Like many people, it sounds like you initially sought alcohol because you thought it was a solution. It might have temporarily offered relief from boredom or loneliness. But over time, you may be noticing that alcohol is creating more problems for you—not actually solving anything. Fortunately, there are many different things you can do to curb your drinking.

Some drink for pleasure or at social events, while others find themselves drinking for no reason at all.. Regardless of the intent, there are significant health implications that arguably make alcohol the most dangerous substance on the market. An estimated 15 million people throughout the U.S. struggle with alcohol use disorder, but only 10% receive treatment. Alcoholism profoundly affects the entire body, especially the brain, heart, pancreas, mouth, liver, and the immune system. Despite its negative impacts, more Americans than ever consume alcohol regularly, especially women and minorities.

things to do instead of drinking

That’s not the same as boring, but the routine of work, of bills, of family obligations, of doing it all over again every day can seem quite tedious. Watch out for the urge to reach for a beer, cigarette or candy bar when you’re bored. Dulling the pain of dullness never works for long, and it can set back your recovery from addiction or your progress toward healthy goals. Instead, be ready with strategies for managing boredom effectively and constructively. I hope those strategies will help you the next time you’re feeling bored.

There’s no doubt that addictions mess with our brain and how it sends and receives signals but many problems with addiction also stem from rituals and habits. To stay sober, you must break your nasty habits or once-comforting rituals by replacing those bad habits with good ones.

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The way drinking because of boredom is portrayed and the reality of its effects are miles away from each other. If I buy those products and I use them, the marketing has served its purpose. I feel good about my buying decision and the product has added value to my life. Because I’ve experienced riding a motorcycle and I know it’s true.

If you or a family member has ever struggled with drug addiction, you’ve likely experienced the negative effects of addiction on sleep. Both drug use and withdrawal symptoms can make it hard to fall asleep and sleep through the night. If alcohol continues to disrupt your overall sleep quality, you may consider cutting it out entirely, or limiting your intake before bedtime. If you’ve stopped drinking alcohol, but are still having sleep issues, be sure to reach out to a sleep specialist.

• We know there is a psychological element to pouring yourself a drink before bed, but hops also have a part to play in their role as a mild sedative and a key component to many beers.
• Incredibly smart human beings have studied the relationship between alcohol and sleep for decades and found that long-term alcohol abuse and chronic sleep problems are linked.
• At the same time, Alpha Pattern brain activity speeds up, which normally does not occur during sleep.
• You may also want to try progressive muscle relaxation, aromatherapy, bright light therapy, and biofeedback exercises, which your mental health therapist can teach you.
• This sounds obvious, but many of us do not have bedrooms that promote sleep.
• Alcohol abuse and co-occurring sleep disruptions are serious and should be treated.

Table 2 highlights some of the most commonly covered sleep hygiene principles. Of course, hydration is important for your overall health, impacting all sorts of functions, including digestion, body temperature regulation, joint lubrication, waste disposal, skin health, mood, and so much more. Make sure to drink a lot of water when abstaining from alcohol and you will start to feel the benefits of better hydration within the first day. Abstaining from alcohol for even a short time can have incredible benefits. From better quality sleep to improved complexion to better finances, going three weeks without alcohol can make a big difference in your overall well-being.

Nutrition and Sleep

Anxiety also decreased in the treatment group, all without the sleep depriving and dehydrating effects of alcoholic beverages. Throughout the night, your brain will cycle through all of the sleep stages multiple times to give you a good night’s rest. Eye movement increases, often seeming to jerk around, breathing increases and can be irregular https://ecosoberhouse.com/ and shallow, blood pressure increases and dreams begin. During this period, learning, memory, and processing functions of the brain are enhanced, affecting a person’s long-term memory capacity. AVOID DISTRACTIONS DURING SLEEPING HOURS
If you really want to sleep throughout the night, you want to set yourself up so that you can do so.

Stimulants such as caffeine should be avoided, especially at night. Using electronics like TV or smartphones before bed should also be avoided. There are also several steps you can take to improve your quality of sleep and quality of life. Some you can adopt on your own, and some are under the supervision of a health professional. If you have too much light exposure before bedtime, your internal clock is unlikely to function properly. LOW INHIBITIONS
When people don’t get enough sleep, their willpower and self-control are lower than when they do.

