In May 2018, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a report concerning mental health problems and substance use disorder in first responders. The report showed that first responders are at a much higher risk than most of the population to suffer from mental health issues—including substance use disorder (SUD). Take a…
San Diego is home to a large amount of the country’s veteran population. Scott recently joined KUSI’s Elizabeth Alvarez on Good Morning San Diego to discuss how his organization helps veterans and what can be done to get more San Diego veterans the help they could use. Scott stressed that for veterans, asking for help…
Scott appeared on KOGO, “San Diego’s Breaking News Station” (FM 95.7, AM 600) to discuss the opioid epidemic, and the influence fentanyl has played in it. As he usually does, Scott discussed the 240 people who overdose fatally every day in the United States. And as always, he reminds that there is hope and help…
Scott H Silverman’s Happy Hour recently featured an episode with Summer Stephan, San Diego County’s District Attorney. Summer Stephan has devoted her life to protecting children and families, providing justice to the most vulnerable, and is a national leader in the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Summer is focused on advancing public safety…
Scott H. Silverman joined KUSI’s Elizabeth Alvarez on Good Morning San Diego to discuss a disturbing episode that nearly killed a San Diego Police Officer. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has released body camera footage of a deputy who accidentally overdosed when exposed to fentanyl. In July, Deputy David Faiivae was a trainee at the…
Four Good Days, starring Mila Kunis and Glenn Close, tells the heartbreaking story of an addict trying to get clean for the fifteenth time. The addict, Molly, goes to her mother, Deb, and Deb is unsure of how to help her daughter. She worries about enabling her. She makes a few decisions while trying to…
Last year amid the pandemic, opioid-related deaths rose to a record 93,000. This historic increase was the result of the ‘perfect storm’ of: Deadly fentanyl Overprescribing of opiates Isolated opioid-abusers who couldn’t get help. Fentanyl’s Deadly Influence Fentanyl, Silverman warned, is becoming increasingly common as it is cheap, highly potent, and more readily available. Many…
I began drinking hard liquor at just fifteen years old. In fact, the vanity plate on my first car read “SOCOMF.” By my mid-twenties, I was using meth, cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana. I still believed I had everything under control. Life certainly would have been easier if I’d never picked up that bottle during my…
Being California Sober means abstaining from all ‘hard drugs’ (re: opioids) and using ‘recreational’ amounts of marijuana. This phrase was popularized by singer Demi Lovato, who has been very open about her recovery. Her willingness to share her wounds and healing in recovery has done a lot to reduce the stigma around substance use and…
This was written after interviewing Dr. Jaynee Paulson on Scott H. Silverman’s Happy Hour Podcast. In her TEDx talk, Jaynee Poulson refers to the famous line from The Princess Bride: “Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” She suggests we own our pain because pain has a purpose. “If you are never…