I didn't know Presley Gerber. But I was rooting for him from afar, the way you root for anyone you recognize battling the same demons.
Addiction is a disease that knows no bounds. It doesn't care who your parents are, how much money you have, how loved you are, or how hard you're trying. And he was trying. He fought for his recovery in public, in front of a world that offers very little mercy to people who struggle where everyone can see.
We lost nearly 200 people to overdose in this country yesterday. We'll lose nearly 200 more today. About 1,300 a week. Almost 6,000 a month. Roughly 70,000 last year. Every one of them was somebody's Presley.
He started Mental Health Mondays because, in his words, "the goal was to spark real conversations about the stuff most people hide."
So don't hide. Ask for help. Keep asking. And if you've asked before and it didn't take, ask again.
You are not alone.
SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential, and answers 24/7. 1-800-662-4357. You can also call or text 988.
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We’re compiling job/freelance opportunities for our hundreds of #washingtonpost colleagues who were fired today. If you’ve got something please reply, DM, or email me [email protected]
Also I’m not above asking for a retweet. Thanks and ✊🏻
Happy one year anniversary to the post that turned my quiet little life upside down and allowed me to build the one I always dreamed of. To the smell of success 🥂
Laying in bed, exhausted and a bit depressed …this crime is so sad and hurt so many lives. Often I feel it’s one step forward, two steps back. Then I got a text from a woman I wrote about at least a decade ago. I uncovered how she was wrongfully fired because she refused to cover up for police corruption. She sent me some kind words and now I can go to sleep. A few kind words sent to someone -even someone from long ago — means a lot.
The victims have been threatened. The men they were forced to be with are powerful and wealthy. They can sue them into oblivion and make their lives even more of a hell. Epstein hired people to follow the girls he abused, and to harass members of their families. He told them "I know where you live." He told them he would destroy them. I would hope that the public understands that these women have children -- they are afraid not only for themselves, but for their families and loved ones.
FBI employees considering making protected disclosures:
Former FBI Agent Kurt Siuzdak has helped several FBI agents make protected disclosures to Congress.
Attorney Siuzdak helps FBI whistleblowers pro bono under one condition: they agree to be confidentially interviewed by Congress.
He’s helped dozens of FBI employees make protected disclosures to Congress pursuant to 28 CFR Part 27. He believes that giving Congressional staffers the opportunity to question FBI employees is the most effective way to report serious misconduct.
Attorney Siuzdak can be reached at (203) 285-7013.
Jeffries: "It's unbelievable that for 7 plus weeks Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva has been denied the ability to serve more than 800,000 people in Arizona because Republicans are running a pedophile protection program."
Ahead of Veterans Day, I was honored to welcome a flight of veterans and their families as they arrived in DC.
To all those who bravely served our country, thank you to you and your family for your extraordinary service. The sacrifices that all of you have made to protect our country will be honored, today and every day.