Latest news with #addiction
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Young dad's heartbreaking final warning revealed before he was found dead by stepfather after taking his own life
A YOUNG dad sent his friends a heartbreaking final warning before he took his own life, an inquest heard. Corey French, 19, was discovered dead by his stepfather outside his home in Swansea on Christmas Eve. 3 The inquest was told Corey, who had a three-month-old son, was fighting a secret battle with addiction issues including gambling. Corey had told his GP he had been misusing alcohol, cocaine and cannabis before his death. In a letter found after his death, he apologised for "having to go out like this". Corey said: "I can't do it anymore. I can't bare pain I'm going through. Don't do drugs, that's what has got me." The inquest heard Corey was a popular and talented young footballer who had been described by former teachers as a "bright boy who loved school sports and art". He was said to love his son and would "regularly show him off" to family members. Corey had taken on a job where he would work away from home during the week, which he told a family member he struggled with. But he had not indicated to friends, family or his girlfriend that he intended to harm himself. On the evening he died, Corey had gone out to meet friends for a few drinks to celebrate Christmas before being taken home by his girlfriend. His stepdad John later discovered the young dad dead outside the family home, the court heard. Senior coroner Aled Gruffydd returned a conclusion of suicide. You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, 0800 585 858 Heads Together, HUMEN Mind, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans, 116 123 Corey enjoyed football and played for West End FC before having a stint at Treboeth. He attended Gower College to study plumbing, before finding work with a local builder. Corey later got a job with Swansea Council as a van driver. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123. 3 3
The Review Geek
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Waterfront – Season 1 Episode 6 'Hunting Season' Recap & Review
Hunting Season Episode 6 of The Waterfront starts with horrific flashes to the past for Bree. She soon awakens, with Cane next to her. She's now sober but clearing heroin out of her system isn't exactly smooth sailing. However, Bree has serious guilt over how this has gone down with Marcus. Cane reminds her that Marcus is a former addict and the allure of doing heroin was just too much for him to turn away from. It's not her fault he's dead. Cane believes they need to cover their tracks, which involves destroying all the evidence that Marcus has gained. It's here where Bree points out a horrifying moment from the past about her grandfather's death that's shaped her whole life. The man didn't die peacefully in his sleep after all. He was tortured while Bree was hiding inside the closet, watching the whole thing play out in horror. This entire incident explains why she has substance abuse issues and what led her down this path. Belle made her promise not to say anything and she didn't. With the pair busy, Harlan finds Grady waiting in his office. He's brought over some payroll (and a little extra to sweeten the deal) and wants to celebrate their little win with the DEA. However, Grady also has an emergency shipment he wants to fly out asap. Harlan is having none of it and doesn't want to mess with their business. Grady is not letting this one go and reminds him who's in charge here. With Harlan refusing to play ball, and needing to prove his point, Grady shows to see Diller and they hang together. He facetimes with Harlan and shows they're off hunting together, which obviously is his way of keeping Harlan in check. While Harlan races off to get Diller back, he eventually concedes and agrees to go hunting with the pair. Elsewhere, Belle signs for some documents from the bank, which only confirms they're in even more trouble than she initially thought. It seems Wes is trying to strongarm them and Belle meets with him to discuss it further. However, the ship has sailed and they have limited time to pay up. Back hunting, things take a horrible turn when Grady, in his desire to try and hunt some birds, ends up shooting Diller. Whether an accident or a warning, news of Diller's shooting reaches the whole family. Cane rings Jenna that night, just to talk, despite initially saying they weren't going to. Their conversation stirs up old feelings, which is only compounded further by his earlier chat with Bree, and he heads over to see her. No more 'mr good guy'; the pair wind up having sex. At the same time, Belle shows up to see Harlan, showing off the documents from the bank that mean bad news for their business. Even worse, Belle immediately susses that Bree has been using and it just makes Cane feel worse that he's caught in the middle of this. He apologizes for how everything has gone down, and the pair share a sweet moment together. When Grady shows up at the hospital, everything kicks off again. Grady speaks to Belle about the shooting, claiming that he didn't intentionally shoot him but subconsciously? Well, he's not 100% sure. Belle smacks the guy in the face, and as his goons grab her, Shawn – of all people – shows up and saves her before security arrive. Shawn speaks to Belle privately after, wanting to know what she's mixed up in. Naturally, she doesn't tell him but that's not going to stop his questions. Meanwhile, Harlan looks over the documents in his office that night. Unfortunately, after the altercation