Insomnia After Quitting Alcohol

If you’re in recovery and having sleep problem, it’s important to discuss the situation with your doctor. There are medications, behavioral therapies, and other approaches your doctor can recommend. I wanted to give up alcohol for her and to be a better mother, and in many cases having an external motivator makes the commitment stronger. You could also use the ‘fast forward’ technique to motivate you – imagine your tomorrow and consider if you’ll be able to do all the things you’d planned to do if you drink tonight.

Delirium tremens is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal and occur in a small percentage of individuals. Once your body has built up a physical dependence upon alcohol, called tolerance, and alcohol use stops, withdrawal symptoms will occur. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and frequently include insomnia and other sleep disruptions. Why Sleep is Important in Addiction Recovery
Overcoming substance abuse necessitates a period of drug detox, where you eventually eliminate drug use completely.

Types of Insomnia

If you are experiencing sleep problems, be sure to talk to your doctor about your options. The first treatment for insomnia in recovery is sobriety, and many patients will see improvement. For can’t sleep without alcohol the specific treatment of insomnia, behavioral therapies are the preferred treatment (rather than medications), as they have been shown to be effective and they won’t interfere with sobriety.

Find quiet time each day for relaxation and to give your mind a break during the busy holiday season. Rarely do holiday events look like the scene from a movie. Families grow and change, so don’t let your expectations be your downfall.

Other small steps that can help an individual on the road to sobriety include making contact with old friends, buying new clothes, and eating one healthy new food every day. Some try to prove that they have control over their addiction and don’t need any help.

Work Through Physical Pain

However, if you do relapse, it needn’t become a pattern. These six practices can help you resist the urge of relapse and bounce back from any relapses that do occur with a firm resolve to do better in the future. We believe in providing our clients with an environment which addresses each individual’s unique physical, emotional, and social needs, while adapting to their changes as they happen. Each person at BRBH has their own limits and goals, which are carefully prepared for and tailored around during their care. Whether it’s a hike or a nice park, heading into nature is a good way to watch the natural world moving and slow down your thinking.

• You could be looking for a way to gain more support from family and friends, or want to limit possible triggers for relapse that can be present in everyday life.
• Some individuals start to exhibit compulsive behaviors, performing the same actions over and over, seemingly without reason.
• There’s no shortage of ways to get out and meet some new people with similar interests.
• This can include something like walking for twenty minutes a day or going to the gym with a friend three times a week.

For over 130 years, our hospital has played a vital role in the health of the people in Chippewa County and surrounding area. Remember, you can get sober and you can stay clean, even if you happen to fall off the path. Staying clean is hard and you’ll probably need some help. Some individuals start to exhibit compulsive behaviors, performing the same actions over and over, seemingly without reason. Impulsive behaviors may also develop, especially in moments of high stress. Remember, this is far from a complete list of triggers, so you may have to dive a bit deeper to recognize yours. Pyramid Healthcare is here to help you every step of the way.

Learn to recognize signs of relapse

Having one or multiple positive influences on your life can make all the difference when it comes to alcohol abuse. You may find yourself in a situation like a family gathering or hanging out with friends and alcohol is present. https://en.forexrobotron.info/overview-of-sober-living-environments-boston-massachusetts/ Others may be encouraging you to drink and don’t realize that you are aiming to stay sober. If you are afraid of not fitting in because you are not drinking along with others, non-alcoholic beer or cocktails are a great option.

Just as importantly, meditation could ease their mind and relax their body, making overcoming their need to abuse substances much easier. However, individuals who spend time unwinding outdoors can calm their mind and pull themselves away from the negative influence of the modern world on their drug addiction. People struggling with drug abuse like heroin addiction likely haven’t spent a lot of time in nature since developing this disease. Many have probably spent most of their time in their home or the homes of others abusing substances. Unfortunately, people who avoid nature or who claim that they don’t enjoy it are doing themselves a great disservice by not spending time surrounded by natural beauty. Staying sober at New Years while recovering from drug abuse is a real challenge but is something that anybody can handle with a little focus and a lot of help. The Holidays can be tough for many people, and it’s not uncommon for individuals going through recovery to face challenges during this time of the year.

Welcome to a life with more energy, confidence, and vitality.

If these emotions become excessive, they can hold you back from recovery. If you are trying to maintain a sober lifestyle, those feelings can become toxic and contribute to relapse if you don’t deal with them properly. People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money. If you were active in your addiction for a period of time, you may have developed financial problems. Some of the immediate changes you will need to make will be obvious—like not hanging around the people that you used with or obtained drugs from. After all, you can’t hang around your drug dealer or old drinking buddies and expect to remain sober for very long. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome involves experiencing withdrawal symptoms that persist past the detox period.

