The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - June 14, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Addiction stigma persists in medical field | Addiction in the LGBTQ+ community
State and Local
Drug “Czar” Gupta returns to W.VA for a talk | Orange County, CA Dr. sentenced to 151 months for illegally prescribing opioids
Studies/Research in the News
Drug for marijuana addiction on the horizon? | Ad Council report on addiction highlights role of trauma
Books and Movies
Surgeon writes novel based on his family’s experience with addiction
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National
Game Over: The Troubling trend of male gaming addiction
Gaming addiction has become a prevalent issue in recent years, and its impact on males is particularly concerning. As more and more individuals immerse themselves in the virtual world, it’s crucial to shed light on the troubling trend of male gaming addiction.
WFLA - June 8, 2023
Substance abuse disorder patients struggle to get treatment because of stigma
Substance use disorder has long been classified as a disease, but Bousquet and others like him who are in recovery say stigma around this condition is pervasive in the field of medicine. Their stories illustrate the steep social and financial costs of stigma not only for the people who are in recovery but for communities across the country who are grappling with high rates of addiction.
NPR - June7, 2023
ChatGPT’s responses to suicide, addiction, sexual assault crises raise questions in new study
When asked serious public health questions related to abuse, suicide or other medical crises, the online chatbot tool ChatGPT provided critical resources – such as what 1-800 lifeline number to call for help – only about 22% of the time in a new study. The research, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, suggests that public health agencies could help AI companies ensure that such resources are incorporated into how an artificial intelligence system like ChatGPT responds to health inquiries.
CNN - June7, 2023
Could Ozempic help curb addictive behaviors?
Many unanswered questions should elicit attention and caution, experts say.
ABC - June 7, 2023
The Addiction Epidemic in the LGBTQ+ Community
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month — a time when we celebrate the beautiful and vibrant people within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning community. It’s also an appropriate time to bring attention to some of the issues affecting this population. One such issue is addiction — an exceedingly complex and chronic brain disease that has become an epidemic and major public health crisis in America. While it is well-documented that LGBTQ+ individuals have dramatically higher rates of substance misuse and addiction than their heterosexual counterparts, few may understand or have ever stopped to wonder why. If you examine the social determinants of health, the many inequities surrounding this community and ultimately driving addiction become clear.
HIV Plus Magazine - June 6, 2023
Purdue’s Bankruptcy Deal With Sacklers Raises Bar for Others
The drugmaker’s chapter 11 case has put new limits on bankruptcy courts that will make it harder for other alleged wrongdoers to walk a similar path as its family owners. The Sackler family owners of Purdue Pharma are a giant step closer to being reprieved. In winning an appeals court’s approval last week to resolve lawsuits accusing the family members of fueling the opioid crisis, Purdue’s bankruptcy case had to clear a new, stringent list of criteria that set a high bar for others seeking relief from mass lawsuits.
Wall Street Journal - June 6, 2023
Transcending MET (Money, Ego, Turf): A Whole Person, Whole Government Approach to Addressing Substance Use Disorder Through Aligned Funding Streams and Coordinated Outcomes
Money, Ego and Turf (collectively “MET”) perpetuate structural barriers to addressing SUD, including an onerous regulatory structure and disjointed funding, impede access to quality treatment and non-clinical community-based supports, and lead to challenges with linkage, engagement, and achieving long-term recovery. This brief proposes guiding principles and concrete recommendations for governments to leverage this momentum and transform government budgets to incentivize investment in a coordinated, targeted, and outcomes-driven approach to SUD.
O’Neill Institute - June 6, 2023
Sober Influencer Promotes Non-Alcoholic Drink — Only to Discover It Contains Alcohol
Evidently non-alcoholic drinks do contain alcohol, even if their packaging says 0 percent. A sober TikToker made this discovery the hard way and took to social media to warn other folks in recovery. TikTok user @brittanyjade_ _ _ was promoting a non-alcoholic beverage on her massive social media platform before discovering she was inadvertently misleading her fans. "I don't understand how someone can advertise so bold about being alcohol-free, there being zero percent alcohol, but still actually contain alcohol," she said in a video about the brand AF Drinks.
