The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - July 19, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Dele Alli story highlights need for more support for footballers struggling with addiction | US Congress working to reauthorize addiction treatment services
Fentanyl (and xylazine)
White House announces plan to address xylazine crisis | Council Bluffs toddler tests positive for fentanyl, 2 face felony charges
State and Local
Indiana police call for license revocation after addiction treatment center patient deaths | Oregon: People in recovery speak to Multnomah County commissioners about plans to distribute smoking kits
Studies/Research in the News
UCF study highlights insurance barriers to extended-release buprenorphine | Prescribed stimulants and the risk for addiction
Opinion
How to put opioid settlement funds to good use | Opinion: Canadian approach not helping people who use drugs
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National
Robert Downey Jr. Reveals Humiliation Coming Out After Drug Addiction
Speaking of his drug addiction and the jail time that came with it, Robert Downey Jr. recently told New York Times magazine, “I remember with great pride that I was able to even address something like that in a public forum,” adding the caveat, “Yet it would irk me deeply. It felt strangely punitive and unnecessarily humiliating.”
Giant Freakin’ Robot - July 18, 2023
Dele Alli: Sleeping pill addiction 'widespread' in football, says psychotherapist
Addiction to sleeping pills in football is "much wider than people realise", according to former Oxford United psychotherapist Gary Bloom. Everton midfielder Dele Alli said he spent six weeks in rehab for sleeping pill addiction and mental health issues. Bloom was the first psychotherapist to work at an English club.
BBC - July 14, 2023
Footballers need more support with addiction and mental health, PFA told
The Professional Footballers’ Association has been urged to do more to prevent addictions and mental health problems from escalating after Dele Alli, the Everton midfielder, spoke out about his addiction to sleeping pills.
The Guardian - July 14, 2023
Some Wall Street Elites Pay $700 an Hour for Therapy Sessions
Among high-powered finance executives, mental health struggles and addiction can be seen as taboo. Dr. Sam Glazer specializes in this clientele, charging $700 for a 45-minute session, WSJ reported. It shows that a robust salary is not enough to solve everything.
Business Insider - July 14, 2023
Former Maroon 5 drummer addresses addiction after kicked out
The original Maroon 5 drummer Ryan Dusick was kicked out of the band in 2006. After, he struggled with addiction. Here's what he's doing now.
Clutch Points - July 13, 2023
Emma Chamberlain Reveals "Severe" Nicotine And Vaping Addiction
Emma Chamberlain has shared candid details of her five-year struggle with a nicotine addiction. In an episode of her podcast, Anything Goes, Chamberlain, 22, revealed she is "trying to quit" nicotine, after struggling with a "very severe" addiction.
Elle Austrailia - July 13, 2023
The House is sprinting to reauthorize addiction services
It’s reauthorization season for an array of critical health-care programs. And as both parties pledge to combat the nation’s staggering rate of overdose deaths, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are staring down the looming expiration of an array of services aimed at helping people with an addiction. This morning, a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will take a step toward continuing the legislation’s addiction treatment and recovery programs set to expire Sept. 30. There are some negotiations still ongoing, but the bill released earlier this week was introduced by both a Republican and a Democrat — a feat in a highly polarized Congress.
Washington Post - July 13, 2023
Tom Holland Details Alcoholism, Says He Was ‘Enslaved’ by Addiction
Tom Holland is opening up in more detail about his alcohol addiction after revealing for the first time in May that he has been sober for over a year.
Variety - July 11, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
Fentanyl
White House Announces Plan To Combat Xylazine Overdose
Addressing the immense danger of the drug, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Rahul Gupta told the press on Tuesday, “If we thought that Fentanyl was dangerous, Fentanyl-combined Xylazine is even deadlier.” He continued that while the full scale of the epidemic is unknown, increasing research on contributing factors and finding treatments for Xylazine overdose is top priority.
Addiction Center - July 14, 2023
Council Bluffs, IA: 'The hardest moment of my life': Toddler tests positive for fentanyl in Council Bluffs
A young mother in Council Bluffs says her toddler tested positive for fentanyl. Now two other people are facing felony charges.
KETV - July 13, 2023
Woman who struggled with addiction shares impact of fentanyl
Blackburn has struggled with addiction on and off for years. Her mother and father struggled too. Her grandmother died of a heroin overdose in 2000. She swore she’d never end up like them.
WCPO - July 11, 2023
State / Local
Indiana police call for license revocation of addiction treatment center following patient deaths
Law enforcement authorities in northern Indiana are calling on state officials to revoke the license of an addiction treatment center following the recent deaths of three patients within a week. The call for action comes amid ongoing investigations into three deaths and two suspected overdoses at the all-male drug and alcohol rehabilitation center located in Mishawaka. The county police department believes that the center's issues are being underreported.
Fox - July 14, 2023
Oregon: Recovering addicts speak to Multnomah County commissioners about smoking kit plans
Recovering addicts and their families spoke before Multnomah County commissioners on Thursday about the plan to distribute smoking kits. The testimonies come after the county put their harm reduction initiative on pause. The plan was to distribute foil, straw and pipes to drug users. The county hoped to simultaneously connect users to resources like addiction and mental health services when given the supplies.
KPTV - July 13, 2023
Indiana: Judge rules Tipton County BZA wrong to deny addiction treatment center
A ruling by the Tipton County Board of Zoning Appeals against a proposed addiction treatment facility has been reversed and sent back to BZA by a Grant County judge. In the ruling, Sptizer is clear that the BZA and the remonstrators who spoke at the June 1, 2022, meeting offered “no substantive evidence” that The Oasis would pose any real risk to the community and surrounding residents.