Having a conversation triggers parts of your brain you don’t access when you’re thinking about something on your own. While having a conversation with other people is ideal as they offer new insights and lines of thinking, talking your obstacles out loud to yourself doesn’t hurt either. A large network of support is necessary to stay sober, but your biggest supporter needs to be you. When you feel yourself needing a drink, start reminding yourself what you’re thankful for.

Learning Center

Remember how much pain you may have caused your loved ones, if ever you’re about to relapse. Remember how badly you wanted to get sober that time you broke down before this journey began. You deserve a lot of credit for quitting, but now is not the time to start getting cocky.

• Here are 10 quick tips for maintaining your sobriety, and sanity, during the winter holidays and into the new year.
• These people, places and things are often also the triggers that lead to relapse and so they must be addressed in treatment and aftercare.
• Hosted by Editor-in-Chief and therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to avoid repeating mistakes and build better habits.
• Guilt is having negative feelings about your past behavior.
• During this early phase, it pays to have some techniques for staying sober up your sleeve.
• For those in early recovery, staying sober can be hard.

Everyone’s feelings are important, which means your emotions and health are equal to people who may be celebrating or mourning. If a funeral is too difficult for you to attend right now, feel confident to say you can’t attend. If a wedding is happening, but you’re worried about being surrounded by alcohol, then politely decline to attend. Obviously, an individual going through treatment for addiction can’t jump on a treadmill and expect instant sobriety. Instead, they should use various forms of exercise as a coping mechanism for their cravings and relapse triggers including what is a sober living house for New Years. Pairing exercise with the other methods mentioned above – and high-quality professional rehab – provides the best chance of staying sober for the rest of your life. This means getting restorative sleep every night, eating healthy foods, getting enough exercise, and spending time with positive people.

Fortunately, there are many different types of meetings for people from different backgrounds or with similar situations. There are no dues or fees, so it doesn’t cost anything to try it out. Meetings aren’t based on a specific religion, they do include spiritual aspects.

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Meeting Guide users can suggest additions or corrections to meeting listings by using links provided within the app to contact the local service entity responsible for the information. AA meetings provide a community of support, practical advice from those who’ve faced similar struggles,and a set of guiding principles (the 12 Steps) to help maintain sobriety. Only you can decide whether you want to give Alcoholics Anonymous a try—whether you think it can help you. Admitting you might need help, or admitting that you’re an alcoholic, takes courage.

• This list shows meetings with a physical address where you can attend in person.
• The achieved results have confirmed that another mechanism underlies the relationship between involvement in self-help groups and subjective well-being among the alcohol-addicted exists.
• A 2020 review looked at 27 studies involving a total of 10,565 participants and noted that A.A.
• The success of this program is based on the concept that one alcoholic has the ability to help another alcoholic, as only an alcoholic can.
• There are many opportunities to participate in a variety of ways.

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Online and telephone meetings are also available. Various platforms are used depending on what the group members prefer. Some are video meetings where you see each other’s faces. At other online meetings, everyone’s video is off.

Member Services

Both provide information on phone and online meetings. Local entities like intergroups, central offices, and area and district offices may also provide meeting information. You can also request more information from your regional correspondent at GSO.

Hope is predictive of entering substance abuse treatment 78 and during therapy of facilitating the ease of the required changes and return to health 79. Additionally, hope is a factor in reducing the risk of relapse 80. Some authors have tried to find a mechanism of beneficial influence of AA involvement on the recovery process. In most studies the effectiveness of recovery is measured by abstinence or reduction in rate of using alcohol.

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Only people can decide for themselves that they are alcoholic but there are clear signs that can indicate someone has a drinking problem that is more than just heavy drinking. You can help people who are affected by alcoholism by making a donation to the Cleveland District Office. Download Meeting Lists in printable PDF format.

It consists of one question in which the respondent evaluates his overall satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). It was used from future perspective (for the five years). This tool has satisfied psychometrics properties. Czapiński used this scale during a two month interval, obtaining a reliability score of 0.76 92. In another project the coefficient of reliability at a two year interval measured, 0.65 93.

Experience, strength and hope is shared by members at A.A. meetings.

