MetaFilter posts tagged with recovery

I ♥ DULUTH, The Story of the Maria Bamford Show

Toekneesan — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:41:49 -0800

About a year after her participation in the groundbreaking Comedy Central documentary series the Comedians of Comedy, Maria Bamford was on stage at the Friars Club in LA when a heckler began shouting at her. What happened after that isn’t entirely clear, other than Bamford had a breakdown, walked off stage, and disappeared. She was found three months later selling clock radios on the sidewalks of Detroit. A fellow homeless person, who was also a Comedy Central fan, recognized Bamford and eventually her parents were contacted. They brought her back home to Deluth, Minnesota and began to get her help. Maria decided to document her recovery in a series of short videos called The Maria Bamford Show, which were first posted to the TBS networks' now abandoned Super Deluxe Web site. • The Maria Bamford Show: 01 Dropout • The Maria Bamford Show: 02 Maria Gets A Job • The Maria Bamford Show: 03 Kicked Out • The Maria Bamford Show: 04 Search for Meaning • The Maria Bamford Show: 05 Ready for Love • The Maria Bamford Show: 06 Mother's Day • The Maria Bamford Show: 07 Showtime • The Maria Bamford Show: 08 Crevasse • The Maria Bamford Show: 09 Bread • The Maria Bamford Show: 10 Dark • The Maria Bamford Show: 11 Will • The Maria Bamford Show: 12 Faith • The Maria Bamford Show: 13 Oh - CD • The Maria Bamford Show: 14 Death and Happiness • The Maria Bamford Show: 15 Boredom • The Maria Bamford Show: 16 Acting Out • The Maria Bamford Show: 17 Horror • The Maria Bamford Show: 18 Moving • The Maria Bamford Show: 19 Replacement • The Maria Bamford Show: 20 Exit Her latest effort solo effort is Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special which she recorded in her living room, for an audience of two—her parents. The Onion’s AV Club called it, “[O]ne of the most fearless and bracingly dark explorations of mental illness in recent memory. But since the special is the product of Bamford’s beautifully tormented mind, it has the benefit of being consistently hilarious.” Slate: Stand-up Comedy and Mental Illness: A Conversation with Maria Bamford. She is currently doing the voice of the Hot Dog Princess on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, and has apparently signed on to the Netflix re-boot of Arrested Development. Bonus Material: Maria on Jesse Thorn's The Sound of Young America, 2007. Maria joins Marc Maron during the live filming of What the Fuck at UCB Theatre in Los Angeles, 2009. Maria on Marc Maron's What the Fuck in 2011 (segment c). Maria Explains Global Conflict. Maria recounts her visit to a Morning Zoo radio show. Maria on and in Minnesota. The Maria Bamford Activity Guide. 2004 interview with Scene Missing magazine. previously 1 & 2

"Don't call it a comeback/I've been here for years."

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:31:45 -0800

Jay Walljasper covers Detroit: Not Your Father's Motor City, The Surprise Behind Detroit's Emerging Comeback, Young People’s Fascination With Motor City is Only Part of Detroit Revitalization, A Food Commons Grows In Detroit. The Detroit Free Press writes: Taking The Land Into Your Own Hands (via Reason: Homesteading on the Detroit Frontier) An Interview with Mark Binelli on his book Why Detroit City Is The Place To Be. And How An Upstart Company In Detroit Is Building An American Heritage Brand: Shinola. Schrodinger's Detroit:

However, we all know that hope springs eternal in the human breast. Our other thread is the resurrection narrative, where scrappy Detroiters are rallying around their city, and rebuilding it in the spirit of a DIY revolution.

Idaho couple recover drowning victims

emcat8 — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:34:46 -0800

Five months ago, she vowed to find him. It wasn’t the RCMP who could help, or even a Canadian. Instead, Ms. Smith turned to Gene and Sandy Ralston, an Idaho couple who zig-zag North America in their 32-foot motor home, helping recover bodies from lakes and rivers when authorities can’t, or won’t. They don't get paid, and in some years rack up nearly 50,000 kilometres. They do it simply because people ask.

What happened with Iceland?

knz — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:18:07 -0800

It seems that Iceland's unorthodox crisis policy response has succeeded.

Betsy, We're Not in Barneveld Any More

JohnnyGunn — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:19:36 -0800

How does a natural disaster, a tragedy, change people? The Barneveld tornados of 1984 were considered some of the strongest tornados recorded. Survivors tell their stories 25 years later. Here is some video (news footage) of the aftermath. More survivor story video.

"Taken as prescribed... by my addict brain."

hermitosis — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:16:47 -0800

The perils of chronic pain in recovery: As a sober addict prescribed Oxycodone, comedian Amy Dresner was careful to follow doctor's orders. Then her disease kicked in.

