops Go Rogue: A Philadelphia Story
Five years after a police scandal rocked the city, narcotics squads continue to operate like criminal gangs with impunity. By its nature, the War on Drugs fuels corruption.... Read More
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May 23rd, 2014
I Loved AA. Here's Why I Left.
Nine months ago I had my first drink after nine years of sobriety. Although the program taught me a lot, I don't regret my choice.... Read More
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May 22nd, 2014
Texas Teen Could Face Life in Prison for Hash Brownies
Jacob Lavoro, 19, could face a lifetime in prison over a batch of hash brownies. Photo via
States across the US may be advancing towards more liberal marijuana laws, but the country as a whole is still far from being progressive on pot. Case in point: Texas teen Jacob Lavoro could face life in prison after police confiscated 1.5 pounds of hash brownies he planned to sell. The 19-year-old is being charged with a first-degree felony since he substituted marijuana with hash oil in... Read More
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May 22nd, 2014
Snorting Palcohol Is a Bad Idea, Say People Who Have Snorted Palcohol
Hard-hitting journalism. Photo via
Once again, we have journalists to thank for braving the front lines of a new frontier: powdered alcohol. And warning us of the dangers this monster could inflict on our sinuses. Geniusly called "Palcohol," the product is set to hit the market soon. Palcohol has a lot of opponents—including New York senator Chuck Schumer who called it “absurd” “ludicrous” and “scary” and called on the FDA to keep it off shelves based on “obvious health... Read More
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May 22nd, 2014
Greg Merson's Rise From Rock Bottom to Poker Rock Star
The 26-year-old World Series of Poker champion talks about recovering from his addiction to coke and oxy while thriving in the hard-partying, high-stakes professional game.... Read More
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May 21st, 2014
Is One in Five Iranian Drinkers an Alcoholic?
A Tehran bartender gets a draft. Photo via
Yesterday in Iran a medical toxicologist let the stat out of the bag when he announced that despite its laws against making, selling or drinking alcohol, the Islamic theocracy has "more than 1 million drinkers." The news got global pickup, but the researcher, Reza Afshari, wasn't exactly revealing a state secret as he was speaking at Iran's first-ever conference on alcohol use.
Details of Afshari's year-long study were not available. But all... Read More
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May 21st, 2014
FBI Might Change Its No-Tolerance Pot Policy So It Can Recruit Better Hackers
Andrew Comey is changing the game. Photo via
The FBI wants to hire the best and the brightest in cyber-crime fighters. But there's a hitch: The agency currently won't hire people who have smoked marijuana in the last three years. This excludes a lot of the world's best hackers, obviously.
“I have to hire a great work force to compete with those cyber criminals, and some of those kids want to smoke weed on the way to the interview,” FBI Director James Comey recently... Read More
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May 21st, 2014
My First Time on LSD: 10 Trippy Tales
The idea of dropping acid for the first time inspires both fear and excitement. We asked 10 current and former users to recall their voyages into the unknown.... Read More
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May 20th, 2014
California’s Latinos Back Drug Decriminalization
Californian Latinos are raising their voices. Photo via
Latinos in the US are arrested and prosecuted for drug offenses out of all proportion to their actual drug use. So it’s unsurprising that a new poll of 400 registered Latino voters in California, conducted by Presente.org and Latino Decisions, finds respondents firmly against the War on Drugs.
In all, 69% agree with the proposition that “California should minimize the penalties for drug possession, but drug sellers should be held... Read More
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May 20th, 2014
Teen Beats Her Eating Disorder With the Help of Instagram
Posting food pics on social media has become an eye roll-inducing obsession of a generation. But for 15-year-old Lin, from Singapore, the trendy practice has been crucial to her recovery from an eating disorder. Lin says creating unique recipes and posting the photos of her meals on Instagram has helped transform her relationship with food in to something positive.
“During my recovery from an eating disorder, I used my love for food to pull me up and spur me on to a full recovery and now... Read More
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May 20th, 2014
"Right-Wing Nut-Job" Michelle Malkin Loves Marijuana, Hates the Drug War
Michelle Malkin Photo via
Michelle Malkin, former sidekick of Fox's Bill O’Reilly and current radio-show host, blogger at MichelleMalkin.com and media entrepreneur, is a self-proclaimed “right-wing nut-job.” There are many varieties of right-wing nut-jobs in the US. Malkin speaks for the pseudo-Libertarian types who claim that the best political system imposes the fewest restrictions on personal liberty—except when it comes to the liberty of people Malkin disagrees with. For... Read More
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May 20th, 2014
Can We All Stop Pretending That Motivational Interviewing Is Compatible With the 12 Steps?
The architects of Motivational Interviewing—chief among them William R. Miller—are curiously reluctant to admit publicly that their approach contradicts 12-step-based treatment. Why?... Read More
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May 19th, 2014
Video: Famous Disgraced Sex Addict Sues Makers of a Film About Famous Disgraced Sex Addict
Welcome to New York is reportedly the most controversial film at the Cannes Film Festival—no small achievement—and it is already getting an improbable publicity boost from Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The former IMF chief, has announced that his lawyers will sue the film’s director, Abel Ferrara, and others involved in the film for defamation of his character. Welcome to New York is about an aging, overweight, vulgar, raunchy, sordid, misogynistic, sex-addicted predator who, in his... Read More
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May 19th, 2014
What Getting Wasted Looked Like in the 1860s
WARNING: If you drink, you could end up passed out in a wooden wheelbarrow, your mouth hanging open, your top hat crumpled in your lap! This seems to be the message behind this 1860s anti-drinking PSA, "The Five Stages of Inebriation," likely commissioned by a temperance group to educate people about the dangers of alcohol consumption. The staged photo series shows a "typical" dude falling into mental and physical disarray as he grows increasingly intoxicated. The photos were... Read More
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May 19th, 2014
Recovery High Schools' Flexibility Is Their Strength
Treatment for teens with drug problems can be stigmatizing and punitive. Advocates say that recovery high schools offer a kinder, less dogmatic and more effective alternative. Substance.com investigates.... Read More
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May 16th, 2014
Defiant San Francisco Program Gives Out Free Crack Pipes
Clean crack pipes can help prevent the spread of diseases. Photo via
A renegade program in San Francisco has been distributing clean crack pipes since March, despite opposition from city leaders. The program has similar aims to needle exchange, like reducing HIV transmissions among crack users, and was supported by the city’s HIV Prevention Planning Council. But it was immediately shut down by both the Mayor’s office and the Department of Health.
However, volunteers have gone ahead... Read More
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May 16th, 2014
One Hundred and Fifty-One Days of Blackouts
Where did all the time I lost from drinking go? All I can retrieve is the collage of my friends' stories—and a mangled Ikea lamp.... Read More
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May 15th, 2014
Photos: Bolivia Burns Up a Ton of Blow
Massive quantities of illicit drugs are seized by counter-narcotics operations across the world every day. But what happens to the drugs after they're seized? Usually, they get burned. Just recently in Bolivia, anti-narcotics police incinerated a ton and a half (about 3,300 lbs.) of cocaine after a string of busts. The burning of that much blow is quite a sight to behold (see below).
