A friend of mine created this detailed dog training series a couple of years ago and I feel like it doesn't get the love it deserves. She's a fully accredited dog trainer and built this course over several years in order to save new dog owners money. Hiring a private trainer for your pup normally costs $100+ per hour and taking them to puppy preschool is typically $150 for 6 classes that just go over the basics (sit, stay etc.). Not to mention if you want to take your dog to the more advanced classes after puppy preschool it's hundreds more. She made this course so she can spend time with her pups whilst still helping people train their dogs.

Adrienne teaches everything covered there in this one course so you can teach your pup in the comfort of your own home, at your own pace and for a fraction of the price. The best part is, she works with you as you teach your pup, you can reach out to her whenever you run into any issues and she'll help. So you still get the 1 on 1 expert opinion that you'd get from a private trainer, all you have to do is send her an explanation or video of the problem you're trying to address or issues in teaching that you're having.

Delete this post if it's not allowed but I just thought this might help some new dog parents :)

Link here to check out the training program

I'm allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, soy protein, sesame, wheat, corn. Anyone GF have recommendations for restaurants? I'm only sensitive to cross contamination with nuts and soy, so Asian restaurants aren't an option; Mexican restaurants and cheap options tend not to work because of corn. No chain restaurants — local options please.

Mid-tier steakhouses and similar restaurants where I can get whole cuts of meat (e.g. steaks, chops, fish) and house-made sides? Also interested in recommendations for "health food" type grocery stores.

I'm going to a concert at the Trop Showroom on a Saturday in December. Looks like parking is $35 which is ridiculous. I can park at Ocean for $5. What's the best and most affordable way to get my wife and I from Ocean to the Trop? Walking isn't an option, it's 1.8 miles and my knees are shot. Thanks for any help.

Anyone going to the dirty heads concert at ocean

Have a trip coming up staying at borgata some friends at harrahs, I know they’re close is it feasible to walk over or no?

I'm interested in exploring my options for a back office role. Anyone want to weigh in on which of the casinos have better work environments, better culture, better training? Or anything interesting? If you can share salary ranges and overall experiences, would love to hear it!

On jitney’s website, it said the bus stop from borgata is in the employee entrance. However, Google said it’s permanently closed and I just called borgata where the lady said that it is quite a walk from the building.

Can someone let me know exactly where the jitney bus stop is and if there’s a specific bus number I should take to go back and forth?

My partner has a holiday bday so we're looking to do a vacation nearby and they love to swim in pools/hottubs. I am curious if anyone has used their indoor pool or hot tubs in the winter and can attest to temperature cleansilness and overall experience?

So what is your guy pick for the best burger spot in AC? Going to AC next weekend and craving a good burger.

I know a lot of places celebrated last weekend 25/26th. Is there any events going on this weekend? Preferably Friday 11/01

Hi,

Me and 2 friends are trying to see Two Friends at HQ2 11/2 next wknd. Tickets are sold out on the site, do they usually sell at door? Thanks :)

Is there a hot spot to go trick or treating here? Or just any places/neighborhoods?

I’ve been here a year now & last year went with a neighbor but we didn’t enjoy ourselves. Although, their decorations were awesssome,

Note; we lived 9 years in Tom’s River at an apartment complex, plus it’s TR who does trick or treating on the 30th. Sooo, spoiled kid I have, was able to visit 250+ apartments in about 2 hours or so, which filled the buckets & was a success. Then we went out of TR for actual Halloween trick or treat.

So, I know it’s not going to be as much as she’s used to - we are visiting TR on the 30th for friendly visit & kids trick & treat together.

Was planning on learning a few places around here to trick or treat? Or do I need to go mainland?

Thanks!

Any place in Atlantic City to have a few beers and shoot some pool ?

https://www.designblendz.com/projects/connecticut-avenue-bay-homes

Is there any Yankees watch parties in AC? We are down here from ny and we were thinking on recommendations to watch the game. Somewhere fun ? I know I know the sports books and stuff but what would you recommend. Have in mind too there’s a fight tonight

Is there anywhere people are playing pickup basketball on a nice saturday outside in the off-season?

