Author: Overcoming Adversity | Buteau’s Odyssey

An article in the journal Addiction recently grabbed my attention.[i] In “Daily or near-daily cannabis and alcohol use by adults in the United States,” Jonathan Caulkins reported that 2022 marked the year daily, or near-daily (i.e., at least 20 days each month), cannabis users outnumbered daily, or near-daily, alcohol users for the first time. While the total number of Americans consuming alcohol is still greater than those using cannabis, heavy users of each tells a different story. An estimated 17.7 million Americans use cannabis every day, or nearly every day, while 14.7 million use alcohol at the same frequency. This…

Animal videos are a popular genre on social media and online video platforms. Whose day isn’t brightened by seeing an adorable dog or cat doing something cute? But many of these videos unfortunately involve harms for the animals shown in them, according to new research published in Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (Kühnöhl et al 2025). The scientists did a detailed examination of 162 popular videos from Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. It’s important to note that the videos were chosen because they were popular and they seemed to show a potential risk to the dog or cat, but they…

Lately, wherever I go—in public spaces, community settings, even family gatherings—I hear a version of the same sentence: “Everything feels heavy.” As a new year begins, many people are doing what we often do at this time—taking stock, setting intentions, hoping for some sense of reset. And yet, instead of feeling renewed, many describe a quiet form of exhaustion. What I hear is not only fear or sadness, but something more unsettling: uncertainty about whether anything they do still makes a difference. That sense of heaviness is closely tied to what psychologists call mattering—feeling valued and knowing that what you…

College football news is nonstop, and we’re breaking it all down week by week this season.Here’s the latest on what’s happening around college football entering Week 15:James Madison hires Billy Napier as its next head coachJames Madison and Billy Napier agreed to a five-year deal that makes Napier the Dukes’ next head coach. Napier spent four seasons at Florida, before the Gators fired him seven games into the 2025 season. The last two JMU head coaches include Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and newly-hired UCLA coach Bob Chesney, so both of their last leaders went on to earn Power-4 conference jobs. Alabama HC…

It’s been two years since the first Five Nights at Freddy’s took the world by storm. Though a middling film that was broadly eviscerated by critics, diehard fans of the video game franchise were elated to see their beloved animatronics come to life and a few critics ultimately went to bat for the final product. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to see anyone doing so for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Gateway horror is essential to the survival of the genre regardless of how some folks may feel about PG-13 scares, but the issues with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 have nothing…

Demand for decaffeinated beverages is growing worldwide due to negative perceptions of caffeine’s effects on cardiovascular health. However, coffee has many well-known health benefits, which raises an important question: Does decaffeinated coffee offer the same health benefits as caffeinated coffee? The answer is a qualified yes. Fortunately, with or without caffeine, coffee is rich in biologically active substances that offer many health benefits, including cardiovascular effects, improved glucose tolerance, and reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the problem for many coffee drinkers is that decaffeinated coffee doesn’t taste as good as caffeinated coffee. A recent report may have discovered why.…

If your planning to watch the Eli Roth slasher Thanksgiving this weekend, it wouldn’t be a bad time to bone up on some of his other works. Roth was once the golden boy of horror. The 53-year-old director and producer kind of changed the game in the early 2000s by re-invented the splatter film eventually creating a genre of his own called “torture porn.” Born in Newton, Massachusetts, Roth got behind the camera at an early age, shooting parodies or homages to horror movies popular at that time. Quentin Tarantino was a huge influence in Roth’s college years while attending…

Most people think of narcissistic behavior as loud, extroverted, flashy, and brash, which often identifies a more grandiose narcissist. However, there is a quieter form of narcissism that can go unnoticed, especially when paired with a mundane life. What few recognize is that a vulnerable (“covert”) narcissist can be unpredictable, domineering, or erratic when there has been a threat to their self-worth or their need for validation. Behind their seemingly altruistic, anxious, depressed, or humble-brag persona is a fragile self-identity that depends on validation from external sources, commonly known as “supply.”3 When a covert narcissist is well-supplied, they can appear…

Today’s edition of Horror Highlights is chock-full of new trailers for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Obsession, and Forbidden Fruits, respectively, and we also have details on the short story collection Creepshow: 13 Tales of Terror coming next May from Evoke Entertainment and James Aquilone’s Monstrous Books! Watch the New Trailer for 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE: “Expanding upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Years Later – but turning that world on its head – Nia DaCosta directs 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. In…

The Rabid Dog’s House is a recurring feature at Wicked Horror where contributor Justin Steele uncovers hidden gems, lost classics, and overlooked indie offerings with a little bite. Flying solo or with his co-host Zena Dixon, he will discuss an array of topics covering film, literature, and television. Check out the latest installment below. In this episode we’re looking back at 1981’s Road Games!1981’s Road Games is directed by Richard Franklin and stars Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marion Edward, and Grant Page. Pat Quid (Keach) is an imaginative American truck driver hauling meat across Australia. One night outside a motel,…