Bolivia is the world's third largest producer of cocaine and has also become a major transit hub for cocaine... Read More
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May 15th, 2014
New York City's Racially Biased Marijuana Arrests Drag On Under De Blasio
Let's step it up, De Blasio! Photo via
New York City's racially biased low-level marijuana arrest figures have so far not improved significantly under Mayor de Blasio's leadership, as was hoped and expected. While running for mayor last year, de Blasio said he was opposed to the city's stop-and-frisk policies and would take action to reform state marijuana laws. "I want a law passed in Albany that would end [stop-and-frisk] and I would instruct the NYPD right now [to] stop arresting people... Read More
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May 15th, 2014
Guess What? Harm Reduction Is a Common Path to Abstinence From Alcohol
Offering problem drinkers the option of moderation frequently works better than mandating abstinence—and many people who use harm reduction approaches do eventually decide to quit.... Read More
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May 15th, 2014
The Substance.com Interactive Drugs-in-the-News Word Cloud
Want to know exactly what the media world is talking about when it comes to drugs and addiction? Look no further!... Read More
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May 14th, 2014
A Visit to LA's Top-Secret "Smokeasy"
Inside the "smokeasy". Photo via
Even super-chill California has still only legalized marijuana for medical purposes so far. But certain social venues where pot use is not only permitted but encouraged manage to stay under the radar and evade the law. These"smokeasys" are reminiscent of the (alcohol-) Prohibition-era speakeasys, and only a few such full-time establishments reportedly exist in the US.
One of these top-secret venues, in Los Angeles (exact location and name... Read More
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May 14th, 2014
Report: US Tobacco Farms Hire Kids as Young as Seven
Tobacco farmer in Warfield, Virginia. Photo via
Looking for another reason to hate Big Tobacco? Here you go: The industry hires kids as young as seven to work in the fields harvesting tobacco leaves, according to report released today by the Human Rights Watch.
The group obtained interviews with more than 140 kids, aged 7 to 17, working on farms in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia, where 90% of the country's tobacco is grown. Though US agriculture laws permit young people to... Read More
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May 13th, 2014
Why We Must Not Let Addiction Hysteria Kill Off Zohydro
As a chronic pain patient, a misdirected crusade against opioids has significantly added to my suffering. I'm even afraid to ask my doctor about taking Zohydro. Let's go with the science, not the scare tactics.... Read More
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May 13th, 2014
Crystal Meth's Rapid Rise in Iran
Crystal meth transcends gender, age and class. Photo via
Crystal meth, known in Iran as "shisheh" or crystalline glass, is taking the nation by storm. In a short period of time, it has become the country's second most popular drug (still second to opium), and the #1 drug-of-choice in the capital, Tehran.
The country's first reported meth seizure was only six years ago, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Since then, its popularity has risen so quickly that by... Read More
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May 13th, 2014
Coca-Cola's Two-Faced Attitude to Drunk Driving
America's "dependable" beverage. Photo via
Is Coca-Cola for or against tougher anti-drunk driving legislation? Turns out, the company has been shiftily playing both sides of the debate.
Documents obtained by The Huffington Post show that the soft drinks giant has been part of the American Beverage Institute (ABI), a trade association which fights against tougher anti-drunk driving laws—while simultaneously aligning itself with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for decades.... Read More
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May 12th, 2014
As Drug Cartels Threaten Her Life, Mexico's Most Dangerous Journalist Uncovers More Dark Truths
Anabel Hernández's reporting on the ties between the cartels and the nation's leadership has earned her enemies in high places. Despite recent attacks on her by unidentified gunmen, the government now says it will remove her bodyguards. In an exclusive interview, Hernández explains why she refuses to surrender her pen.... Read More
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May 12th, 2014
Injured Veterans Are Ditching Opiate Painkillers for Old-School Treatments—and Finding Relief
Many soldiers have returned from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with PTSD, concussions and traumatic brain injuries, mangled limbs and chronic pain—the result of roadside bombs and other guerilla explosives. The military and the Department of Veteran Affairs put a majority of these patients on narcotic painkillers like OxyContin. After risking their lives for their country, they have survived only to face a future of physical pain and mental anguish, trauma-induced violence, suicide and... Read More
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May 12th, 2014
My Therapist Was a Recovering Drunk
Desperate to quit drinking, I went to therapy because I didn't want to go to AA. And I found exactly what I needed: a therapist who gently pushed me toward AA.... Read More
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May 9th, 2014
Confessions of a Small-Time Heroin Dealer
Meet Matthew: Perhaps the most significant thing about this 24-year-old Texan is that he's so typical.... Read More
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May 8th, 2014
Video: Creator of Palcohol Defends It Against the Haters
Some people have been throwing shade in the direction of Palcohol. In response, the product's creator Mark Phillips is voicing his elaborate defense in a strange, 17-minute video (below), posted this morning at 2 am. What's Palcohol, you under-a-rock dwellers ask? It's a new powdered alcohol product which could soon make boozing more portable and more snortable! The beverage is currently awaiting approval and, if given the okay, could hit shelves soon.
But not if Senator... Read More
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May 8th, 2014
Porn-Addicted Lawyer Files Claim to Marry His Laptop
Chris Sevier is just a man, standing in front of a Mac, asking it to love him. Photo via
Addiction can feel a lot like deep, romantic love, so perhaps this was only a matter of time:
Florida resident Chris Sevier, who sued Apple last year for sparking his "unwanted" porn addiction, has now filed a claim with the Utah court system to be able to marry his porn-laden laptop. He is arguing that if gay marriage is legal in some states, he should be legally allowed to marry his MacBook, which... Read More
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May 8th, 2014
How Getting Sober Made Me a Better Comedian
As a drunk comic, I thought I was "larger than life," but I was really just trying to escape from it. Turns out, I'm much funnier now.... Read More
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May 7th, 2014
Why Is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Giving Interviews and Conducting Official Business If He Is in Rehab?
Rob Ford was driven to rehab last Thursday.
Few people with substance use problems hit rock bottom while serving as mayor of their nation's capital city. But perhaps only Toronto’s Rob Ford has been afforded the luxury of not simply hitting rock bottom but setting up office and governing from there. Last week that odd situation was interrupted—whether temporarily or permanently remains to be seen—when Ford announced that he was taking a leave of absence to seek “professional help”... Read More
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May 7th, 2014
Sober Morning Raves Hit Brooklyn
Raving mad? Photo via
Six-thirty in the morning might seem too early for anything other than grumpiness and coffee, but consider this: Maybe it's the perfect time for a rave? The kind of rave where caffeine and juice replace ecstasy and vodka.
