Jonathan Van Ness reveals HIV diagnosis, former drug addiction

So many people have had their own share of drug addiction. There are those who sought help for it, but for others, it took them a long time to admit that they were once addicted to drugs. Just like Jonathan Van Ness of “Queer Eye” is getting vulnerable in his new memoir “Over the Top.”

In a preview of his book with the New York Times, Van Ness opened up about his early struggles with sex and drug addiction as well as his experience with sexual assault, revealing that he was abused by an older boy from his childhood church. “For a lot of people who are survivors of sexual assault at a young age, we have a lot of compounded trauma,” he said.

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That trauma, Van Ness revealed, led to a series of other “self-destructive” behaviors, including spending hours in AOL chat rooms, which he used to meet up with older men for sex in his teens. Later on, Van Ness started college at the University of Arizona in Tucson where he began doing cocaine. And after spending his monthly allowance on the drug, he began advertising sex for more money. Soon after, he flunked out of college.

Van Ness then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a hairstylist, where he was introduced to methamphetamine, resulting in two rehab trips and two relapses. It wasn’t until he fainted while working in a salon that he “cleaned up” his act. The day after he fainted, Van Ness revealed, he went to Planned Parenthood where he tested positive for H.I.V.

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Company Will Test Psychedelic for Treatment of Opioid Addiction

Opioid addiction is a major problem for a long time now. Although there have been numerous initiatives to end the problem, the process is still ongoing. Still, so many people are suffering from the effects of the drug. This means that more intensive efforts should be done and implemented. In Toronto, a company is looking to have an impact on the treatment of opioid addiction by exploring the potential of psychedelics, an area of study that to this point has seen more intense activity in the mental health field.

Mind Medicine Inc. (Mindmed) announced this week that it has acquired the drug development program for 18-MC (18-methoxycoronaridine), a synthetic derivative of the psychedelic drug ibogaine. The company is preparing 18-MC for a Phase II clinical trial examining its effects in the treatment of opioid use disorder.

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) had funded the 18-MC drug development program for the previous owner, Savant HWP Inc., in 2012, with that leading to one clinical trail of the drug.

Researchers developed 18-MC in 1996 to mitigate the hallucinogenic effects of ibogaine while maintaining its therapeutic properties. Mindmed officials said this week that they also intend to address addiction by developing new versions of other psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin.

There have been inroads in understanding the potential role of psychedelics in mental health treatment, although a recent literature review suggested that better-designed studies are needed to give a full assessment of psychedelics’ potential.

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Candlelight vigil helps raise awareness about growing problem of addiction in Gloucester County

Drug addiction is a growing problem across the world. It has been affecting the lives of countless people. The effects and consequences of addiction are so dangerous that it can even take one’s life. Due to this, efforts are made to raise awareness and put an end to this problem. In Gloucester County, Candlelight vigil helps raise awareness about the growing problem of addiction in Gloucester County.

Family and friends gathered at James G. Atkins Park on Tuesday to honor loved ones at the fourth annual Candlelight Vigil to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day. The park was a sea of purple, the color which is used to symbolize Overdose Awareness. This event was created by the Gloucester County Freeholders along with the Gloucester County Addictions Task Force and included representatives from area hospitals, recovery housing services and grief counselors talking about services they can provide.

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“I read an article about the heroin overdose problem in Monroe Township, specifically how it was around 25 times the national average,” said Freeholder Jim Jefferson. “After that, we decided we had to so more to help people. So, we just called together people from all walks of life to try and address all the different ways this touches Gloucester County.”

The vigil brought together people who have been affected by addiction so they could find help or support through those going through the same situation or through resources they might not be able to find on their own.

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Drug deaths in England and Wales at highest level since records began, figures show

The most unfortunate thing that could happen as a result of drug addiction would be death- the lost lives. But in spite of so many cases of drug-related deaths, it is a sad reality that still, so many people choose to use drugs and put their lives in danger. In fact, drug deaths in England and Wales are at their highest level since record began.

Drug deaths in England and Wales have hit a record high, with around 56 people now dying every week from illicit substances, new figures show. Ministers have been accused of “clinging to their failing policies on drugs” after data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there were 4,359 deaths related to drug poisoning last year, the highest number since records began in 1993.