Is the tap water safe to drink in AC?

Looking for easiest/fastest/idiot-proof options to get from an AC hotel (TBD) to JFK airport. Open to car services, shuttles, busses (as long as there are minimal connections). Thanks in advance!

Full article (with pictures and charts) available here.

Summary

Note: Xylazine has hit Jersey harder than most states; nearly half of all heroin / fentanyl in New Jersey now contains xylazine ("tranq"). The percentage of statewide fent samples testing positive for xylazine and the number of fatal ODs involving xylazine are both still increasing as of mid-2024.

In the early 2000s, the veterinary anesthetic xylazine began to taint illegal drug supplies in Puerto Rico. From there, it spread to the East Coast of the United States, beginning in Philadelphia, where this so-called "tranq" dope attracted an ardent fan base.

At present, xylazine has been found in fentanyl and heroin samples from throughout the continental United States. It is most prevalent in the South and Northeast.

Drug Enforcement Agency statistics indicate that in 2022, 23% of seized fentanyl powder contained xylazine.

Fast Fact #1 - Xylazine is a Veterinary Tranquilizer

Xylazine belongs to a group of chemicals known as phenothiazines.

Significantly, this group of structurally related compounds also includes tricyclic antidepressants and the alpha-adrenergic agonist clonidine, a blood pressure regulator that is used to mitigate the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and anxiety caused by opioid withdrawal.

In veterinary medicine, xylazine is used as a surgical anesthetic for horses, rabbits, and other animals because it produces sedation, muscle relaxation, and analgesia (decreased pain).

Possible medical uses of xylazine for humans were investigated, but its side effects, particularly bradycardia (slow heart rate) and hypotension (low blood pressure), were judged to be too severe.

Fast Fact #2 - Xylazine Boosts the Effects of Fentanyl

The vast majority of the xylazine available in the United States is combined with fentanyl in so-called "tranq" dope.

When taken on its own, xylazine is unlikely to be particularly recreational.* However, when mixed with fentanyl, it increases the sedation, respiratory depression, and other effects of fentanyl.

*During college, I injected veterinary xylazine; trip report available here. In addition, I wrote about xylazine hitting the dope supply in my home city in Upstate New York here.

Mixing xylazine with fentanyl causes a "nod" that is much closer to anesthetized unconsciousness than to your average, in-and-out heroin or fentanyl high.

Fast Fact #3 - Xylazine Increases the Chance and Severity of Overdose

Because it increases the respiratory depression and low blood pressure caused by fentanyl, xylazine greatly increases the risk of OD.

Because xylazine is not an opioid, Narcan [naloxone] is not effective in reversing xylazine overdose. However, Narcan should still be administered in cases of suspected OD because the majority of xylazine in the U.S. is sold in combination with illicit fentanyl powder and pills.

There is no approved antidote or reversal agent for xylazine overdose; treatment consists of supportive care involving mechanical ventilation in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Fast Fact #4 - Xylazine Causes Skin Sores That Can Lead to Sepsis and Amputation

For reasons that are not yet understood, in some users, xylazine causes widespread skin lesions that appear 24 to 48 hours after first use.

These ulcers begin as pea- to penny-sized, semicircular lesions found on the arms, legs, face, and other areas (see pic below). They grow rapidly for as long as xylazine is ingested, and they have a tendency to become infected.

Infection of the ulcers can lead to sepsis, in which bacteria spread to the blood, causing multi-organ-system damage and death.

The rate of amputations is very high in xylazine users relative to users of fentanyl, heroin, and other illicit opioids not mixed with xylazine.

Once the user stops ingesting xylazine, the ulcers gradually disappear over a period of days to weeks (so long as infection is resolved and they are kept clean to promote healing).

However, the sores can cause significant, long-term scarring.

Important Note: These xylazine sores are not related to route of administration. They appear whether the xylazine is snorted, injected, or smoked.