Morning Gloryville hosts completely sober early morning dance parties. They started in London and took off with startling popularity. The tradition has now been imported to hipster-central Williamsburg, Brooklyn—the first one kicked off this... Read More
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May 7th, 2014
Can Casino Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Defeat Online Gambling? And Should He?
The specter of online gambling addiction has earned a powerful, deep-pocketed foe. But is this Republican super-donor fighting for morals or money?... Read More
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May 6th, 2014
George Soros Weighs in Against the War on Drugs
Billionaire business magnate and philanthropist George Soros—who has long bankrolled drug policy reform and harm reduction causes—has an op-ed in today's Financial Times. It's in support of a new report from the London School of Economics, which is signed by five winners of the Nobel Prize for economics and calls for an end the international War on Drugs.
George Soros Photo via
Soros describes the report as "the most thorough account of the war on drugs" to date. Authored by... Read More
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May 6th, 2014
"King of the Club Kids" Michael Alig Released From Prison
Michael Alig at The Tunnel in New York City in 1993. Photo via
After spending 17 years in prison for murdering his drug dealer, Michael Alig, now 47, was released yesterday. The former New York City promoter first rose to notoriety by drawing thousands of people to elaborate parties at the hottest clubs in the '90s. In 1996, the self-described "King of the Club Kids" pleaded guilty to smothering his drug dealer Andre “Angel” Menendez to death before dismembering the body and tossing the... Read More
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May 6th, 2014
The Daily Buzz: May 6, 2014
Top economists propose an end to the drug war; Colorado firefighters see rise in home explosions from people making extra-strong pot; and rapper 2 Chainz must wear a sobriety bracelet after pleading guilty to drug possession.... Read More
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May 6th, 2014
The 10 Most Annoying Questions I Was Asked About My Anorexia Memoir
The author of "How to Disappear Completely" has endured a bunch of off-the-mark interviews since its publication. We asked her to do a better job.... Read More
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May 5th, 2014
Can Cannabis Once Again Become Big in Japan?
The Japanese have been growing and harvesting cannabis for centuries.
Japan takes a hardline stance against drugs, and the country's anti-marijuana laws are among the world's most stringent. Even being caught with a single joint can land you in prison for five years, while illegally growing pot can earn you a seven-year sentence. But historically, the plant played a major cultural role in Japan, where its cultivation was once a thriving industry. It wasn't until the US military occupation... Read More
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May 5th, 2014
Facebook Dislikes the Visibility of People With Addiction
"Sonya, Hunts Point, Bronx," by Chris Arnade Photo via
Chris Arnade, 48, is a New York City photographer whose mission, like many artists’, is to make the invisible visible. He photographs people who are homeless, people who are addicted and people who sell sex to survive. Their marginal existence on the street reminds us of the brutality of our society. Arnade’s photos don't portray his subjects as abject victims. They are survivors, and in their willingness to show their forthright... Read More
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May 5th, 2014
Ira Glass Says Ecstasy "Lifted Away" His Anxiety
Ira Glass Photo via
Ira Glass—host and producer of popular weekly radio show This American Life—says one of the most meaningful interviews he's ever done involved him talking about his first time on ecstasy. In an episode to air this week, Glass interviews comedian Marc Maron, a recovering addict. In a rare moment of sharing from his own personal life, Glass describes how the drug helped temporarily alleviate his lifelong anxiety:
"I am mostly a pretty worried person. In... Read More
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May 2nd, 2014
Torture Was Used by Mexican Security Forces to Nab Drug Kingin
"El Chapo" Guzman's February capture by Mexican Marines Photo via
Mexican Marines employed torture techniques in February’s sensational capture of “El Chapo” Guzman, the longtime head of the Sinaloa Cartel, the drug war’s biggest criminal enterprise, according to The New Yorker.
A DEA agent told reporter Patrick Radden Keefe that two men in Chapo’s inner circle were tortured by Mexican security forces in an apparently successful effort to elicit “real-time,... Read More
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May 2nd, 2014
Art Series Stars Homer Simpson as a Variety of Drug Lords
The only thing you've ever seen Homer Simpson murder is donuts—until now. Italian artist aleXandro Palombo has reimagined the iconic American antihero in a series of portraits of history's most infamous drug lords: Colombia's Pablo Escobar, Mexico's "El Chapo," and... Barack Obama. The "Stop the Drug War" art series is a reflection on the violence and massive number of lives lost in fighting the illegal drug trade, which is now being legalized by some of the same governments that have long... Read More
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May 2nd, 2014
The 10 Biggest Secrets People Keep in AA
Some confessions ("I'm an alcoholic") are expected in AA. Others ("I'm only here for the hotties") tend not to fly. If you're keeping a secret from your home group, you're far from alone.... Read More
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May 1st, 2014
Peaches Geldof Likely Died From a Heroin Overdose
Peaches Geldof Photo via
Peaches Geldof likely died of a heroin overdose, reports claim. The 25-year-old British socialite and TV personality was found dead home in London on April 7. And a toxicology report released later today is expected to reveal that a heroin overdose was the cause, according to The Times. Her mother, TV presenter Paula Yates, also died of a heroin overdose in 2000. Before her death, Peaches posted a photo of the two of them together. Geldof was the mother... Read More
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May 1st, 2014
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Steps Down, Seeks Treatment for Alcohol Problem
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford: " I am now 100% committed to getting myself right." Photo via
After what seems to be a highly public, year-long rock bottom, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has announced he is taking an immediate leave of absence to get help for his alcohol problem. “I have a problem with alcohol, and the choices I have made while under the influence," he said in a statement yesterday, "I have struggled with this for some time.”
Ford added that he plans to seek treatment. “I have... Read More
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May 1st, 2014
My First Time on Ecstasy: 10 True Tales
Few drug experiences come as hyped as dropping your very first pill. These current and former ecstasy users have some wildly different recollections.... Read More
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April 30th, 2014
RIP Bob Hoskins, Prolific Actor and Former "Insufferable Drunk"
Hoskins faces off with Roger Rabbit, in his most memorable role. Photo via
British actor Bob Hoskins, whose career spanned four decades and included hundreds of TV and film credits, died on Tuesday from pneumonia. He was 71.
Hoskins is probably best known in the US for the role of Edward "Eddie" Valiant, the flustered, alcoholic private investigator in 1988 cult classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit? [Trailer below]. He had issues with the bottle off-screen as well, and became a... Read More
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April 30th, 2014
How NBC and Our Reactionary Media Perpetuate the War on Drugs
Drug panics have consequences. A century after The New York Times ran headlines about "Negro Cocaine Fiends," journalists have learned far less than you'd think. ... Read More
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April 29th, 2014
Teen Dies in Ayahuasca Ritual, as Its Popularity Rises
Henry Miller, 19, died after taking part in an ayahuasca ritual.