Caroline Knapp's "Drinking: A Love Story"

Trurl — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:06:53 -0800

Drinking: A Love Story, Chapter Six: Sex - by Caroline Knapp

"Caught between Recovery and the Coffin"

zarq — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:06:06 -0800

If I Die Young: Struggling with Addiction and Recovery. "Last year, 249 people died of prescription drug overdoses in Pinellas County, FL. Just about everybody who knew Stacy Nicholson figured she was next. Then an empathetic judge gave her a choice: recovery, or the coffin." This is an extensive special report by the St. Pete Times. The first link in this post goes to the special report page. The second goes to the primary article. Additional resources: photo gallery and a related series they did last year on Florida's prescription drug crisis. Also, "Drug court helps people regain lives 'after something has truly taken their soul'" Video interviews: Part I: Death and Determination Part II: Recovery and Relapse. Part III: Another Chance.

I would like you to know my name

A Terrible Llama — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:11:03 -0800

The bravest woman in Seattle would like us to know her name. Warning: The earlier posts are brutal and very hard to read, and possibly especially so for victims of violence and sexual assault. Previously, previously.

Surviving Survival

zarq — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:42:16 -0800

The Summer 2011 issue of Stanford Medicine Magazine is about "Surviving Survival": The Woman Who Fell To Earth / Khmer Rouge on Trial / A Kid Again / Her Stroke of Insight / RxErcise Download a pdf here.

'Do Not Cry'

PepperMax — Tue, 10 May 2011 08:49:40 -0800

JKTS: A Japanese medical aid worker's diary An anonymous blog written by a Japanese nurse as she cared for victims of the tsunami has given strength to survivors and fellow relief workers.

"This is the largest market you’ve never heard of."

zarq — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:12:26 -0800

TheFix.com is a new site targeting the more than 40 million Americans who are recovering from drug and/or alcohol addiction. It features Ask-An-Expert videos, news, editorials and thorough reviews of rehab facilities based on Zagat's system. Founded by Maer Roshan, one of the founders of Radar Magazine. (Via) Stories: * Narconon's Big Con. * An Ex Addict Aims for Motherhood * Finding the Perfect A.A. Meeting * The Latest Designer Drugs—For Sale at Your Local Bodega * Memories of a Meth Queen * Coming Out as an Alcoholic

Paws for Purple Hearts

Joe Beese — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 13:29:57 -0800

... it's terribly important for veterans to feel they are continuing a mission that held them together through the violence and stress of war. "PTSD carries a stigma, that you're broken and wounded," said Yount, "And many guys have guilt for not still being in the fight. The idea of Paws for Purple Hearts is you can be part of the war effort while you're getting treatment."

We Are Going to Know a New Freedom and a New Happiness

netbros — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:58:21 -0800

Secret of AA: After 75 Years, We Don’t Know How It Works. "There is evidence that a big part of AA’s effectiveness may have nothing to do with the actual (12) steps. It may derive from something more fundamental: the power of the group. The importance of this is reflected by the fact that the more deeply AA members commit to the group, rather than just the program, the better they fare." "As dependence grows, alcoholics also lose the ability to properly regulate their behavior. This regulation is the responsibility of the prefrontal cortex, which is charged with keeping the rest of the brain apprised of the consequences of harmful actions. But mind-altering substances slowly rob the cortex of so-called synaptic plasticity, which makes it harder for neurons to communicate with one another. When this happens, alcoholics become less likely to stop drinking, since their prefrontal cortex cannot effectively warn of the dangers of bad habits. This is why even though some people may be fully cognizant of the problems that result from drinking, they don’t do anything to avoid them. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, my family is falling apart, I’ve been arrested twice,’” says Peter Kalivas, a neuroscientist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “They can list all of these negative consequences, but they can’t take that information and manhandle their habits.” The loss of synaptic plasticity is thought to be a major reason why more than 90 percent of recovering alcoholics relapse at some point. The newly sober are constantly bombarded with sensory cues that their brain associates with their pleasurable habit. Because the synapses in their prefrontal cortex are still damaged, they have a tough time resisting the urges created by these triggers. Any small reminder of their former life—the scent of stale beer, the clink of toasting glasses—is enough to knock them off the wagon." In Alcoholism: The Frontal Cortex, Jonah Lehrer discusses one of the most important changes that occurs in addicts having to do with how they process "prediction error" signals. "AA, it seems, helps neutralize the power of these sensory cues by whipping the prefrontal cortex back into shape. Publicly revealing one’s deepest flaws and hearing others do likewise forces a person to confront the terrible consequences of their alcoholism—something that is very difficult to do all alone. This, in turn, prods the impaired prefrontal cortex into resuming its regulatory mission. While it’s (the brain) on the mend, AA functions as a temporary replacement—a prefrontal cortex made up of a cast of fellow drunks in a church basement, rather than neurons and synapses."