MSN.com - June 6, 2023
Jack & Kristina Wagner Share Heartbreaking Memories One Year After Son’s Death
To mark the somber first anniversary of their son Harrison’s death at age 27, Hallmark star Jack Wagner and his ex-wife, actress Kristina Wagner, both posted touching memories of their youngest son on June 6, 2023. In December, when the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner released Harrison’s cause of death, calling it an “accident,” with an overdose of Fentanyl and Alprazolam — the generic name for Xanax — as the official cause.
Heavy.com - June 6, 2023
Gen Z Is Drinking Less and Clubs Aren’t Thrilled
Some small venue owners are noticing that younger audience's alcohol consumption is dropping, impacting a key revenue stream.
Billboard - June 6, 2023
Biden administration vows to improve efforts to battle US drug overdoses
President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday pledged an improved effort to combat drug overdoses that claimed the lives of about 100,000 Americans last year, using a White House summit to tout a multifaceted approach to tackle synthetic and illicit drugs such as the powerful opioid fentanyl. "Today's summit is needed because the global and regional drug environment has changed dramatically from just even a few years ago," Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the summit, being held jointly with public health officials from Mexico and Canada. Biden administration officials said they would use tools such as medications to reverse opioid overdoses and use data collection to guide their efforts.
Fox - June 6, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Reviews Comments
State / Local
California: Orange County doctor sentenced for illegally prescribing opioids to known drug addicts
An Orange County doctor was sentenced Friday to 151 months in federal prison for illegally prescribing opioids and other powerful narcotics to so-called "patients" without a legitimate medical purpose.
Fox11 Los Angeles - June 10, 2023
Massachusetts: Patients, doctor say closing of Emerson Hospital addiction medication program worsens 'treatment desert'
Patients from an outpatient medication addiction treatment program run by Emerson Hospital in Concord have to go elsewhere for that care. Emerson Health, which operates the hospital, shut down the program Friday, only a few years after it opened. Hospital officials said they're shifting priorities. But patients, advocates and the doctor who ran the program say the area of the state it served lacks medication treatment programs for substance use disorders and that the closing harms people who need that care.
WBUR - June 8, 2023
West Virginia: Gupta returns to West Virginia to talk drug addiction, treatment issues
Biden administration Drug Czar and former state Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta is back in West Virginia to talk about the ongoing battle against substance abuse. At a roundtable discussion on the WVU campus, Gupta told the group that the Biden administration has allocated $15 billion for addiction treatment to the state, or about $8,500 per West Virginia resident. Gupta said enforcement is still a focus but as the numbers of those addicted rise more options must be considered. “This major shift in policy will be one where we meet people where they are because we cannot treat dead people,” Gupta said.
WV Metro News - June 8, 2023
Massachusetts: From Addiction to Ironman: Inspiring journey of transformation
Todd Crandell, who was once homeless with a drug addiction, now he’s about to compete in his 106th Ironman, spoke with 22News. Crandell spent 13 years in the trenches of drug use and alcoholism, now he’s gone from addict to Ironman and the 56-year-old exerts his energy in the most grueling sport imaginable while helping people all over the world overcome addiction.
WWLP - June 8, 2023
New Mexico: Taos summit will address barriers to addiction recovery
A summit in Taos later this week will focus on barriers to recovery people with addictions face, and organizers say they hope to see elected officials and members of the media as well as the public there. Several organizations are leading the second annual People of Substance Summit in Taos, including the Northern New Mexico Rural Health Network and Taos Pueblo Recovery Works. Co-organizer Jim O’Donnell said the goal of the event is to move the conversation in state politics and media around addiction treatment towards more effective solutions.