Last week, 19-year-old Henry Miller died while taking part in a shamanic ceremony in Colombia. He had reportedly been sipping ayahuasca (or "yagé")—a plant-based infusion known to produce psychedelic effects. Though the cause of death is not yet conclusive, according to his family, "it is likely that a reaction to this drink was the cause." And he's not the first gringo to die from an ayahuasca overdose—in 2012, a US teen... Read More
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April 29th, 2014
DJ Rashad, Beloved Chicago Music Phenom, Dies of Apparent Overdose at 34
DJ Rashad "tripping at Stonehenge" during a British music tour last year.
DJ Rashad, a music producer who globalized footwork, Chicago’s newest underground dance music craze, was found dead on Saturday in his Chicago apartment. The cause was an apparent drug overdose. Although initial toxicology tests were inconclusive, drugs and works were found near his body, according to police. No one has commented on Rashad’s history of heroin or other hard-drug use.
Rashad Harden's death at age... Read More
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April 29th, 2014
These Three Companies Make a Point of Hiring Recovering Addicts
Job hunting now that you're sober? Your options go way beyond waiting tables or pouring coffee, as these inspiring examples illustrate.... Read More
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April 28th, 2014
Ten Geniuses Share Their Drugs of Choice
Steve Jobs in 1977
Many scientists and inventors have had close relationships with drugs. And some haven't been shy about it. Steve Jobs was once quoted having said that the reason Bill Gates wasn't more inventive was because he had never dropped acid. Or had he?
Nation Trend compiled this fascinating list.
1. Sigmund Freud, psychoanalyst: Cocaine and Marijuana
Freud believed so strongly in the healing powers of cocaine that he once prescribed it to a... Read More
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April 28th, 2014
Video: Mom Mad About Classroom Exercise in Which Students Pretend to Be Drug Addicts
"What are they teaching our kids?" asked Lori Cameron, the mother of a student at Locust Grove High School outside Atlanta. She's bent out of shape about an unconventional class on the subject of drug addiction: In a role-play exercise, the sociology teacher was the dealer, the students were the addicts, and the drug was called "ICEcube"—it was in fact a cube of ice. In order to drink the required glass of water, each student/addict had to figure out a way to access the hard-to-reach... Read More
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April 28th, 2014
Cops Like Me Say Legalize All Drugs. Here's Why.
Who exactly is prohibition supposed to be helping? After many years of enforcing drug laws as a police officer, my experience with an addicted family member changed my attitude for good.... Read More
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April 25th, 2014
Tomorrow Is National Take-Back Day: How to Dump Your Rx Drugs
Time to empty out those cabinets. Photo via
It's spring cleaning time! Proper disposal of unused or expired medications can help prevent prescription drug misuse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdoses are responsible for more than 100 deaths each day in the US, a rate that has tripled in the last two decades. Most of these overdoses are caused by prescription drugs, most of which were originally prescribed by a physician.
Commonly... Read More
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April 25th, 2014
Meet the Woman Who Pays Drug Addicts to Get Sterilized
Project Prevention founder Barbara Harris. Photo via
Barbara Harris is the founder of Project Prevention—initially named C.R.A.C.K. (Children Requiring a Caring Kommunity)—an organization that pays drug addicts $300 to get on long-term birth control. Since starting in 1989, they've paid for over 4,000 people in the US and the UK to be sterilized with tubal ligations, contraceptive implants or vasectomies.
In an interview with Vice, Harris discusses the moral complexities of... Read More
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April 25th, 2014
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens Backs Legal Marijuana
John Paul Stevens gives marijuana a supreme stamp of approval. Photo via
Legal marijuana can count on one more ally: retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. “I really think that that’s another instance of public opinion [that’s] changed," the 94-year-old said yesterday, when asked if he thought pot should be legal. "Recognize that the distinction between marijuana and alcoholic beverages is really not much of a distinction," he said.
He compares current marijuana laws to... Read More
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April 25th, 2014
Why Alcoholism Is the Convenient Scapegoat in the "Jewish Center Killer" Story
Frazier Glenn Miller is a nationally known figure in the white supremacist movement. When he killed three people in an antisemitic hate crime, his motive seemed pretty clear—until his movement and the media agreed to blame the bottle instead.... Read More
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April 24th, 2014
Video: Martin Sheen / President Bartlet Calls For Drug Sentencing Reform
President Jed Bartlet of political drama The West Wing is a passionate advocate of drug policy reform (incidentally, so is Martin Sheen, the actor who plays him). Sheen has reprised the iconic role in a new PSA (below), urging Congress to pass the Smarter Sentencing Act, which aims to cut mandatory minimum terms for nonviolent drug offenders.
The video opens by flashing photos of prisoners and listing their crimes along with the amount of jail time they were given, showing up... Read More
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April 24th, 2014
Cops in One NJ County Began Carrying Naloxone. Guess What? They Saved Six Lives in Month One.
Just the job. Photo via
In the fiendishly complicated field of addiction, when we know for sure that something works, we should seize on it: Naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses, saves lives. Rapidly changing laws and attitudes are now allowing its increased distribution across the US, and a local report today illustrates its effectiveness in microcosm.
Police officers in Ocean County, New Jersey, began carrying nasal spray kits earlier this month. Since then, they've saved... Read More
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April 24th, 2014
What's the "Tipping Point" for Drunken Munchies?
After the party is the after party! At the 7/11. Photo via
Nothing tops off a night of drinking like two slices of pizza, a burger, three bags of Cool Ranch Doritos and all the leftovers in the fridge. But the drunken tendency to consume large quantities of food rapidly—or the "drunchies" as my college roommate called it—can lead to some pretty heavy regrets. A new report claims that binge drinking and eating can lead to an average of about 6,300 extra calories over 24... Read More
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April 24th, 2014
What Chief Keef Teaches Us About Gang Violence and Drug Treatment
When the rapper says rehab was a joke, he has a point. The courts let him avoid prison by getting treatment for marijuana addiction. But for men like him, guns and gangs—which just took his cousin's life—are much bigger risks. ... Read More
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April 23rd, 2014
Video: Heroin Takes Another Life in Rich Suburbia
When crackdowns cause the painkiller supply to run low, even the richest suburbanites turn to heroin to get their fix.
In this video David Mundy, 27, recounts the tragic story of how his fun-loving best friend, Madison Walker of Fairfax County, Virginia, the second richest county in the country, became addicted to heroin. "Why isn't marijuana or alcohol enough?" Mundy wonders. "How do you go to heroin?"
Heroin was once seen as an outcasts' drug. Now, Mundy says he knows 20 to 30... Read More
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April 23rd, 2014
Sizzurp's Rise Was Sizzurp's Downfall
“And I got xanax, percocet, promethazine with codeine,” raps Weezy in “Rich as F*ck.” Photo via
It's a sad day for Weezy. Sizzurp, the notorious "purple drank" beloved by rappers and pop stars alike, is made up of promethazine codeine syrup (medicated cough syrup made by Activis), mixed with soda. First made famous by rapper Lil' Wayne, the drink has become a popular recreational drug, especially among young people. Now, all the media hype and reports of substance abuse have led... Read More
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April 23rd, 2014
Drunk Elephants: Myth or Reality?
