Take 3 w/ SLP
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One. Beware the “neo-prohibitionist” threat: W(h)ine magazines assert something spookier than Halloween looms in Sober October
Probably not by a coincidence of timing, in the first week of Sober October Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast magazines both published articles warning of a “neo-prohibitionist” threat to the alcohol industry (see No U.S. “Alcohol Czar” Is Trying to Limit Drinking. Here’s the Truth, Wine Spectator, Oct. 5, 2023) and Is Alcohol the New Tobacco?, Wine Enthusiast, Oct. 2, 2023). The authors of both articles were reacting to recent reports that the U.S. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has considered following Canada’s lead by recommending that adults limit themselves to no more than two drinks per week.
The rise of the “sober curious” movement and proliferation of non-alcoholic beers and spirits may well be eating into the alcohol industry’s growth. The Daily Mail recently reported, for example, that growth in alcohol-free beer consumption has eclipsed growth of regular beer as Gen Z moderate their drinking.
While I don’t doubt the veracity of industry concerns about growth and market share, I’m not convinced there is a well-organized and well-funded neo-prohibitionist movement aimed at cracking down on alcohol – certainly not one that can compete with the existing alcohol lobby!
As someone who has paid attention to media coverage of drug addiction, treatment and recovery in recent years, it does appear that more people may be questioning their own alcohol consumption. It also seems to me that experts and the news media are reporting more on the dangers of drinking. But when it comes to addressing problems associated with alcohol and other drugs, there seems to be a fairly strong consensus that prohibitionist policies used in the past are not effective.
The more I search for the term “neo-prohibitionist,” the more convinced I become that this is a bit of a strawman created by the industry intended to link people who raise concerns about the dangers of alcohol with the failed U.S. prohibitionist movement of the 1920s.
That’s my conspiracy theory and I’m sticking to it.
Two. Uncharted territory: Medication treatment for stimulant use disorder
The Food and Drug Administration recently issued guidance aimed at encouraging research into medications to treat cocaine and methamphetamine addiction (FDA calls for cocaine, meth addiction treatment, The Hill, Oct. 5, 2023). Even though there are effective, FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder and for alcohol use disorder, no approved medications for stimulant use disorder exist.
Perhaps the most effective treatment for stimulants is a behavioral therapy known as contingency management in which small rewards are used to motivate changes in behavior and abstinence. The reward component, unfortunately, sometimes meets with political resistance by people who view contingency management as “paying people to stay clean” (see for example, The backlash over Seattle’s plan to reward drug users for staying clean, NPR, May 12, 2023). All the more reason to incentivize research aimed at finding medications to treat stimulant use disorder.
On a positive note, there were reports in October about research at UC San Diego that helped to “identify a potential new treatment for cocaine addiction – something poorly understood at the molecular level and with virtually no approved pharmacological treatments” (see UCSD, Salk researchers identify potential treatment for cocaine addiction, NBC San Diego 7, Oct. 5, 2023).
Three. What’s the deal with kratom?
I recently posted a new piece on kratom at the SLP Insights tab of the Sober Linings Playbook website. This one comes by way of Kratomsobriety.com, a website and podcast devoted to all-things kratom. If you’re scratching your head wondering what kratom is, don’t fret. You are not alone. This over-the-counter substance derived from a tropical tree in southeast Asia may be widely available in the U.S. but it’s not well-known.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), kratom can have either opioid- or stimulant-like effects. Some people attempt to use it to lessen opioid withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, many users report experiencing addiction. According to NIDA, kratom can cause serious psychiatric, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and respiratory problems.
To learn more about kratom and the current regulatory landscape, as well as calls for reform, click through to SLP Insights: Kratom Regulatory Reform.
And speaking of drugs that can be purchased at the gas station (where kratom is commonly sold), I just learned of a new one. An Oct. 20 article in Popular Science reports on tianeptine which is also known as “gas station heroin” (see What is tianeptine?, Popular Science, Oct. 20, 2023). Apparently, it is now illegal in Florida as well as eight other U.S. states. That’s about all I know. My interest is piqued so I’ll keep my eyes out for more reports on this one.
That’s all for October. Until next time, stay tuned.
