drugs
Cockroaches scampered up the bed and scurried across my Greenwich Village apartment floor. A tarantula writhed atop my dresser. I knew I was hallucinating. The empty liter of Bacardi rum glared at me next to barren packets of cocaine. I had hit bottom in my addiction.
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When I quit drugs and drinking, I found out I had chronic persistent hepatitis C. I’d contracted it in 1978 when I was 17. As the years went by, my chances increased for developing cirrhosis, liver cancer, or liver failure. I might even need a liver transplant. I’d heard about interferon and its brutal side effects, including suicidal depression. I had HCV (hepatitis C virus) because I’d been so depressed as a teen, I shot drugs and shared needles in hopes I’d croak.
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‘How to Murder Your Life’ by Cat Marnell is what every addict memoir should be: adventure-packed, shocking, darkly humorous, and gut-wrenching—the only thing missing is sobriety. You’re likely to read it in one fast sitting. It’s a fascinating, yet disturbing, tale about Adderall addiction.
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“A huge part of my alcoholism was anxiety,” 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas told me. “I had panic attacks since kindergarten.” During our interview and in her new book, Between Breaths: A Memoir of Panic and Addiction, the veteran newscaster was candid about almost losing everything.
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Written for The Fix Nobody strives to become a heroin addict. Even misguided souls with a romanticized notion of H never intended to go through the nightmare of withdrawal on a jail cell floor. But that’s what happens to many users caught in the whirlwind of our nation’s opiate crisis. Science is teaching us that addicts … Read more
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It’s caused no overdose deaths. It feels like coffee and a light painkiller. Is there any reason for the FDA to crack down on kratom?
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Dorri Olds interviewed the writer and director of the documentary, “Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty.” Angus Macqueen and his partner, cameraman and co-director Guillermo Galdos, went after the most successful drug lord in history, Joaquin Guzman. “El Chapo” (“Shorty”), his nickname from childhood, is the head of the Sinaloa cartel.
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Shana Betz wrote and directed her first feature film. “Free Ride” is a drama based on her life in the 1970s. Shana’s mother (named Christina for the film) is played by Anna Paquin. At the beginning of the movie Christina is in an abusive relationship. She wants to protect her daughters and make a better life for them.
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Written for TheFix An exclusive interview with Adam Salky about directing Sarah Silverman in “I Smile Back.” Oh, addicts. Slippery and charming until everything falls apart. Watching Laney Brooks (Sarah Silverman) unravel is like rubbernecking at an Oscar-worthy disaster. Anyone who has ever been close to an addict or mentally ill person—which is practically everyone, … Read more
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Excerpts from my article written for The Fix All photos courtesy of Mirzaei Films. Laila at the Bridge—How to Combat Heroin Addiction in Afghanistan A new documentary follows a woman’s efforts in Afghanistan to fight addiction. Since the fall of the Taliban, the production of opium has skyrocketed. Afghanistan produces 90% of the world’s supply and 11% … Read more
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