A herd of "drunk" elephants have been photographed by a field guide in a South African national park, after supposedly eating a bunch of fermented fruit. But a scientific report claims elephant drunkenness is actually just a myth, and the creatures would have to consume a nearly-impossible amount of ethanol to feel the effects. This raises one of the most controversial questions of our time: are these elephants drunk, or not?
Ross Couper, who works for luxury safari outfit Singita in Kruger... Read More
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April 23rd, 2014
This Is Your Bard on Drugs
William Shakespeare, whose 450th birthday is today, is feverishly speculated to have used substances—including the booze that allegedly killed him. What's beyond doubt is that he wrote about drugs and drug users with gusto.... Read More
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April 22nd, 2014
When I Get Out of Prison, Staying Drug-Free Will Be Everything to Me
After two decades in federal prison—and one decade clean—my release date is close. My fellow prisoners' experiences after release offer both warnings and hope.... Read More
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April 16th, 2014
Jesus Would End the War on Drugs, Say Christian Leaders
A Christian coalition denounces drug policies that lead to racially biased mass incarceration.... Read More
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April 16th, 2014
Are iPads Ruining Kids' Motor Skills?
You probably wouldn't give your toddler a beer or a cigarette, but would you give them an iPad? Dependence on digital devices like iPads, smartphones and computer screens is radically changing the landscape of adult interaction. But it's having an even more worrying impact on children.
In the UK, the number of households with tablet computers more than doubled from 20 to 51% last year. And according to the British Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), increasing numbers of little kids... Read More
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April 16th, 2014
My Love Life as a Sober Sex and Love Addict
I quit booze and drugs, but then my drug of choice became sex and relationships. It took many years—and married men—before I could begin to break free of those cravings.... Read More
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April 15th, 2014
Here's How 10 Politicians Sweated the "Did-You-Smoke-Marijuana" Question
Eric Holder admits it—Marco Rubio won't. Politicians' answers to this very simple question have always been slippery.... Read More
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April 15th, 2014
Graphic: What the World Wants From Its "Perfect" Marijuana Experience
Strength, purity and flavor come into the reckoning—but stoners say they could do without some of the side-effects.... Read More
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April 15th, 2014
A Night Out With Irvine Welsh
The acclaimed author of Trainspotting, Filth and Skagboys takes us out on the tiles in New York City. Amid the carnage, he has a ton to tell us about books, movies and why you need to have done drugs to write about them.... Read More
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April 14th, 2014
Denver to Open Avant-Garde "Bud and Breakfast"
Not your typical B&B. Photo Via
At this B&B, expect those mints on your pillows to pack an extra punch.
Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in Colorado, the state's pot tourism industry is on the up-and-up. And the latest company to cash in on the weed boom is Pladeo Corp., soon to be known as The MaryJane Group, Inc. They've announced plans to transform traditional bed and breakfast The Adagio ("a beautiful Victorian mansion located in downtown Denver") in to the... Read More
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April 14th, 2014
Video: The Global Rise of Online Drugs Shopping
Back-alley drug deals could soon be history. More people are buying their legal and illegal drugs online, according to a new report by the Global Drugs Survey, and the shift is happening fast. Of the nearly 80,000 people worldwide who responded to the 2013 survey, about 60% said they had used illicit drugs in 2013. About 22% had purchased drugs online, and 44% of those had first done it in 2012 or 2013.
"The fact that 44% of respondents who had bought drugs online said they'd done it for... Read More
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April 14th, 2014
Bob Forrest Should Keep His Ignorance to Himself
Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab sidekick now has his own treatment program and blog, which he's using to dispense a dangerous brand of intolerance.... Read More
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April 11th, 2014
"Narco Junior" Revealed as DEA Agent Is Now Poised to Rat Out His Dad
Vicente Zambada, aka Narco Junior, at his bust in Mexico in 2009 Photo via
Vicente Zambada, the drug-trafficking son of the Sinaloa Cartel’s second in command, has made a unique career change over the past four years. Zambada, who is known in Mexico as "Narco Junior," has gone from supplying US consumers with billions of dollars of heroin, cocaine and other illegal drugs to supplying US authorities access to a trove of inside information on Sinaloa operations over the past two decades.
But... Read More
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April 11th, 2014
How the Drug War Drives Mass Deportation
18-year-old Saira Munoz could be deported after being arrested for selling pot brownies. Photo Via
Saira Munoz is an 18-year-old high school senior from California. She has lived in the US since the age of four. She sold pot brownies to her classmates in order to raise money for her prom dress—and having already received nine days' jail time and four years' probation, she now faces possible deportation.
Her story is more common than you might think: A new report shows that the... Read More
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April 11th, 2014
Timeline: Drugs and Drink Through the Ages
The first record of alcohol making and drinking dates from 3500 BC in Egypt. Photo via
Did you ever wonder how far back in history you have to go to find evidence of the first booze-hounds? Or when the cocaine was removed from Coca-Cola and replaced by caffeine? Or who's to blame for introducing tobacco to the Western world? Or who we can thank for first getting France high on pot?
Well, wonder no more! INDUP, the International Network of People who Use Drugs, has assembled the longest... Read More
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April 11th, 2014
Four Examples of Expensive Rehabs That Spread Stigma, Not Recovery
My clients' experiences show me that being berated and humiliated in addiction treatment is all too often par for the course.... Read More
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April 10th, 2014
Video: Tracy Morgan Sold Crack Before Going Into Showbiz
Ever wondered why Tracy Morgan is "so grounded"? According to him, it's because he let off a whole bunch of steam before getting started in showbiz: "I got fired from every crappy job in New York before I made it," said the comedian last night on Arsenio. When host Arsenio Hall asked him the last crappy job he was fired from, Morgan shot replied: "I was a crack dealer! I sold crack before show business. Everybody was. You either smoking it or you selling it—you pick one!"
But... Read More
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April 10th, 2014
Map: The Social Influence of Public Smoking
Smoking is addictive, of course. But it's also contagious. Exposure to others' smoking—on TV, in the movies, at home and as you pass by on the street—can play a major factor in influencing people to take up the habit. This is what public health researchers call "social contagion." But there was no concrete way to measure it—until now.