Life, rekindled.

zarq — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:10:51 -0800

How does an ecosystem rebound from catastrophe? Thirty years after the blast, Mount St. Helens is reborn again. Interactive Graphic: Blast Zone. Also see National Geographic's feature article from 1981, chronicling that year's eruption. Previously on MeFi The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument includes a Photo Gallery collection with 109 photographs of "scientific and recreational viewpoints from around the Monument." They even have a high-def volcano cam. Before and After: Photo Gallery Wired: Mount St. Helens Then and Now (From 2009) Mount St. Helens.com also includes a volcano cam. The volcano's page and photo gallery at the USGS Mt. St. Helens Eruptions, a Photo Gallery

Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielson returns from an almost fatal plane crash.

granted — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:16:47 -0800

On August 16, 2008, a small plane carrying a young married couple and their flight instructor crashed in the Arizona desert. Doug Kinneard, the instructor, was killed in the crash; Stephanie and Christian Nielson survived, both severely burned. Prior to the crash, Stephanie's weblog, the NieNie Dialogues, "had attracted a small but ardent following, thanks to its upbeat dispatches about marriage, home décor, entertaining and the art of raising four children ages 6 and younger." After the crash, with burns on over 80% of her body, she spent two months in a medically induced coma. One month later, she was released from the hospital (link to Stephanie's sister's blog); one month after that, she began blogging again. Stephanie's posts since then have chronicled her gradual recovery, her re-integration into her family, her love and gratitude for her husband, and, finally, on the one-year anniversary of the plane crash, herself. A note that Stephanie's Mormon faith is a prominent and recurring theme throughout her writing, so if that sort of thing bothers you...then you are going to be bothered.

Neat BBC video color recovery research

raygirvan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:02:01 -0800

Unscrambling an army of colours, reports The Guardian on the BBC's forthcoming screening of a colour-restored episode of the WWII sitcom Dad's Army. Not seen for 40 years and lost in its original PAL video colour format, it existed only as an archive on 16mm b&w film. However, the Colour Recovery Working Group found a way to recover the colour information from "chroma dots": pattern artefacts on the b&w representing unfiltered colour signal. Techie details here and here.

Shantaram

nickyskye — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:28:31 -0800

Shantaram is the story of a violent man's search for the man of peace within himself. Gregory David Roberts, clip 1, clip 2, 3 and 4, is an ex-junkie, former gun runner; drugs, forged passports and black market currency dealer; was a member of the Bombay Mafia and close with a Mafia don there; acted in Bollywood movies; fought with the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan; imprisoned in an Australian maximum security prison with a 19 year sentence and escaped to the Bombay slums, where he set up a free clinic. His semi-autobiography is called Shantaram, which means man pf peace. Review on Shunya. His website. Movie due out in 2009. Review by MeFite, Slarty Bartfast Johnny Depp on his upcoming role in Shantaram The Shantaram Tour, a photo essay Knowing how much his hairstyle will be appreciated here - but I still think this guy has an awesome story.

Celebrity Do-Gooder Does Actual Good

jacquilynne — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:57:02 -0800

During last year's Toronto International Film Festival, there were stories about Colin Farrell taking a local homeless man on a shopping spree. This year, the Toronto Sun follows up. via

Theft recovery

tristeza — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:59:54 -0800

Juststolen.net "was created by police officers to provide the best possible asset tracking and property recovery services in the world. JustStolen.net is an innovative tool designed to easily register assets in order to facilitate their recovery if they are lost or stolen. JustStolen.net joins forces with online auctions to help identify stolen property."

rolling on

madamjujujive — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:58:48 -0800

Coming Home - in honor of Veteran's Day, it might be fitting to check in on the recovery of J.R. Salzman, known here on mefi as Logboy.

Delancey Street

serazin — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 11:37:51 -0800

In 1971 Delancey Street began with four residents, a thousand dollar loan, and a dream to develop a new model to turn around the lives of substance abusers, former felons, and others who have hit bottom by empowering the people with the problems to become their own solution. With no professionals, no government funding, and at no charge to the clients, Delancey Street Foundation has rehabilitated and provided job skills to thousands of former drug addicts and criminals. They have a successful moving company, a well loved (although not necessarily critically acclaimed) restaurant, a thriving Christmas tree business, and a partnership with the local state university. Founded in the heady radical days of the early 70s, they've had a few bumps along the way, (cofounder John Maher died of a drug overdose) but they are one of the most well respected models for rehabilitation in the world. In recent news, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom has been spending a lot of time there.

The Coolest Priest in the World

Biblio — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 20:04:23 -0800

Meet Becca Stevens, Episcopal priest, Tennessean of the year, Nashvillian of the year, author, podcaster and wife of an equally cool husband. In addition to tending her flock and raising a family, the Rev. Becca runs Magdalene House, a residential program for women overcoming lives of addiction and prostitution that has an 87% success rate. Women in the program work at Thistle Farms, making all natural lotions, balms and bath products that put Mary Kaye to shame.

My daddy loves his Civ more than he loves me

WolfDaddy — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 09:38:25 -0800

We believe that a power greater than Sid Meier can restore us to sanity. Yeah, World of Warcraft may currently be ruining your life, but I'd bet good money that over the long haul Civilization and other games by Sid Meier have ruined more lives than that upstart. Don't give in! NO MORE TURNS!

Still going...

kuperman — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:41:36 -0800

Everyone is (probably) familiar with Something Awful. However, you may not be familiar with their hosting company - located in a New Orleans office building on Poydras in the CBD... but have you noticed that SA hasn't gone blank yet? It's because Zipa, and directNIC upstairs have the whole data center disaster contingency thing on lockdown. Blog and pictures from the directNIC guys are regularly updated. Color me impressed.