The National Survey on #DrugUse & #Health is an annual survey of households conducted by the #SubstanceAbuse & #MentalHealth Administration, which is being dissolved in *#Health* Secy #RFKJr's overhaul of the nation's health agencies.
"We survey about 70k people, 12 & older each year," says Jennifer Hoenig, who used to lead the team of scientists in charge of the survey, which is the largest in the country.
#AddictionIsADisease #PublicHealth #SelfMedicating #eugenics #overdose #deaths #Trump
So much for giving a shit about #overdose #deaths
They've tracked Americans' #DrugUse for decades. #Trump & #RFKJr fired them
A federal #study on #MentalHealth problems & #SubstanceAbuse across the country that has been running for decades & is used by a wide range of researchers faces an uncertain future after Trump cuts.
#AddictionIsADisease #PublicHealth #SelfMedicating #eugenics #FDT
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/05/29/nx-s1-5407849/samhsa-nsduh-trump-rfk-jr-hhs-cuts
14-May-2025
#Chimpanzees use #medicinal leaves to perform first aid
Scientists observed chimpanzees in Uganda apparently cleaning and treating their own and others’ wounds
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1083030
see also my feature on #animals #selfMedicating (#openArchives) https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2023/05/animal-health-services.html #science #ethology #behaviour #ecology
What #SelfMedicating #Animals Can Teach Us About #Medicine
https://www.inverse.com/science/animals-self-medicate-plants
One of the interesting aspects of making substantial lifestyle changes - such as, say, getting #sober - is revisiting cherished works and rediscovering them with new eyes.
I've long been a heavy #drinker, but there was a decade where, while I wouldn't say I was an #alcoholic, I was definitely #selfmedicating. But recent years have seen me clean up a lot and I've been revisiting books that I remember reading - that I remember the outlines of - but none of the details of. And its great!
@tanepiper THIS. I drink it all day. Like chain smoking cups of coffee. First thing I do in the morning, and last thing I do before I close my eyes and I sleep like a baby. #selfmedicating #adhd // @daveshea @johnallsopp
@maggiemaybe
Last night on MSNBC, I saw LA Times journalist Keegan Hamilton, interviewed by Paola Ramos (subbing for Alicia Menendez), say it right out loud: China and Mexico don't have the massive substance addiction casualties that we find in the US: they also have universal, single payer health care.
https://www.msnbc.com/american-voices/watch/mexico-china-agree-to-help-u-s-curb-opioid-crisis-198235717827
#selfmedicating #fentanyl #OpiodCrisis #addiction #captialismisantitheticaltohealthcare.
I absolutely HATE the idea that I sound like I am repudiating alcohol.
I DO have a drink now and again.
It's just *rare* these days. I don't go out a lot.
Her nonsense might have flown in my twenties 🤷🏾♀️, other than the rest of the team are more of the, "Do you want help? How can we help you," types.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy #DBT is a godsend for folks with #PersonalityDisorders, and I really think just about anyone - #MentallyIll or not - could benefit from its concepts.
As someone who simultaneously struggles with Borderline Personality Disorder #BPD and Attention Deficit Disorder #ADD/#ADHD, being able to consistently implement and maintain the principles of DBT feels like a monumental and discouraging challenge, not the least of which is the cost of attending traditional #therapy when my partner and I are struggling just to survive. And in order to become stable enough to survive, we need to develop the #CopingSkills taught in DBT.. but we can't afford it!
My ADHD augments my BPD, leaving me with zero self-discipline. For example, I've dabbled with Duolingo and have a 42 day streak going, it's probably the longest amount of time I've maintained a healthy habit in my entire life. I need help to focus and I'm tired of feeling too ashamed to say so.
I realize people need to be compensated for their pioneering work in #behavioraltherapy but I wonder if there's some way to "open source" the teaching and practicing of DBT for people like me who otherwise couldn't afford it, and will *never* be able to afford it without the skills therein! Chronic #poverty shouldn't be a nearly insurmountable obstacle to effective treatment whether it be mental health or otherwise.
At this point I'm essentially #SelfMedicating with #cannabis most of my waking hours to cope with.. well, the shitshow that is my personal life with #MentalIllness and the burning shitshow that is the world. I can't afford to do that long-term.
I truly, honestly believe DBT is a miracle but we need a way to #share the knowledge as a matter of improving overall humanity.
Thoughts? Ideas? Slipped into a coma trying to finish this? I understand.
EDIT: Made slightly more long-winded and repetitive, also sprinkled more hashtags to hopefully increase reach.
#Journal, Day 1209
Tuesday, 11 July 2023
(Day 71 of #WGAstrike)
Trans people turn to risky ‘grey market’ for HRT as NHS wait lists spiral | openDemocracy
#NHS
#NHSWaitingLists
#HRT
#Trans
#GenderAffirmingHealthcare
#Transition
#GreyMarket
#UnregulatedSuppliers
#SelfMedicating
#MentalHealth
#Transphobia
#LackOfParentalSupport
#Homelessness
#GenderDysphoria
#Suicide
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/diy-hrt-grey-market-hormones-trans-healthcare-nhs/?utm_source=oD%20Daily%20SEGMENT&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NHS%20wait%20lists%20force%20some%20into%20%E2%80%98grey%20market%E2%80%99&_kx=Xku3CuTVfvJvWrKmPGcGLaQBRW-uS4tEDbu20Zt3rXRnSrUM-8Z5fhMAb1GgBoCz.YjCYwm
Cocktail Hour #SelfMedicating #TurkeyHill #VodkaCranberry #DrinkyTime
@schizanon I have found that a little Blueberry Skunk works well to help clear away some of the #LongCovid induced brain fog for me and help me get things done (I also have ADHD but the LongCovid outclasses it ). But if you have issues with headaches or sinus pressure it tends to amplify your awareness of them. It also helps with my LongCovid-induced bouts of nausea.
Self medicating on coffee has its limits … when the heart is beating so fast that the skin is rippling like waves on the ocean and you’re past the point of concentration you wanted and now you’ve been looking at a wall for 4h, I think it’s time to dial it down a bit.
Focus and concentration are important but not at the cost of reducing your lifespan. Balance is key. I’m honestly discovering it only lately.
I mean, you do you but I prefer to live as long as I can to pursue answers and introspection :)
An anthropologist, a lawyer, and a neuroscientist’s response to Michael #Pollan:
"While Pollan’s points about ensuring safe use are important #harmreduction concepts, and it is true that people #selfmedicating without guidance or using #psilocybin #recreationally can be disorienting, it ignores the fact that, in the United States there is already a widespread culture of #psychedelic drug use that, for the most part, follows #reasonable guidelines already."