Researchers in New Zealand have come up with a way to measure the social impact of cigarette smoking by mapping smoking visibility on city streets. They... Read More
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April 10th, 2014
Video: Lindsay Lohan and Dave Letterman Talk Sobriety
Lindsay Lohan's appearance on Late Night With Dave Letterman last night involved laughter and some tears, as she discussed Lindsay, her OWN network docuseries. "[Lindsay is] pretty raw," said the 27-year-old actress. "It's just me kind of sorting out life again, figuring things out, taking new steps, living sober-minded. It's a process." The series shows Lohan attempting to navigate early recovery under the guidance of a sober coach, who quit in the last episode. Also in... Read More
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April 10th, 2014
How to Screw Up the 12 Steps
Like lighter fluid, webcams and nuclear fission, the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous can be used in ways that help us...and ways that don't. Here are 12 common ways for 12-steppers to trip up.... Read More
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April 9th, 2014
Graphic: Men Are More Likely to Suffer From Eating Disorders Than You Think
More than 10 million men in the US today will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lifetimes, according to a study by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Although eating disorders are often portrayed as a women's problem, the reality is that men are frequently under-diagnosed due to gender biases. A young boy is typically told to "man up," when a young girl is taken to the hospital, reports ABC News.
“Our findings suggest that men may experience particular... Read More
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April 9th, 2014
Edie Falco Talks About Addiction, On-Screen and Off
Sobriety is fiction for Nurse Jackie, reality for Edie Falco. Photo Via
Art imitates life for Edie Falco, who is in long-term recovery for addiction and plays a pill-addicted ER nurse in the series Nurse Jackie. Jackie did finally get sober last season and started attending 12-step meetings. But—spoiler alert!—on the eve of the party celebrating her one year of sobriety, she relapsed—taking the one pill she had refused to throw away. This Sunday, Nurse Jackie... Read More
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April 8th, 2014
Watch Out, World: Here Come the Alcoholic E-Cigarettes
Portable alcoholic vaporizers are about to hit the market. And they could spell trouble.... Read More
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April 8th, 2014
Photo Essay: Tobacco Growers Around the World
Changing times have seen the dramatic transformation of the tobacco-farming landscape—my own family stopped growing tobacco in Virginia 20 years ago. This inspired my journey to photograph other tobacco-farming people, from Indonesia to Malawi to Brazil.... Read More
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April 7th, 2014
This "Family" Theme Park Was Built by a Colombian Drug Lord
Fun for the whole family?
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was killed by police in December 1993 after running what is thought to be history's most successful cocaine cartel. Worth an estimated net-worth of US $25 billion, Escobar was regarded as one of the wealthiest criminals of all time. So what did he do with all that dough?
In addition to constructing houses for the poor and getting himself elected to Colombian Congress, in 1978, Escobar purchased a huge tract of land and began... Read More
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April 7th, 2014
The Lifesaving Cops Who Carry Naloxone
Police forces across the US are increasingly being backed to deploy a simple tool that their role as first responders demands. Substance.com reports from Massachusetts, where the governor recently declared a public health emergency over opioid overdoses.... Read More
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April 4th, 2014
Webcomic Shows What Anorexia Recovery Is Like
Khale McHurst is a graphic artist, a "grownup" with a successful career, and a feminist. She's also a recovering anorexic. Her webcomic, I Do Not Have an Eating Disorder (don't let the title fool you), illustrates that anorexia—like any other mental illness—doesn't have to look or feel a certain way. Her experiences, shared through drawings and raw personal narrative, are both unique and universal.
McHurst bares all, sharing intimate details from her early self-harm, to her... Read More
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April 4th, 2014
Video: Entertainer Elaine Stritch, 90, On Drinking After Long-Term Sobriety
Off the wagon, still going strong. Photo Via
“Drinking is what scares me the most because it’s such a warm, inviting escape,” says the legendary Broadway and cabaret entertainer Elaine Stritch in Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, a new documentary about her life and career. For Stritch, who is known as “Broadway’s last first lady,” her life was her career, and the documentary has been widely praised as a rawly honest portrait of a rawly honest women who, even now at... Read More
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April 4th, 2014
UN Event: Why We're Failing Female Participants in the Global Drug Trade
Prison time for women often means prison time for their kids, too. Photo Via
Though women still make up only about 10% of the global prison population, this rate is rising much faster than that of men. And women tend to face different circumstances leading to their arrest and incarceration. These issues were addressed at a roundtable discussion at the UN headquarters in NYC yesterday: "Women, Drug Policy, and Incarceration in the Americas," sponsored by the Harm Reduction Coalition and... Read More
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April 4th, 2014
My Bare-Knuckle Bout With Suboxone
It all started with such high hopes: Bupe was new, exciting and much more attractive than the methadone I was stuck on. What could possibly go wrong?... Read More
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April 3rd, 2014
Meet the Man Who Has Collected 30,000 Tabs of Acid
No one loves acid like this guy.
Mark McCloud is just your typical eccentric middle-aged art collector—only, his artwork is tabs of LSD. His revered collection is up to about 30,000 tabs, which he has framed and catalogued in his Victorian mansion in San Francisco. An Argentinian who started doing pot and mescaline at age 12 when his family moved to the US, McCloud is occasionally visited—and arrested—by the DEA. But most of his acid tabs are too old at this point to cause a real... Read More
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April 3rd, 2014
Aaron Freeman Breaks Free of Drugs, Booze and Ween
Freeman is a free man. Photo Via
Aaron Freeman, former lead singer of the band Ween, is breaking free: he's sober, he's performing solo, and he's no longer going by "Gene Ween"—the name under which he performed with the cult rock band Ween until 2012. In the 12-step world, recovering addicts are often encouraged to avoid "people, places and things" they associate with using drugs and alcohol. It appears Freeman, 44, is doing just that. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the... Read More
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April 3rd, 2014
The Fort Hood Shooter's Untreated PTSD: A Veteran's Suicide Note Tells How It Feels
PTSD carries a high risk of substance use disorder and is scandalously undertreated in soldiers and veterans.... Read More
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April 2nd, 2014
Major New Survey: Two-Thirds of Americans Favor Broad Liberalization of Drug Policies
The latest figures reveal a sweeping change in attitudes.... Read More
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April 2nd, 2014
Quiz: Are you a Love Addict?
Having relationship or dating issues? Maybe love addiction is to blame: Try our interactive quiz.... Read More
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April 2nd, 2014
Why Drug Nostalgia Ain't What It Used to Be
The legends of lost substances grow in the re-telling, casting rose-tinted light on our cultural relationships with drugs. Take Diconal—a little pink pill whose mere mention turns users of a certain age all misty-eyed.... Read More
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April 1st, 2014
Do You Have an Alcohol Problem? Take the Quiz
April is alcohol awareness month, and awareness starts at home.... Read More
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April 1st, 2014
How to Quit Your Job, Soberly
Getting smashed at the company Christmas party forced me to quit my previous job in embarrassing fashion. This time—two years after I got sober—I'm doing it right.... Read More
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March 31st, 2014
Video: Ken Brown, 70, Wins Acclaim for Amazing Psychedelic Films He Made at 23 (and Forgot About)
Ken Brown is an illustrator and photographer in New York City. In 2007, when he was at a show at the Whitney Museum called “The Summer of Love and The Art of the Psychedelic Era,” he saw a “trippy” lightshow display and then recalled his own 8 mm films from that same era.