with Grady at the hospital, he shows up with his men and strong-arms Harlan into submission. To prove his point, he grabs a couple of buckets full of Portuguese man o' war, and place them on his bare chest. Harlan's screams ring out across the warehouse. The Episode Review Grady shows his true colours here, as the nice guy facade wears off and he shows just how vicious he can be. The torture with the jellyfish is pretty sadistic, and it's clear that the hunting trip shooting 'accident' was Grady's way of sending a message to Harlan. Cane and Bree patching up their differences though is a nice touch and one of the highlights of the episode for sure, while Cane predictably succumbs to temptation and sleeps with Jenna. Whether this is going to blow up when Peyton returns though is anyone's guess, but it's clear that this situation is far from over. With a couple of episodes left, will Harlan and Cane manage to save the business before it's too late? Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Victoria council to receive report tackling declining social order in B.C.'s capital
A view of the Victoria Police headquarters in Victoria, B.C., on Friday, December 20, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito VICTORIA — A plan with 95 recommendations to address what it calls a 'declining social order' in Victoria will appear before councillors today for endorsement and additional financial analysis. Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto says she hopes council endorses the comprehensive plan, because it gives the city permission to act. She says the plan represents a 'watershed moment' in the history of Victoria, adding it's time for council to consider the 'harsh reality' that the city faces with homelessness, addiction and a mental-health crisis. Alto acknowledges that the final price tag of the plan is not yet known, but says endorsement of the plan will allow staff to put some numbers together. The mayor says many of the recommendations in the report fall outside of municipal jurisdiction, but the city is 'tired of waiting' for senior levels of government to do their part. Specific recommendations within Victoria's control include measures to improve downtown safety, explore the establishment of designated shelters and tiny homes for people transitioning from homelessness, and support the delivery of mental health first aid training. Alto says the city will fill some of the gaps for now, with the hope that other levels of government will see what works and do their part to help the city. The report was commissioned in 2023 and responds to what it calls 'increased disorder' and a 'diminished sense' of community well-being in the face of multiple challenges. The report says people in B.C's capital are 'discouraged, upset, and frustrated' with visible and invisible levels of poverty, homelessness and service gaps, despite efforts to revitalize the downtown, increase housing and improve safety. The report says that concerns about safety and the impacts of social disorder are 'negatively impacting business vitality' in Victoria, whose success as a renowned tourism destination depends on the local economy with its array of unique businesses. Article by Wolfgang Depner.
Washington Post
11 hours ago
- Health
- Washington Post
SAMHSA has fought drug and mental health crises. Now it's in crisis.
The small federal agency tasked with easing the nation's profound struggles with mental illness and drug addiction is in crisis itself: Hundreds of employees have left its staff of about 900, and its budget would be slashed as part of President Donald Trump's proposed overhaul of the nation's health apparatus. The reshaping of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, is already hampering public health efforts in communities big and small.
CBC
13 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Kingston prison's supervised drug site has had just 1 visitor
More than a year-and-a-half after it opened, a site at a Kingston, Ont., prison where inmates can consume smuggled drugs under medical supervision has only had one user. The overdose prevention service (OPS) at the Collins Bay Institution was set up as a place where prisoners could inject, snort or swallow substances, all with a nurse on standby. It opened on Nov. 28, 2023, becoming the first of its kind in Ontario and only the third in Canada. (Two more OPS sites have opened since). Five people who applied have been approved to use the site so far, but just one has actually done so, and that inmate has only used it a handful of times, beginning in April, CBC has learned. "There's always going to be a bit of a level of distrust, especially with a novel program such as this and a fundamental change to how we are supporting somebody living with addictions," said Matthew Secord, manager of health and rehabilitation at Collins Bay. Secord described the first visit as "a surreal moment," adding it takes "quite a bit of bravery and courage" to try something new — especially inside a prison. As of March 31, 2025, the cost of running the site — which includes salaries plus operational and maintenance costs — has come to $517,000, according to a spokesperson with Correctional Service Canada (CSC). Inmate says visits attract unwanted attention A man who spent more than a year incarcerated at Collins Bay's minimum security section said he's not surprised the site has seen so little use because it means exposing yourself, and potentially your supplier. CBC has agreed not to identify the inmate, who served his time before the consumption site opened, because he believes