Amazing rant against prescription pain killers.

Drugs ARE like that

Some genius mashed up this bizarre 1979 public service announcement called "Drugs Are Like That" (narrated by the infamous Anita Bryant) with Crystal Castle's amazing Year of Silence by Crystal Castles. Sit back in wonder. You're right Anita, drugs ARE like that.

Indiana Student Dies, Distraught Over Supposed Sexual Assault from Notre Dame Footballer

A 19-year-old student of Saint Mary's has died from an overdose of Effexor, an antidepressent, after accusing a Notre Dame football player of sexual assault.

Just 3 days after the supposed incident, Elizabeth Seeburg was found barely conscious in her door room after she'd missed a counseling session with Belles Against Violence, a Saint Mary's group that helps victims of sexual assault.

No action has been taken against the accused football player, who has gone unnamed by Saint Mary's and Notre Dame.

And now this girl is dead even though she had done all that she could possibly have done to help herself. The girl had accused the Notre Dame player of a sexual assault, not a rape. She had written down what had happened to her the night of the incident (which had been stopped by a knock on her dorm room door) and reported it to campus police the next day. She sought help from the Belles Against Violence Group, and was already taking the antidepressent for an anxiety disorder. This woman tried to do all the prescribed steps of getting over the event, and yet, she died from the very medication she was told she could turn to for her pain.

From the Chicago Tribune

Lone Wolf Pfizer CEO Resigns

Pfizer CEO and President Jeffrey Kindler resigned unexpectedly this Sunday afternoon. He said the time in his position had been difficult personally. Kindler recently drew criticism from the industry due to his support of President Obama's push for Universal Healthcare.

From FoxBusiness.com

Teen mom's a certified pill popper

Reliable source, The National Enquirer, reports that reality "star" Amber Portwood of MTVs "Teen Mom" fame is reportedly addicted to a Keith Moonian array of prescription pills.

According to the article, "her doctor prescribed Klonopin for her anger problems, and Tramadol for back pain. But she gets hydrocodone, morphine, Vyvanse and Adderall from drug dealers and pals. She mixes the pills with vodka and tequila, and if she keeps it up, she's going to kill herself or someone else!"

Sure, mothers the world over have been turning to their "little helpers" since the dawn of time or at least since the dawn of Valium, but until recently this was done in secret and relative obscurity. But this brutish girl, who has been convicted of spousal abuse and has had her daughter taken away from her at least once by Indiana child protection services, is fodder for entertainment and incredibly well-known. (According to, USA Today, the second season premiere of Teen Moms had 1.5 million more viewers than this season's finale of Mad Men.)

If reality TV is a mirror (or twisted lens) into our cultural obsessions, then Amber Portwood is a hell of a phamaceutical spokeswoman.

Via Perez Hilton.

"Health and wellness" is just fabulous!

During a recent scan of Perezhilton.com I noticed an entry filed under the tag "Science!". Intrigued, I was led to FitPerez, a sister site spin-off dedicated to "fitness, health, and wellness + celebrities!" It's kinda like CocoPerez (another blog spin-off "where fashion meets celebrities!") just not quite as glamorous.

Fitness, Health, and Welllness covers a wide swath, apparently: tips on quitting smoking, Alicia Silverstone's vegan lifestyle, new drug discoveries and Steve-O's sobriety status are all there. From the looks of it celebrities (and our culture) are as addicted to their drugs, cancer cures, and diet regimens as they are their Pradas, darling.

It would be interesting to find out who is sponsoring the site: surely not pharmaceutical companies!

Collage Artist Obsessed with Rx and non-Rx drugs

There's an excellent article in W magazine about Brooklyn-based artist Fred Tomaselli, a collage artist whose psychedelic, obsessive, pharmaceutically-inspired work is as beautiful and awe-inspiring as it is thought-provoking.
Much of his work is collage imbued with sometimes thousands of tiny images and objects, including pharmaceuticals. Tomaselli creates universes, inner and outer, from pill constellations. Portraits of friends are "painted" using their favorite prescriptions. Marijuana leaves create a desert landscape. Tomaselli is clearly inspired by the inner- and outer space that pills, and other drugs, can represent and is open about the time in his life when he was exploring that space recreationally. Now, however, his days are fueled by caffeine, nicotine gum, and occasional nights of Ambien-induced sleep.


LINK (W Magazine)