David Altshuler, M.S.
(305) 978-8917 | [email protected]

Category: Substance Use Disorder

Hark! I Hear the Canons Roar!

After years of kicking around auditions and struggling to survive waiting tables, Oscar gets his big break. It’s a small part admittedly-actually only one line-but for the first time, he has the chance to act in a real show. On Broadway, no less. Oscar attends every rehearsal and practices his

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Eyes on the Prize

In 1962, James Meredith became the first Black man to attend the University of Mississippi. Just prior to Mr. Meredith’s enrollment, the Governor of Mississippi, Ross Barnett, tried to convince the president of the United States that Meredith should not be allowed to matriculate. The governor, representing the opinion of

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Boodleheimer!

My best friends growing up were three brothers who introduced me to–among other things–The Silly Book, and the cartoon character, “Boodleheimer.” It would be difficult, almost 50 years down the road, to overestimate the extraordinary joy that Rod, Paul, Frank, and I got from the following verse of the “Silly

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How Could Anybody Be So Stupid?

Think back to the last time you heard a Really Loud Noise. Was the Really Loud Noise a truck backfiring? How far is the nearest road? Could a sound have traveled that distance? Is it the Fourth of July? New Year’s Eve? Could the Really Loud Noise have been a

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Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Sixteen year-old Paula is unhappy at her rehabilitation facility in California. She was happier last year before ending up in treatment. She was happy when she was running away from home, getting into cars with strange adult men, staying away for days at a time, binge drinking, and using IV

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Tommy, Can You Hear Me? Insights and Answers

“I’ve changed, Mom. I’m not going to smoke pot any more or play video games either. I just need some money until I can get a job.” Tommy pauses as if for dramatic effect then plays the card that has always worked in the past: “I can’t believe you don’t

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Tommy, Can You Hear Me?

“It’s all your fault, Mom. You are the reason I don’t have any friends. All of the other kids drive nice cars, but you gave me this lousy car to drive. The other kids make fun of me. If you would just leave me alone, everything would be OK.” “But,

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Video Didn’t Just Kill the Radio Star

I’ve never asked Dennis and Joanie for money. But I could if I had to. If I couldn’t make a mortgage payment, I’d ask them for a couple thousand to tide me over and they’d say, “You’re sure you don’t need more?” That’s how close we are. That’s the kind

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Keep Coming Back

One of my running buddies, Ron, is snarky, curmudgeonly, sarcastic, and grumpy. On a good day. Ron has a bitter view of the world and agrees with Snoopy, Charles Schultz’s philosopher beagle, who said, “I love humanity; it’s the people I can’t stand.” Ron looks for the darker motivations of

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Copyright © David Altshuler 1980 – 2022    |    Miami, FL • Charlotte, NC     |    (305) 978-8917    |    [email protected]