speaking out could cause problems with his employment. "If you're a drug dealer in prison, you're not going to sell drugs to a guy who's going to go to the guards because ... they're gonna know who you are, and they're gonna pay attention to you," the man explained. That can result in cell searches or being labelled a gang member, he said, describing some correctional officers as "pure haters" who want to punish inmates beyond their sentences. The goal for nearly everyone behind bars is to get out, the former prisoner said, so a prisoner would be foolish to do anything that could risk delaying their chance at parole — especially open drug use. Fewer needles found in cells An "amnesty zone" exists around the consumption site, meaning approved inmates are able to head to the prison's health-care wing and if drugs are found on them, they can't be charged, explained Secord, the head of health services. Once a prisoner arrives, they're provided with clean supplies and given 10 minutes to consume their substance. They're then required to stay for 30 minutes under observation in case of any negative effects. The sites are an initiative supported by both harm reduction advocates and the union representing correctional officers, which sees it as a way to limit the number of needles inside cells and ensure medical staff, not its members, are the ones responding to overdoses. CSC said visits to a consumption site, like all other medical information, are confidential and will only be shared in limited circumstances such as a life-threatening situation. "Participants ... will not be disciplined for using the service, which includes questions about potential impacts on an offender's conditional release, but they may face disciplinary measures if caught with illicit drugs outside of it," wrote spokesperson Mike Shrider in an email. Operating hours an issue Even with that assurance, the worry persists among prisoners, according to Lynne Leonard, who recently retired as a professor with the University of Ottawa's School of Epidemiology and Public Health. Between 2019 and March 2025, she visited four of the five OPS sites across the country — including Collins Bay — spending hours at each speaking confidentially with everyone from the warden to inmates, before writing up recommendations as part of an independent evaluation. Leonard said one of the most stubborn obstacles she encountered was the fear among inmates that visiting an OPS would be reported to the parole board. While that was a requirement in the past, it isn't any longer, the evaluator said, adding she called on CSC to make that distinction clear to inmates in both her 2020 and 2025 reports. Another common complaint is the operating hours for the sites. While they're open during the day, Leonard said prisoners don't want to be under the influence of narcotics during programming, work or meetings with parole officers. Instead, they'd prefer to take drugs during their free time after supper. The evaluator said she's been told by CSC staff that the hours come down to finances and staffing, explaining it can be hard enough to find nurses to work in a prison, let alone someone willing to work until 10 p.m. A move to crystal meth There's also been a change in the inmates' drug of choice. While fentanyl was popular when OPS sites were first opening up, that's no longer the case. "It's now shifted to crystal meth ... resulting in the fact that you can get fentanyl for a candy bar now because nobody wants it, because it's associated with overdoses," Leonard said. Meth is typically smoked, a drug-consumption method that isn't allowed at OPS locations. The drug can also come with "frightening psychotic episodes," she explained. Still, the most obvious and enduring barrier is the pressure that comes from walking through a prison to visit one of the sites. Leonard said beyond concerns about parole or a crackdown by correctional officers, inmates who use an OPS face a more immediate risk — being "muscled" by others eager for their drugs and willing to use violence to get them. "It's not confidential by any means, and that's part of the issue," she said of visiting the site. "Confidentiality is a huge, huge issue." Trying to attract inmates Twenty-three overdoses or suspected overdoses were reported at Collins Bay between 2022 and 2023, according to CSC. Since the OPS opened, that number had dropped to zero, Secord said, explaining the trend toward crystal meth has likely been a major factor. Like Leonard, he identified operating hours, the attention a visit to the site draws, and the change in the drug of choice as barriers to its use. If there's a recommendation to allow smoking substances including meth at the OPS, that option could be discussed in the future, he added. Meanwhile, Secord said staff at Collins Bay will continue to work with its inmate committee and health liaisons to highlight what the site has to offer. Leonard said everyone wants the OPS model to work, but some problems will be easier to solve than others. During her evaluations, she's heard suggestions that the sites should move out of the health services section of prisons, or that they should be placed on a range of cells specifically for inmates who are using substances. The former inmate said the focus should be on rehab, not drug use, and argued CSC will always have a hard time convincing prisoners that using an OPS won't hurt their hopes of release. "I think inmates have to be assured that it's genuine for their own health, their own life," he explained. "You have to entice them and to make them feel that this is not gonna harm me."