In 1967 Brown was a 23-year-old college graduate in Boston with a Fujica Single-8, a camera that enabled him to rewind film so that he could get multi-exposures. He was hired by the Boston Tea Party, a legendary... Read More
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March 31st, 2014
Video: Why Is This Potent HIV Medication Being Used to Get High?
Efavirenz is a drug used as part of an anti-retroviral regime taken to treat HIV. In South Africa, however, efavirenz has also been showing up as a component in a street drug cocktail called Nyaope (or "whoonga"). The mixture usually contains heroin, efavirenz and various other substances.
In this video, Vice reporter Hamilton Morris travels to Johannesburg to investigate the history of Nyaope and the role anti-retrovirals like efavirenz play. He visits local homes to see how... Read More
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March 31st, 2014
Video: Is This "Heroin Song" by Damon Albarn Really as Pro-Drug as Headlines Suggest?
The former Blur frontman's admissions have caused controversy—even though he acknowledges the dangers of heroin and quit using way back in 1999.... Read More
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March 31st, 2014
Why We Need to Stop Nora Volkow From Taking Over the World
The head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse uses brain scans to propagate the disease model of addiction. I say she's wrong—and the dominance of her theory causes great harm. ... Read More
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March 27th, 2014
A New Strain of Marijuana, Brought to You by Uncle Sam!
A researcher at the US government's pot farm, breeding medicinal Mary Jane Photo via
The US government runs a marijuana farm at the University of Mississippi, funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse, where researchers have just cultivated a new strain of weed for the first time ever.
The plant was bred to have equal levels of marijuana’s main active ingredients, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol ) and CBD (cannabidiol). By contrast, the marijuana produced by Mother Nature has high... Read More
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March 27th, 2014
Drug Dealing Is an Addiction, Too. I Should Know.
Here in federal prison, my fellow inmates agree with me that the lure of the lifestyle can be as hard to break as a drug habit.... Read More
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March 26th, 2014
Ten Songs With Hidden Drug References
Some are subtle. Others...not so much. Either way, musicians have been smuggling drugs into their songs since the dawn of recorded music. ... Read More
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March 25th, 2014
Debate: How Worried Should We Be About E-Liquids?
How hazardous are they? Photo via
E-liquids—the liquid nicotine used to refill reusable e-cigarettes—are sold legally nationwide. But in the last couple of days, the seemingly harmless, smoke-free liquids have sparked some starkly contrasting media attitudes.
Matt Richtel of The New York Times writes that e-liquids are a dangerous poison—even more so than tobacco in some cases.
But Reason.com's Jacob Sollum vehemently counters Richtel's assertions,... Read More
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March 25th, 2014
The "New" Heroin Crisis Is Old News—But We Need a New Response
My experiences as a social worker and recovering addict showed me long ago why people "graduate" from Rx opioids to heroin. As publicity belatedly builds, will we be able to avoid the knee-jerk reaction of revving up the drug war?... Read More
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March 24th, 2014
"Substance Abuse" Is a Label We Should All Reject
There is clear evidence that the phrases "substance abuse" and "substance abuser" harm, as well as disparage, people with addiction. It's time to ditch these terms.... Read More
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March 21st, 2014
How a DEA Enforcer Became the Godfather of the New LSD Revolution
Shulgin, hard at work Photo via
In 2000, the DEA busted two men who had an LSD production lab in a missile-silo in rural Kansas. The silo was psychedelia’s equivalent of an oil gusher, supplying an estimated 90% of the world’s acid. Following the agency’s “Operation White Rabbit,” the pipelines ran dry and, for the first time since the hallucinogen was popularized in the mid-1960s, planet Earth faced a psychedelic winter—the death of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, as Burning Man... Read More
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March 20th, 2014
Podcast: Philip Seymour Hoffman and the Reality of Using Heroin Alone
Podcast:
When Philip Seymour Hoffman died of a heroin overdose in January, he was alone in his apartment. The media made a big deal of this. For one thing, had he not been alone, he may have received medical help and survived. But there was also a fixed assumption in the coverage that because he was shooting heroin alone, he was miserable, tortured, wrestling with demons—definitely not partying.
Talk to current or former heroin users, however, and you... Read More
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March 20th, 2014
Why I Allow My Underage Daughters to Drink
I've seen older members of my family struggle with alcoholism, so I know the damage drinking can do. I expect criticism. But parenting is about making hard choices, and these are mine.... Read More
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March 19th, 2014
The 12 Steps for Facebookaholics
Are you powerless over your social networking? Has Facebook driven a wedge between your relationships with actual three-dimensional living, breathing human beings? Are you dying for "likes"? You're not alone, Facebook-a-holic! Canadian children's book author Sheree Fitch says she quit the site—at first deactivating, then actually deleting her account—because it was consuming her life, compromising her work, and causing her to gain weight. As a self-employed writer, the site helped her... Read More
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March 19th, 2014
I Want My E-Cigarettes! Here's Why Mentally Ill People Should Get Them
People with mental illnesses have a unique, intense relationship with smoking, which can ease distress as well as kill. Now that a much safer version of the habit is available, it's no time for the anti-smoking lobby to play Nurse Ratched.... Read More
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March 18th, 2014
The Caffeine Cover-Up: Author Reveals How Little We Know About Our Favorite Drug
Murray Carpenter take his dose. Photo via
Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts and Hooks Us is a big new book about caffeine, the world's most widely used drug. Most of us have been consuming this chemical on a daily basis since we were kids, in coffee, tea, Coke, energy drinks, etc. Yet despite caffeine’s ubiquity, it is curious—suspiciously so—how little we think or know about it.
Caffeinated author Murray Carpenter got on the case to expose a... Read More
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March 18th, 2014
I'm in Recovery and I Fight to Reform Our Drug Laws: It's a Natural Fit
It's vital that those of us who have experienced addiction have our voices heard in the drug policy debate. And the fact that we've quit using drugs ourselves doesn't mean that we should support a blanket policy of prohibition. ... Read More
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March 17th, 2014
Drug Users Plan to Flee Crimea as Russia Blocks Harm Reduction Programs
Russian troops are blocking vital supplies for drug users. Photo via
Today, Crimea's Russian-backed government formally declared its independence from Ukraine and asked Russia for annexation. Drug users there are verging on panic, according to a coalition of advocacy groups called the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD).
