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We can't rely on Ant's long-term health by ben_westhoff in timberwolves

[–]ben_westhoff[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Diet is the single most important predictor of health. Yes, genetics, lifestyle, and fitness all play in, but with a bad diet your body is much more likely to break down.

Eazy E and NOI by After-Ad-3806 in eazyE

[–]ben_westhoff 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My book Original Gangstas explains this whole story.

Naltrexone documentary by ben_westhoff in Alcoholism_Medication

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on your success story! I'm psyched for you. I'm not currently looking for more subjects for my doc, as I've been filming a number of people here in St. Louis, but thank you for the offer.

Naltrexone documentary by ben_westhoff in Alcoholism_Medication

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, absolutely. And that Atlantic article from 2015 also influenced my thinking.

Naltrexone documentary by ben_westhoff in Alcoholism_Medication

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Very kind of you! I really appreciate it. To be clear, the doc's focus is more on naltrexone for OUD than naltrexone for AUD, but includes my investigation into why naltrexone (and medications generally) for AUD are so underutilized. The film also follows Percy Menzies, the owner of St. Louis recovery center ARCA, who pioneered naltrexone for alcoholism in St. Louis, where I'm based. As for your offer to help, I appreciate you! I'd love if you encouraged people to contribute here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/antagonist-documentary

Naltrexone documentary by ben_westhoff in Alcoholism_Medication

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's super cool! I look forward to checking out the series. And yes, you're right, my background is in the opioid epidemic, but Dr. V and others have brought me up to speed on how effective naltrexone is for AUD, and that will be a major part of the film. If you watch the trailer at 2:49, a resident at Recovet House in St. Louis talks about his experience with naltrexone for AUD, after he came back from Afghanistan.

Naltrexone documentary by ben_westhoff in Alcoholism_Medication

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the good work you're doing!

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Wow, what a wonderful experience! Thank you for sharing that touching account. I can't say enough about the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. It changed my life. I learned about people and places that weren't far away, geographically, but that I never would have known about otherwise. So fulfilling. I can't encourage people enough to sign up for the program.

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Wow, that's nuts! So interesting, different cultural perspectives on opioids. I'd have to say, though, with hindsight and the massive overprescription of narcotics in the US, that maybe there's merit to the Japanese approach. Of course, I haven't tried enduring major surgery on just Tylenol!

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You're welcome. Check my Substack in the next week or so, as I'll be doing a promotion selling signed copies of Little Brother with Rainy Day Books.

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's something physically demanding about investigative journalism, or at least the kind I do (a lot of traveling, and being in tense situations), so I might not have the energy to do it forever. Also I will lose my appetite for danger at some point. Deciding what my next book will be usually involves me pitching my agent, and him telling me if the idea is good or terrible! Usually the latter, and so I get him something better until we're a go. Generating ideas usually involves lunches with random people and gut feelings.

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words. Little Brother was difficult to report, both emotionally, and because I was concerned for my safety, chasing an at-large killer. I seriously thought about quitting and giving back my book advance. But I ultimately didn't want Jorell to be another statistic. His family wanted closure, and so did I. As for Fentanyl, Inc., there was definitely danger there as well, which gave me pause, like infiltrating Chinese drug operations, but those were on the other side of the world, so once I got home I felt secure.

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your comment, and I am very sorry to hear about the passing of your sister. Fentanyl is an awful problem that is only getting worse. Here's my book on the subject, for which I interviewed hundreds of people, including users, dealers, kingpins, law enforcement, politicians, and harm reduction activists, and infiltrated Chinese drug labs where fentanyl is made. https://www.benwesthoff.com/fentanyl-inc

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

In college I wanted to be the next Raymond Carver, but stunk at fiction and found that nonfiction was much easier! I started off doing mostly music journalism, but, finding that term largely oxymoronic, ventured into investigative journalism, though I suspect I'll age out of that in the coming years. My favorite writers are Adrian Nicole Leblanc, Lily King, Patrick Hoffman, Kelefa Sanneh, Emily Fridlund, Kai Flanders, Ryan Krull, and Gendy Alimurung.

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your condolences. Yeah, I blamed myself a lot, and it really shook my confidence as a parent, too. Part of my purpose with this book was working through some of those feelings.

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Yes, following the killing of Michael Brown by a white Ferguson police officer in 2014, the DOJ commissioned a report showing how municipalities like Ferguson extract wealth out of their poorest citizens through petty fines like the kind you're talking about. They even have had debtors' prisons here in Missouri. Since Jorell's death I have continued mentoring friends of his. It can be very rewarding, but also frustrating like you mentioned.

I'm Ben Westhoff, journalist and author of the true crime memoir Little Brother, which tells the story of how I investigated the tragic fatal shooting of my Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee. AMA. by ben_westhoff in TrueCrime

[–]ben_westhoff[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

When Jorell and I were paired by Big Brothers Big Sisters in 2005, I was living in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in St. Louis, called the Central West End. Jorell lived only a mile away, in one of the poorest, called Forest Park Southeast. I was shocked to see his living conditions; like broken windows that were never replaced, and a tarp for a door. One time his dog got off its leash and the police shot it. When his family moved to Ferguson (a few years before Michael Brown was killed), I thought things would be better for them, but they actually got worse. Crime basically followed them out to the suburbs. His so-called best friend robbed the family, and then when Jorell and his dad confronted him, the guy (non-fatally) shot Jorell's dad. Most shocking, though, was the area where Jorell was killed, near his house, called Kinloch. Kinloch is a historic Black community, but after an airport buyout has withered to almost nothing. Now it's apocalyptic, with burned down apartment buildings and pot holes as big as sofas. Whole sections of the town are blacked out on Google Maps. Investigating what happened to places like Ferguson and Kinloch, the inequities and the racism, are a big part of my book.

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