Additionally, participants were asked about frequency of being chairman at AA meetings during the last year. Meaning in life seems to buffer the influence of the risks of alcohol and drug abuse and is an important factor facilitating recovery from addiction. For example, in a sample of students from Romania, meaning in life protected against drug and sedative use as well as unsafe sex 56. In this spiritual mechanism, a positive role fills existential well-being, which connects AA involvement with subjective well-being. The idea alcoholics anonymous that meaning in life, as well as hope, are important factors in the recovery of individuals with alcohol dependence is present both in the theory and practice of counselling 77,107. Recent studies have indicated that involvement in AA influenced recovery was mostly measured as abstinence and reduced alcohol use through the social and spiritual change mechanisms 103.

Some authors indicate that hope is a character trait 69,70,71,72 or positive emotion 73,74,75. Others have conceptualised hope from the perspective of positive psychology as a strength of character 76. Hope-focused intervention is a significant issue in the area of substance abuse counselling 77.

Her domestic program promises to address poverty, transform the police by establishing community-based policing, and end violence against women and the LGBT community. She wants to roll back the excesses of neoliberalism and promises to deliver a functioning state that provides basic services such as health care, electricity and education. With Honduras facing astronomical levels of debt after successive governments used international lending institutions as private ATMs, she has already signalled her desire to renegotiate the repayment terms. She will apparently welcome foreign investment, and has already hosted meetings with the Chamber of Commerce. To her left, though, she will be held accountable by the grassroots movements that enabled her victory, who have a more profound transformation of Honduran society as their goal.

• He has also been suspected of ordering the murder, kidnapping, and torture of his rivals and is believed to have offered $100 million in bribes to the former Mexican President.
• Contrary to themachoimage of male drug cartel bosses, drug queens do not want to draw attention to their activities.
• Zambada – a 57-year-old trained accountant who was arrested in 2008 and is still in U.S. custody – was the first of several cooperators expected to give jurors an inside look at a cartel with a legendary lust for drugs, cash and violence.

But the president ended his term a much diminished figure, pummelled by conflict-of-interest scandals, rampant crime and a lacklustre economy. The allegations are among the most explosive to emerge from Guzman’s trial, which began in November and has so far featured testimony of lower-level corruption. In trying to manage Castro, the Biden administration’s eco sober house rating goal at the deepest level will continue to be defending and expanding the operations of US-based transnational corporations in the region, whether in garment factories, export agriculture or extractivism. Beyond the interests of any particular company, it wants ensure a wider regional context in which all forms of corporate capitalism can flourish.

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It has repeatedly demonstrated that it will raise the alarm about ‘enemies’ in order to extract more power and money from Congress, and has enthusiastically embraced a new Cold War with China. We don’t yet know how its leadership is reacting to Castro’s victory, or what signals it is sending to the Honduran military. How do we explain the State Department’s tentative acceptance of Castro? Second, the Democrats are rightly worried that Republicans will once again use the immigration question to triumph in the 2022 and 2024 elections, and aware that another National Party presidency would not solve the root causes driving migration. Past practice suggests that the US will now pressure Castro to concede to allies to her right on a number of crucial points, while it subtly questions her ability to govern on her own. Nasralla, a wild card who has been close to the US for many years, has already undermined the president-elect’s authority by declaring that she will not in fact recognize China, Venezuela or Cuba, or convene a constituyente.

• “He’s blamed for being the leader while the real leaders are living freely and openly in Mexico,” Mr Lichtman said at the time.
• Minutes after her arrest, her fiancé, the second in command of the Norte del Valle Cartel in Colombia, Juan Diego Espinoza,El Tigre, was also arrested.
• The trial itself has offered macabre details about assassinations carried out by drug traffickers and stunning allegations about state officials.
• Cartels continue to find avenues across the border because there is a robust American market for drugs, and money always finds a way.
• Castro will be the first female president in Honduran history, with the highest vote total ever.

Guzman’s lawyers have said they will try to prove that Guzman is being scapegoated and that Ismael Zambada was the real head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Jesus Zambada claimed to have paid off an underling of Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2005. The British actor stars in upcoming film The Good Nurse, which follows the true story of serial killer Charlie Cullen. Why Xi Jinping could be in power for ANOTHER 15 years – with an ex-Australian prime minister sharing the… Blonde mother, 21, who battered a drunken partygoer in a group attack was caught by police due to her ‘very…

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We can assume that under Castro the US will continue to use ‘anti-corruption’ initiatives to choose which figures to rein in and which to protect, attempting to shape the leadership and thereby mould the Honduran government in its interests. The administration’s economic goals are enforced, in turn, by the United States Southern Command , which sustains close relationships with US-funded, trained, and equipped Honduran armed forces, shares intelligence and issues public statements praising its top officers. Even if the US State Department sees no alternative to working with Castro for the time being, Southcom is an engine that runs by itself, backed by billions from military contractors.

