How a quick trip to your local pharmacy can help fight drug addiction and overdose.
Walgreens will install 500 medication disposal kiosks nationwide.
Do you have a bunch of expired or unused prescription medications scattered throughout your house?
Maybe you toss them in the trash or maybe you just hoard them in an unused drawer. Whatever the case, it's something most of us have done (myself included) at one time or another. Well, as you may have guessed, in some cases, that's not exactly the ideal course of action.
Certain drugs, especially narcotic pain relievers and other controlled substances, can cause major harm to others if not properly disposed. Improperly discarded medications have the potential to be found by people — adults and children — for whom they weren't prescribed, creating the likelihood of abuse, such as addiction or even overdose.
Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.
In February 2016, Walgreens announced plans to roll out kiosks that will let customers safely discard unused or expired medication. They'll be installing more than 500 kiosks.
Walgreens announced the plan in response to the opioid epidemic and the dramatic increase in deaths related to opioid pain relievers and heroin over the past 16 years. In addition to that, naloxone, an opioid antidote, will be made available in more than 35 states across the country without a prescription.
A safe disposal kiosk is seen here during an event unveiling a multistate program to combat opioid abuse in the U.S. Photo by Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images.
Addressing the epidemic has been a priority for both President Obama and members of Congress.
In February, Representative Robert Dold (R-IL) introduced legislation to combat opioid-related overdose deaths. The bill, part of the larger Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 400 to 5. In July, the bill was signed into law by President Obama. The focus of Rep. Dold's bill is to expand access to naloxone to first responders.
Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL). Photo by Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images.
While there are a number of other places that accept unused prescriptions, such as police and fire departments, putting them in pharmacies make it much more convenient.
"Yes, it's a safe place to bring unused medications," Illinois State Senator Michael Connelly told the Naperville Sun about the rollout at nearby Walgreens Deerfield headquarters. "But more importantly, it's a constant reminder when you come to pick up your prescription that there's a problem out there, and that you, too, have to be involved in safely disposing of medications."
"Across all of America, 47,000 people have died because of drug overdoses, Walgreens Boots Alliance co-COO Alex Gourlay told CBS. "It’s a real issue that we want to play our part in controlling and hoping to solve."
Bottles of prescription medications. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
There are firm steps you can take to reduce the chances of your drugs winding up in the wrong hands — and it's potentially lifesaving.
If you're not sure if there's a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) authorized unused medication drop location near you, you can visit the agency's website or call 1-800-882-9539.
If for some reason you absolutely must dispose of medicine in your household trash, the Federal Drug Administration recommends mixing medicines with "unpalatable substances such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds," place the mixture in a sealed plastic bag, and throw the bag in the trash. Some medicines, however, are safe to simply flush down the sink or toilet — you can find a list on the FDA website.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."