KUNM - June 7, 2023
Pennsylvania: Penn is closing an inpatient addiction treatment program that advocates say homeless patient rely on for care
Advocates for people who use drugs say they're concerned for people without housing who rely on longer-term inpatient treatment to stabilize themselves while recovering from an addiction. Saying that Penn Medicine is not prioritizing care for opioid addiction at a time of soaring overdose deaths, several dozen protesters chanted “patients over profits” to protest the closure of a West Philadelphia addiction treatment unit at a rally last week. The protest urged Penn to keep open Wright 4, an 18-bed addiction treatment unit at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Philadelphia Inquirer - June 6, 2023
New York: NYC Vending Machines Provide Free Crack Pipes, Condoms, Narcan To Drug Users
New York City debuted a new vending machine Monday that provides free crack pipes, condoms, and Narcan for drug overdoses, among other items. The big blue machine is the first of four vending machines that will be installed in some of New York’s most drug-infested neighborhoods, city health department officials said.
Daily Wire - June 6, 2023
Washington: Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison says she's not leading new 'war on drugs'
Seattle’s addiction crisis takes center stage at City Hall on Tuesday, as council members debate how to enforce a new state-level law that includes harsher penalties for public drug use and possession. City Attorney Ann Davison wants her office to prosecute people arrested for drugs in Seattle under this law. "For the past two years, it's been de-facto decriminalization here," she told KUOW's Morning Edition host Angela King. "So, what we're doing is acknowledging that that is not the way to go forward." The City Council is considering an ordinance to align Seattle's municipal code with a new state law, which makes possessing small amounts of substances like fentanyl and methamphetamine a gross misdemeanor.
KUOW - June 6, 2023
Studies/Research in the News
New findings raise concerns about scientific reviews of the effectiveness of exercise-based interventions for addiction
Exercise-based interventions for substance abuse populations are a topic of interest in research and clinical practice. However, a new scientific review argues that the wide number of methodological concerns and knowledge gaps in the literature prevents the development of clinical recommendations. The paper has been published in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity.
PsyPost - June 10, 2023
New drug for marijuana addiction shows promise, small study finds
As marijuana use in the United States reaches record highs among young adults, there is a growing need to address its potential for addiction, experts say. An experimental pill, the first in a new class of drugs, has shown promise in treating cannabis use disorder, according to the results of a small trial published Thursday in Nature Medicine. The drug, known as AEF-0117, was found to reduce the perceived “good effects” of cannabis by up to 38 percent in a double-blind randomized controlled phase 2a trial led by researchers at Columbia University. Phase 2a typically means researchers are determining the proper dosage for the next stage of testing.
NBC - June 8, 2023
Ad Council Research Institute releases substance use disorders report
The overarching factor that people who died of drug overdoses—amid a growing national crisis—had in common was trauma in some form, a report from the Ad Council Research Institute (ACRI) finds. Conducted with guidance from Shatterproof, the report, Substance Use Disorders: Identifying how to reach, encourage and support those open to treatment (49 pages, PDF), surveyed nearly 3,000 adults ages 18-65 to help ACRI and the Ad Council determine how best to reach, encourage, and support individuals open to treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs).
Philanthropy News Digest - June 7, 2023
Ketamine could ‘help children as young as five beat depression’
The party drug ketamine could be given to children as young as five to treat depression, experts have revealed. The Class B tranquilliser can have powerful beneficial effects on severely depressed adults. But it's impact on children is still relatively unknown. Research from Great Ormond Street in London, has found the drug is safe to use in children over the age of 5 and should be trialled as a depression therapy.
The Sun - June 6, 2023
Books and Movies
Georgia: Columbus Surgeon and Father Writes Novel About Drug Addiction and His Family’s Battle
Drug and alcohol-related deaths in the last 20 years have killed more American citizens than died in the first two world wars, Vietnam, Korea and War in Afghanistan combined. It hits close to home for a Columbus, GA surgeon. He has written a new novel based on the trauma their family went through when their son struggled with addiction. He just released a fiction novel “The Gardens of Winter,” about how a family grapples with it, based on their family’s journey. Writing the book has been part of the healing.
WTVM - June 8, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments