TAKE 3 W/ SLP, January 2022
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[As read on the air January 28, 2022 for Recovery in the Middle Ages podcast episode #72]
Hello RMA listeners and fellow Monksters. This is “The Big 3 with SLP.”
That’s right. Just when you thought this show couldn’t get any longer, they’ve added a new segment!
The Big 3 is an end-of-the month wrap up of my picks for the top three items Sober Linings Playbook has been following in the world of addiction and recovery – the headlines, opinion pieces, latest research, compelling new books and movies, and more.
I am by no means an expert. Just a curious and interested reader and observer. Keep coming back, and together, you and I will explore the big headlines on state and federal drug and addiction policy and legislation and new developments on opioid litigation and settlements, and celebrity relapse and recovery.
But we’ll also look at stories that shed light on innovative research and public policy solutions as well as diverse experiences with addiction and recovery.
If the Big 3 merely whets your appetite and leaves you hungering for more, please look for links to the stories I mention here in the show notes or visit Sober Linings Playbook at soberliningsplaybook.com where you’ll find the Wednesday Weekly addiction and recovery news clips, SLP Insights interviews with authors, experts and influencers in the sober sphere, and monthly updates on relevant California legislation.
What 3 items are on tap for this installment? One is a bit of a rehash. Another is a look at gender and addiction. And one is a review of a new book that’s sure to be a staple of bookshelves and bibliographies everywhere.
First the rehash – Goodbye to Dry
The end of January marks the end of dry January headlines. If I never see another headline about a 30-day alcohol-free reboot – at least until Sober October rolls around – it will be too soon.
Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s great to encourage people to take a month away from drinking to test the sobriety waters and to see whether they feel better without alcohol. But repeated stories of abstinence as quaint oddity or fun challenge can get old to those of us who think there’s nothing quaint or odd about it. And the focus on benefits such as clearer skin and increased energy serve to downplay serious consequences such as cancer and cardiac risks that can be significant even at moderate levels of drinking.
For our final word on dry January, I wanted to highlight a few stories in particular.
A Jan. 7 Wine Spectator article set out to answer the question of whether alcohol-free (AF) wines taste good. The result? The author described the AF wines he tasted as “alternative beverages with wine-like elements rather than wine substitutes.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
One of the more interesting parts of the story for me was the description of the high-tech process used to remove alcohol from wine. But what really caught my attention is that AF wines, unlike their alcoholic cousins, must include nutrition labels because they are not classified as wine by the FDA. Go figure. It’s only when the most toxic component is removed that a label is required!
A January 14 article in the food and entertainment publication, Delish, provided an overview of the sober curious movement. Generally speaking, the sober curious are people who don’t necessarily identify as being addicted to alcohol, but nonetheless choose to limit or eliminate alcohol from their lives in order to realize the benefits to be gained.
My favorite quote from the article: “Quitting drinking is something most of us are never given the opportunity to even consider… Society never really talks about it. Only alcoholics quit drinking.” This type of thinking is what the Sober Curious movement aims to change.
I try not to dwell on the past, but I do sometimes wish I had discovered recovery through curiosity rather than necessity, which is why it makes me happy that the sober curious movement is giving people space, and acceptance, to be curious and alcohol-free with less fear of stigmatizing labels.
And finally, a January 13 story on Insider.com shed light on the science behind the sugar cravings many of us experience when we first give up alcohol or other drugs. It’s not solely the because of the body’s desire to replace the sugars we got from alcohol, but also because both sugar and alcohol stimulate dopamine. This is a good piece that generated a lot of discussion on the RMA private Facebook group.
Item 2 – Gender and addiction
SLP’s Wednesday Weekly news clips often include stories about how gender influences addition and recovery. A few examples? Research finds women are more susceptible to certain health problems at lower levels of consumption than men. Women, who are more likely to be a family’s primary caregiver, tend to feel less able to take time away for residential or even outpatient treatment. And some would say women face greater stigma for addiction than men.
Addiction during pregnancy is obviously another issue unique to women. A recent Newsweek story reports that California Attorney General Rob Bonta is calling for women not to be prosecuted for losing their fetuses, even if drug use contributed to the loss.
According to the story, Bonta’s stance was in response to two recent cases where women in California’s central valley, who allegedly used methamphetamines during pregnancy, were charged with “fetal murder” for the deaths of their stillborn children.
Lawmakers amended the state’s homicide law in 1970 to include fetuses, but Bonta argues this was in the context of violence done to a pregnant woman resulting in the death of a fetus, and that the law doesn’t apply to deaths caused by actions from the pregnant woman herself.
The AG’s move to halt prosecutions of women whose unborn fetuses’ deaths are linked to drugs will certainly be viewed as controversial by some, but as Bonta points out, prosecuting pregnant women struggling with addiction is likely to cause them to avoid seeking treatment, which only serves to create more harm, not less.
And on that note, one of the stories in the Wednesday Weekly clips came from a local news outlet in Ohio reporting on a program specifically aimed at helping women by providing mental health and addiction treatment services during pregnancy and after. This is probably an area of treatment where there is a great need for additional services.
Item 3 – The Urge: Our History of Addiction, by Dr. Carl Erik Fisher
Finally, my third item is a new book by Colombia University Psychiatry professor and bioethicist, Dr. Carl Erik Fisher. In his book, “The Urge: Our History of Addiction,” Fisher examines how societies have understood and addressed addiction throughout history. His look at mutual help organizations goes back to the Washingtonians, about 100 years before the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous. He also turns the lens on himself and on his own journey through addiction and recovery.
Fisher argues we tend to view and treat addiction through singular approaches — such as prohibition or medicalization — that have shifted over time. He calls for more nuanced and multi-faceted solutions that draw upon multiple approaches. He also takes issue with the overly simplistic conception of addiction as disease, and makes the case that addiction exists on a continuum rather than as binary either/or condition.
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Fisher earlier this month. You can view the transcript at soberliningsplaybook.com. I urge you to check out his new book, The Urge, which was released on Jan. 25. And tune into his podcast, Flourishing After Addiction where he interviews some of the experts he interviewed for his book.
And that, my friends, is the Big 3 for January 2022. Be well Monksters. I’ll be back next month with more. Stay tuned!
Links:
Are There Any Good Non-Alcoholic Wines? -Wine Spectator - Jan. 7, 2022
Sober Curious? Why People Who Aren't Alcoholics Give Up Drinking - Delish – Jan. 14, 2022
How to Control Sugar Cravings When You Quit Alcohol During Dry January – Insider - Jan. 13, 2022
Canada: Alcohol should have cancer warning labels, say doctors and researchers pushing to raise awareness of risk – Canadian Broadcast Corporation - Jan. 8, 2022
California Law Doesn't Criminalize Stillbirths Even If Drug Use Is Contributing Factor: AG – Newsweek - Jan. 7, 2021
Ohio: New program helps young mothers struggling with addiction, mental health – WKBN 27 - Jan. 14, 2022
The Urge: Our History of Addiction by Dr. Carl Erik Fisher
Sober Linings Playbook