Harm Reduction / Risk Mitigation Strategies

If you are using fentanyl in the United States in 2024, it is very likely that at least some of the dope that you are snorting or injecting contains xylazine.

It is imperative that you obtain test strips for xylazine, which are available for free from a variety of government divisions / agencies as well as nonprofit groups.

In New York State, for example, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) will send you xylazine test strips for free (order form here; Narcan [naloxone] and other harm reduction supplies are available as well).

If you have recently ingested what you believe to be tranq dope and have even a single sore anywhere on your body, you need to go to a doctor and obtain a broad-spectrum antibiotic immediately. It is quite possible that life and limb depend upon it.

Carpe Diem Before There Isn't Any Diem Left To Carpe

The wave of fatal xylazine-fentanyl overdoses that the U.S. is currently experiencing is reminiscent of the period in 2015-2016 when fentanyl began replacing heroin in the U.S. illicit opioid supply, as a result of which addicts were dropping like flies.

There has never been a better time to get clean and sober - while you still have all four limbs and haven't sustained severe brain damage from an OD!

Use the resources below to find a 12-Step meeting and / or an opioid maintenance treatment provider.

As always, feel free to use the "Contact" form or Instagram (concreteconfessional) to reach me with questions.

Buprenorphine and Methadone Provider Directories

Find a Sublocade treatment provider (injectable buprenorphine)

*Brixadi is another injectable formulation that you might want to look into

SAMSHA's Buprenorphine Treatment Practitioner Locator

*In certain states, you might be able to obtain buprenorphine by e-consultation. I recommend avoiding this whenever possible because A) these doctors tend to be more expensive, and B) I have heard about too much sketchiness tied to these providers. Very few ethical clinicians are willing to dole out buprenorphine without seeing you face-to-face and drug testing you randomly.

Zubsolv find a doctor (sublingual buprenorphine)

SAMHSA Opioid Treatment Program Directory

*Includes methadone clinic listings

12-Step Meetings (Alcoholics Anonymous [AA] and Narcotics Anonymous [NA])

Intherooms.com has daily, digital meetings at many different times and with many different foci / themes throughout the week.

The official meeting listings for your area are best found by Googling the nearest town or city or the name of the region that you live in plus "AA meetings" or "NA meetings" (so, I use the Syracuse AA Intergroup website and the Heart of New York page on the Northern NY NA site). 

Intherooms.com has a meeting directory, as well.

Alternatively, you can call your state's addiction treatment division for help finding 12-Step and SMART Recovery meetings.

In New York State, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) has a helpline that will help you to connect with treatment resources (1-877-8-HOPENY).

Stay safe and keep your heads up!

Planning ahead for Tiesto playing there on December 7. I've never been to this venue, i googled it, and I saw it's concert seating. I know this is a stupid question but I have no idea if a venue like this would take out the seats for an EDM event or any other type of concert where dancing/standing is the norm. Will the seats stay or would they be taken out for this?

Anybody know what time that place opens? I got a 6am flight.

Hey everyone! I work for Aescape (the company that makes robot massages - you may have seen them on social media).

We just launched at Hard Rock in AC and we get 10 free employee massages to give out monthly and I still a bunch of mine left for October.

Could anyone use a free massage? If you use code BRENDANOCT132 it will be $0. https://app.aescape.com/

https://preview.redd.it/34ff5ih6wrwd1.jpg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1620978452f1fef0781e7a92b3c0787ea03bbe9d

Going down next weekend (first time in a long time) and wanted to know if the restaurants or bars offer mocktails. Going to be with some non drinkers. Anyone know about this? Or are there good places down in AC with mocktails?

I have always been curious, what is it like to work in the hotels on the boardwalk? For example, front desk, logistics. Are those jobs competitive and rare?

Which is the best to work in and why?

Hi Knowledge Gurus. My niece and her boyfriend (they just got engaged!) are planning to be in AC next weekend for a baby shower. Can you recommend a nice tower in the Tropicana with ocean view rooms aside from the Havana Tower? Thanks in advance for responses.