I started the research trip inside a jail in Culiacan, the largest city in the region of Sinaloa, where life stories from women who had been convicted of trafficking, selling, and storing drugs were collected. These interviews gave me the possibility of building up a network of contacts outside the jail perimeter. Some of my first interviews were a complete failure because I could not get any information from interviewees. What follows are insights and preliminary results from some of the interviews that I carried out with female drug traffickers in Sinaloa. Another example is that of Angie San Clemente Valencia, a Colombian fashion model from Medellin.

A former close personal aide to Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman testified Tuesday that the drug kingpin once paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. Indeed, both governments now have theirsights seton Nemesio Oseguera Ramos, alias “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco Cartel – New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG), which rivals Sinaloa for Mexico’s most dominant criminal organization. El Mencho is one of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s top 10most wantedfugitives, and authorities are offering a multimillion-dollarrewardfor information leading to his capture. The criminal organization that El Chapo was the key piece of remains intact and one of Mexico’smost powerfulcrime groups today. Prosecutors said that under his command over some two decades, the Sinaloa Cartel trafficked hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States, earning some $14 billion for the cartel. The drug lord also amassed a personalfortune worth a billion dollars.

As Jacobo argues, the “war on drugs” and the imprisonment of many male bosses in Mexico has produced a vacuum which has allowed women to carry on their fathers’, husbands’, or lovers’ drug businesses. If our men are gone, women take advantage and help their father or lovers to keep the family ‘business’ going”. El Chapo, the leader of a Mexican drug cartel, faced an extensive list of accusations including crimes such as exporting hundreds of tons of cocaine into the US, money laundering, and conspiring to manufacture and distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana. He has also been suspected of ordering the murder, kidnapping, and torture of his rivals and is believed to have offered $100 million in bribes to the former Mexican President.

US anti-drug agents worked closely on El Chapo’s arrests in Mexico, where he long evaded the law and became a sort of antihero in his home state of Sinaloa and beyond. Court papers allege that Coronel worked with Guzmán’s sons to organize the escape plot, which included buying a plot of land near the prison, firearms and an armored truck and smuggling the imprisoned cartel chief a GPS watch to ensure the escape tunnel reached his cell. Even if he is a convicted felon on numerous charges, he still has a right to a fair trial. The right to a fair trial is not a trivial obligation but a fundamental civil right governed by the Sixth Amendment in the United States Constitution.

That’s when my friend told me to place a crayon in my wallet when traveling. Pena Nieto has previously denied taking bribes from drug traffickers. Six-month pregnant wife and young husband among four people killed by Iranian-made kamikaze drones with ‘For…

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Garcia Luna said the charge was “unbelievable” since he was not able to appoint officials to posts, as Zambada alleged, and such designations were made by a council. The murder-mystery sequel closed the BFI London Film Festival on Sunday. Other witnesses at the trial have also made accusations of high-level corruption. His former spokesman and other former officials did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment. Cifuentes also said testified that Guzman once told him that he had received a message from Pena Nieto saying that he did not have to live in hiding anymore.

• If our men are gone, women take advantage and help their father or lovers to keep the family ‘business’ going”.
• Zambada also told the jury on Tuesday that he had met twice with former president Felipe Calderon’s head of federal police, Genaro Garcia Luna, and personally handed over at least $6 million in suitcases of cash.
• This category challenges the traditional image of women in cartels as subordinates.
• OnlyFans model, 24, who stabbed her boyfriend to death says she had only picked up the knife to ‘scare’ him…
• Mexico launched a money laundering investigation into Kate del Castillo, the actress who reportedlybrokered the interviewbetween actor Sean Penn and alleged drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

The witness, who has described himself as Guzman’s right-hand man, discussed the alleged bribe under cross-examination by Jeffrey Lichtman, one of Guzman’s lawyers, in Brooklyn federal court. Private funds are also at play, such as the Seattle International Foundation, whose directors have worked closely with the State Department. It lobbies the US Congress and has moved into funding and showcasing Honduran and US journalists and other civil society actors, attempting to draw so-called independent journalists as well as solidarity activists into the administration’s agenda. Top officials from both the Association for a More Just Society and the Seattle International Foundation are routinely quoted in the mainstream US media as experts on Honduras. On November 30, Blinken was quick to recognize Castro – praising Honduran voters for their ‘commitment to the democratic process’. It’s important to mark that historic moment, when the US reversed its decade-long project of supporting the post-coup regime.