In an announcement released this morning, INPUD warns that the Russian military occupation of Crimea poses grave health risks to opioid users, as new... Read More
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March 17th, 2014
An Audience With an Online Drug Dealer
Hidden drug marketplaces like Silk Road and its successors are the venues of choice for ever more people looking to score. But who are the pioneering "vendors" who operate on these Deep Web sites? Substance.com's reporter spent the day with one of them.... Read More
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March 14th, 2014
Seth Rogen Reveals His Famous Stoner Friends
Everyone knows comedian and actor Seth Rogen is a huge pothead; he's not exactly stealth about it. But would he rat out his famous stoner buddies? Yup, no problem. On "Watch What Happens Live" this week, host Andy Cohen pushed Seth Rogen to spill on which Hollywood high rollers he's gotten high with. Perhaps surprisingly, James Franco, despite seeming to always be under the influence of something, is a no—in fact, Rogen claims he doesn't smoke weed at all. Barbara Streisand, on the other... Read More
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March 13th, 2014
The Fall of "El Chapo" Sheds Light on a Dark US-Cartel Alliance
The capture of the world's most wanted drug lord has been hailed as a drug-war victory. But behind the headlines, the trail of collusion between the US and Mexican governments and "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa cartel undermines the story we are being sold.... Read More
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March 12th, 2014
What Are the Five Most Addictive Behaviors Known to Science?
Drugs aren't the only highs in town: Many of us find ourselves hooked on anything from cupcakes to Candy Crush Saga—and the experts are scrambling to catch up.... Read More
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March 11th, 2014
"So You're Going to Take LSD": A Beginner's Guide From 1967
The stern advice includes "do not go to a beach," "bring a clock" and "do not tell others you can read their minds." ... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
Mesmerizing Photos Capture Mexico's Unseen Drug War
Mexico's drug wars have taken tens of thousands of lives, and continue to impact countless more every day. Its main protagonists, the drug lords and law enforcement officers, get constant media exposure. But what about the often-unseen victims, such as mothers, shop owners and addicts? David Rochkind's unflinching photoessay, "Heavy Hand, Sunken Spirit," gives a face to the "regular people" devastated by the violence. “This story is about more than just body counts on the border and I was... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
The Man Who Accidentally Started the Drug Culture
Photo Via
Howard Bloom, the scientific Big Thinker and author of The Lucifer Principle and The God Problem, was a big-time music industry impresario in the 1970s before he got chronic-fatigue syndrome and settled into his widely acclaimed second career.
In his new book, How I Accidentally Started the Drug Culture in 1962, he reveals that his “cosmic” cognitions had their origins in his rocking and rolling psychedelic youth.
Here's a taste of one of his... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
The Night My Son OD'd in the ER: A Nurse’s Story
Medical staff often treat homeless addicts with indifference or worse. I was no exception. But then my own son showed up in the ER, close to death.... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
Why Potency Labels on Legal Pot Are Unlikely to Be Accurate
Read the label with a pinch of salt. Photo via
Marijuana users in Colorado, now able to buy pot legally, have begun comparison-shopping in the standard ways—including checking the labels. The new state-regulated marijuana market requires every pot item to have a label, which includes information about the strain of weed and its THC potency. But some shoppers are in store for a surprise when they get home and toke up: Many of the labels are simply wrong. Don't blame human error. It may be... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
Colin Farrell Recalls His "Terrifying" First Sober Sex
Not as slick as he seems. Photo Via
Apparently even movie stars can get performance anxiety without the help of a little liquid courage. In the March issue of Elle, Colin Farrell says his first time having sober sex was "one of the most terrifying moments of my life." The 37-year-old actor, who is now eight years sober, says getting intimate without any drugs or alcohol took some getting used to: "I was just used to drunkenness and dark rooms and clubs and toilets and... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
For Colorado Stoners, Legal Pot Is Still More Promised Land Than Reality
After the initial high, legalization is helping marijuana users less than it should, says this local reporter and consumer—and the media is one big reason why.... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
Kick-Start Your Morning With a Sober Rave!
For those days when a cup of coffee and a shower won't cut it, why not wake up and hit the dance floor? If you live in London, this could be your new thing. Morning Glory is a completely sober dance party in a London warehouse that starts at 7:30 am, where early risers are encouraged to “rave your way into the day.” There are changing rooms so dancers can get ready and head straight to work after. The organizers of the event say it's part of a movement towards encouraging "conscious... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
A Century of Sexist Alcohol Ads
Looking back on a hundred years of alcohol industry sales tactics, the sexism is all-too blatant—with ads often depicting women as objects to be consumed, rather than consumers. What’s worse, there's little evidence that much is changing.... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
WTF Is Love Addiction!?
Romantic obsession is an addiction every bit as real as a drug problem, says this recovering love addict. So, how do you know if you are one?... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
This Is the Beginning of the End of the War on Drugs
With the advent of marijuana legalization, alternatives to incarceration, harm reduction as treatment and other rational approaches to addiction, 2014 could be an unprecedented turning point.... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
Gambling Addiction Is Growing Fastest Among Seniors
Seniors are eager victims of the one-armed bandit. Photo via
People over the age of 65 are getting addicted to gambling faster than any other age group. The problem can turn their "twilight" years very dark. At stake are their retirement savings, Social Security checks and any other "nest eggs" they have accumulated over decades of labor. They have far fewer opportunities to recoup their losses because new jobs are hard to find. Many also have steep medical bills. Yet the gaming industry... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
Crack-Pipe Vending Machines Are Vancouver's Latest Good Idea
Vancouver has long been the leading light of North America's harm reduction efforts, thanks in large part to Insite, the supervised drug consumption facility that has been saving lives for over a decade. Now the Portland Hotel Society, the organization behind Insite, has set up two vending machines that sell sterilized crack pipes for 25 cents each, as this short film by Nadim Roberts shows.
Sharing pipes, which sometimes cut or blister users' mouths, can help to spread diseases like HIV and... Read More
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March 10th, 2014
Can We Blame Our Smoking on the Neanderthals? Let's Try!
Photo Via
We can't blame the Neanderthals for everything, but we may be able to pin a few of our behaviors and health issues on your hairy ancestors—including our smoking habits! A study has linked Neanderthal DNA remnants in the genes of non-African modern humans to a number of health problems, including Crohn's disease, lupus, cirrhosis and Type-2 diabetes. One genetic variant in Europeans was associated with the tendency to smoke (even though the Neanderthals themselves had... Read More
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March 9th, 2014
What's Causing the Rise in Steroid Use Among Young, Gay Boys?
Photo Via
Steroids are a quick-and-dirty way for men and women to generate muscle, and as of late, have become popular even among boys as young as 12. A new study finds that teenage boys who self-identify as gay or bisexual use the drug at an average rate six times greater than that of straight boys—a sharp disparity that health experts are at pains to explain.
Are these youths attempting to conform to unreasonable expectations of male beauty? Are they armoring themselves against... Read More
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February 20th, 2014
What's the Relationship Between Addiction and Choice?
If, like me, you sometimes struggle to get your head around the apparent contradiction that although being addicted isn't a choice, addicted people do still retain free will, this piece by Vaughan Bell might help. It's well worth reading in full, but here's the crux of his explanation:
"Addiction has a massive effect on people’s choices but not so much by altering the control of actions but by changing the value and consequences of those actions. If that’s not clear, try thinking of it... Read More
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