Kokomo Tribune - July 13, 2023
Ohio: Perrysburg man granted furlough to seek drug addiction treatment
A Perrysburg man who showed up for court with drugs in his system has been furloughed from jail to seek treatment. Thomas Patterson, 33 was transported from the jail Tuesday to the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matt Reger. Wood County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brian Boos said he had no objection to furloughing Patterson for treatment but said he should be transported there and back by a county deputy.
Sentinel-Tribune - July 13, 2023
Studies/Research in the News
Prescribed Stimulants for ADHD and the Risk of Addiction
Many people with ADHD and their loved ones worry about the effects of stimulant medications for ADHD. Very often these worries are about the stigma of addiction that is often proposed as a potential side effect. Two recent studies found no greater risk for substance use or addiction from stimulant therapy for ADHD.
Psychology Today - July 17, 2023
Study examines insurance barriers to access opioid addiction medication
A new University of Central Florida study recently published in Health Affairs shows that one of the most effective medications for treating opioid addiction is one of the least covered by insurance plans often used by patients with substance use disorder. Researchers found that although most plans covered the immediate-release sublingual form of buprenorphine, extended-release buprenorphine injections were covered by less than half of commercial plans and less than a fifth of Medicare Advantage Plans. Furthermore, while most Medicaid plans did cover it, more than a third presented a barrier by requiring prior authorization before prescription.
Medical Press - July 13, 2023
New UCF Study Examines Insurance Barriers to Access Opioid Addiction Medication
While insurance coverage of some forms of buprenorphine has improved over the years, researchers say coverage of new, more effective forms of the medication is lacking. a new University of Central Florida study recently published in Health Affairs shows that one of the most effective medications for treating opioid addiction is one of the least covered by insurance plans often used by patients with substance use disorder. Researchers found that although most plans covered the immediate-release sublingual form of buprenorphine, extended-release buprenorphine injections were covered by less than half of commercial plans and less than a fifth of Medicare Advantage Plans. Furthermore, while most Medicaid plans did cover it, more than a third presented a barrier by requiring prior authorization before prescription.
University of Central Florida - July 12, 2023
Could New Weight-Loss Drugs like Ozempic Treat Addiction?
Some users of Ozempic, the popular diabetes drug that can help people eat less and lose weight, have been noticing a welcome side effect. An increasing number of people who use these injections to help control their food cravings say other cravings disappear as well—including ones for nicotine, alcohol, gambling, skin picking and other compulsive behaviors. The abundance of anecdotal reports has made researchers wonder whether Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs can serve as a basis for antiaddiction treatments.
Scientific American - July 12, 2023
It's not 'just cannabis,' Stanford Medicine expert warns
As a longtime psychiatric clinician specializing in substance use disorders and addiction, Stanford Medicine's Smita DasOpens in a new window, MD, PhD, has had a front-row seat to the aftershocks of America's cultural about-face on cannabis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three in 10 people who use marijuana daily have a cannabis use disorder, defined by the CDC as the inability to stop using cannabis even though it's causing them health and social problems. While Americans are well -versed on a persisting opioid epidemic, they are far less likely to know about the growing body of medical science that suggests marijuana use can be both addictive and harmful to the brain.
Stanford Medicine - July 12, 2023
Can Neural Stimulation Zap Addiction?
Much remains to be learned about the treatment’s brain-changing effects and how to maximize its therapeutic impact. Different research groups have different theories, for example, about whether brain-modulation techniques should be paired with other types of mental health treatments, whether existing stimulator technology is sufficiently attuned to the task, and even about which brain regions to target.
Spectrum - July 11, 2023
Opinion
More lives can be saved, but change is needed to treat addiction
The opioid settlement funds have given us the opportunity to get vital programs off the ground, but they are time limited. To turn the tide, we will need comprehensive, sustainable change within a framework that places the person in the center and builds resources around their needs. The question now is: How can we continue to pay for the programs that are working and how do we expand to support unmet needs when settlement dollars are exhausted? We can start by requiring payers to reimburse for treatments that are proven to work.
Crain’s Cleveland Business - July 17, 2023
The federal drug strategy is not helping the addicts
By attempting to “regulate” the drug user in their addiction, Canada’s drug policy has gone from being ineffective to oppressive. Although our leaders believe they have brought Canada to the vanguard of a progressive drug policy, homelessness, public disorder, and deaths continue to mount. As a practicing psychiatrist, I routinely encounter patients struggling with addiction who are suicidal, disaffected, and seemingly resigned to a life on the margins. And having closely followed our nation’s response to the epidemic, I am concerned our approach is further oppressing the drug user. Because they have uncritically embraced the dogma of anti drug-prohibition activists, public health authorities are under the erroneous impression that they can successfully “regulate” the drug user in a state of active addiction.
Toronto Star - July 17, 2023
AI-Targeted Internet Advertisements Fueling Looming Addiction Crisis
Online pill services are using the same aggressive marketing tactics that drove the opioid epidemic. A new breed of direct-to-consumer services is aggressively using targeted ads to sell habit-forming medications. Not only do these companies make it easier for those seeking recreational drugs to access them, they're also poised to inundate and threaten the sobriety of people in recovery. And unlike a typical prescriber who might interrogate answers to assess genuine need, some of these firms appear to be designed to remove every possible barrier.
Business Insider - July 13, 2023
Books and Movies
'Surviving the Hill' features continuing local battle with addiction
The continuing battle with addiction and the drug epidemic’s toll on the Washington County community is a significant part of a new movie, "Surviving the Hill," according to a news release from the county health department. The movie will premier Saturday at 6 p.m. at The Maryland Theatre, 21 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown. It will later be offered on streaming services.
The Herald-Mail - July 13, 2023