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Campaigners said the rising rates were “avoidable” and accused ministers of taking an approach that was too focused on law enforcement, while also presiding over cuts to local authority budgets which they said undermined the ability to deliver effective drug treatment services.

The Independent revealed last month that the number of live-in drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in England had fallen by a third in six years, prompting concerns that as budgets fall, councils are sending fewer people to lifesaving residential rehabilitation centres.

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Drug crackdown launched in notorious San Francisco district

Rampant drug use is everywhere. In fact, drugs are one of the most pressing problems that the world faces at this present time. With this, it is very important to strengthen efforts to put an end to this problem. In San Francisco, just like in other parts of the world, they too are trying their best to solve their drug problem and to save more lives from ending as victims.

Seventeen federal law enforcement agencies are teaming up for a yearlong crackdown on a notorious area of San Francisco crawling with rampant drug use and “smothered by lawlessness,” a federal prosecutor said Wednesday. The government is arresting drug traffickers in the Tenderloin neighbourhood, near the city’s downtown, as the first step in cleaning up a roughly 50-block area long plagued by poverty and where open drug use has been tolerated for years, U.S. Attorney David Anderson said.

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The crackdown comes as California has become more tolerant of casual drug use after voters reduced penalties for possession of cocaine, heroin and opiates in 2014 and legalized marijuana in 2016. It also comes as San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the elected supervisor for the area have pledged to target flagrant drug dealing.

But San Francisco also strongly opposes federal immigration sweeps, and immigration agents are among those joining the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service and others in the effort. And while city officials know the Tenderloin is a problem, they’re torn on how to address drug dealing and drug addiction, with some saying the city shouldn’t waste resources going after low-level offenders and criminalizing homelessness.

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The 25 most dangerous drugs

Opioids are among the most powerful drugs. Powerful in a sense that it has a lot of negative effects to whoever chooses to use it, more so to those who have been addicted to it. The epidemic continues to affect people across the world. In fact, nearly 70,000 Americans died from a drug overdose last year, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While prescription painkillers and other street and illicit drugs have certainly fueled the rise in opioid deaths, they are not the only dangerous drugs. Many other drugs, including some seemingly innocuous over-the-counter medications, can be dangerous. The opioid epidemic is on this list of the most serious public health issues facing America today. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. More Americans die of drug overdoses than in car accidents, which are also frequently the result of substance abuse – nearly half of fatal car accidents involve alcohol or other substances.

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To better understand the likelihood of Americans dying from using a specific substance, it is important to also get a better understanding of the substance itself – its properties, interactions with other drugs and alcohol, and how often it is used.

The vast majority of people who drink alcohol in the United States – more than half of Americans – do so responsibly. Millions of people also use pain medication every day and do not stray from their prescribed dosage. And while overdoses from prescription opioids are a major factor in the opioid epidemic, opioids are essential to many Americans who rely on them to function.

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From addiction to career; one man’s story of his battle with opiods

So many people are struggling with drug addiction. But they are not the only ones suffering. Their loved ones suffer as well. At the same time, the negative effects of drug impact the society as it could lead to different crimes and other negative things. But life does not end here. There is always hope for everyone, even for those who have been dependent on drugs.

Here is a story of a changed man, someone who has been addicted to drugs and is now leading a good life. For many struggling with addiction, it can feel like there’s no way out. But as we continue our series on the opioid crisis, we hear one man’s story on how he beat his dependence. Now he uses his experience to save others. Sean Gorda is a case manager at Lane County’s Methadone Clinic in Eugene, helping people with addictions on the path to sobriety. It’s a struggle he can relate to.

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At 14, he had a major surgery, and when he received morphine to deal with the pain, it changed his life forever.

“It was like a light came on in my brain,” said Gorda. “And it was like this sort of makes me feel okay”

Sean developed an addiction to painkillers, taking everything from hydrocodone to fentanyl, and eventually heroin. He says his life became a struggle against withdrawal.

“It’s kind of like the worst flu you had in your life,” he said. “And knowing that 20, 20 bucks, 50 bucks is going to fix it.”

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