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He claims Mr Zambada has survived prosecution by bribing the “entire” Mexican government, including Mr Peña Nieto and former president Felipe Calderón. After the a former top lieutenant for El Chapo testified of an alleged bribe to the former Mexican president, reporters rushed out of the courtroom, heading to file their stories. The trial itself has offered macabre details about assassinations carried out by drug traffickers and stunning allegations about state officials. Federal prosecutors objected a number of times to questions about alleged bribes from Guzman’s defence team. Zambada gave his testimony about the bribes on the fifth day of trial under cross-examination by one of Guzman’s lawyers, William Purpura.

His lawyers argue he has been scapegoated by Mexico’s ‘corrupt’ government and the US Drug Enforcement Agency, and that the cartel’s true chief was Ismael Zambada. The witness described how the cartel made massive profits by smuggling tons of cocaine into the United States. ‘I was going to import cocaine from Colombia through the state of Guerrero… And El Chapo told me ‘Go and meet General Toledano, he’s my friend, and give him $100,000 from me,” Zambada said, wearing a blue prison suit with an orange shirt. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

Thefirst caseto come from an alleged tax fraud scheme reportedly carried out with the help of Russian government officials is set to begin this month in New York. Cifuentes, who described himself as Guzman’s “right-hand man, his left-hand man,” had testified earlier https://sober-house.org/ Tuesday that Guzman had attempted a $10 million bribe to another high ranking Mexican official but was turned down because the official disliked Guzman. Cifuentes told authorities the money was given to Peña Nieto in October 2012, when he was president-elect.

… women … involved in this kind of business … do not show off much, they leave that to the lovers or wannabe girls who always brag about things that maybe they didn’t do or just wanted to catch the attention of other men, or make girls jealous. Mr Castaneda said gunmen blocked streets with burning vehicles to stop security forces to manoeuvring around the city. Videos posted on social media show gunmen wearing black ski masks riding in the back of trucks, firing machine guns and vehicles burn around them.

She had been wanted by Interpol since December 2009, but it was only in 2010 that she was arrested while carrying 55 kg of cocaine together with her boyfriend in a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires . She was accused of being part of an extensive DTO that specialized in cocaine trafficking from Colombia to Mexico and then on to Europe (Efe, 2010; Lee, 2011). Valencia was accused of being the head of an international network that recruited models for the sole purpose of transporting suitcases filled with cocaine. In September 2013, she was released from prison and sent back to Colombia by the Argentinian authorities . Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Mexico’s most notorious cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has been arrested in Virginia on drug trafficking charges.

His former chief-of-staff Francisco Guzman called the bribery claims “false, defamatory and absurd”. The claim was made in testimony by Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian narcotics trafficker who was El Chapo’s right-hand man and lived with the fugitive cartel boss in the Mexican mountains while he was on the run. The aide was not named but later Gabriel Regino, head of security in Mexico City when Mr Lopez Obrador was mayor, wrote on Twitter that an accusation of bribery had emerged against him in the trial but was false. Cifuentes testified earlier on Friday that El Chapo had ordered a $10m bribe be paid to a general, but later decided to have him killed instead. Guzmán’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, has argued that the real leader of the Sinaloa cartel is Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. The trial in the Federal District Court in Brooklyn is a security circus – with guards everywhere and metal detectors set up in different areas of the building, leading to the courtroom on the eighth floor.

Prosecution descriptions of an empire that paid for private planes, beachfront villas and a private zoo were a fallacy, his lawyers said, and the chances the US government could collect on a roughly 12.5 billion dollar (£10 billion) forfeiture order are zero, they add. The guilty eco sober house price verdict in February at Guzman’s 11-week trial triggered a mandatory sentence of life without parole . Sign up and we will email you daily with the best of our political and news coverage while also giving you a taste of our most-popular lifestyle, opinion and personal blogs.

While El Chapo’s US trial failed to reveal the full extent of government corruption related to the drug trade, it also created a media frenzy that shifted attention away from the fact that Mexico’s crime and violencecontinue apacein the drug lord’s absence. The El Chapo trial was extraordinary, and the guilty verdict will go down as one of the most significant victories for US law enforcement against international drug trafficking. El Chapo will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most prolific and notorious criminal leaders that Latin America — and the world — has ever seen.