The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - August 30, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
U.S. may recommend limiting alcohol consumption to two drinks per week | Nurses and doctors who have experienced OUD can’t bill Medicare or Medicaid
State and Local
New Mexico lawmakers say state should invest more to prevent alcohol deaths | Director of new Minnesota Office of Addiction and Recovery takes office
Studies/Research in the News
Cost burden of alcohol-related liver disease projected to skyrocket | Sound waves to treat cocaine addiction?
Opinion
Unpacking AA’s step 2 | What’s the big deal about marijuana?
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National
U.S. May Recommend Americans Limit Alcohol Consumption to Two Drinks Per Week
The U.S. may soon advise Americans to limit their alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per week, according to the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
National Review - Aug. 25, 2023
Biden alcohol czar says US may follow Canada, limit beers to two a week: 'what a joke'
President Biden's alcohol czar says Americans may be told by officials to have no more than two beers a week. Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) George Koob told the Daily Mail on Thursday that the U.S. may follow Canada's footsteps on alcohol guidelines. Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls told Fox News Digital the "rich men north of Richmond are once again recommending what hard-working Americans should and shouldn’t do." "Two beers a week? What a joke," he continued.
Fox - Aug. 25, 2023
Addiction and Recovery in the World of Corporate Law
In this episode, RANE co-founder David Lawrence speaks with Lisa Smith about her experiences with addiction, mental health issues and recovery in the world of New York City corporate law. Lisa Smith is a former practicing lawyer and law firm executive, as well as a writer, speaker and podcast host. She is the author of Girl Walks Out of a Bar, her memoir of high-functioning addiction and recovery in the world of New York City corporate law.
RANE Insights - Aug. 25, 2023
NIDA Fact Sheet: Medications for Opioid Overdose, Withdrawal, & Addiction
NIDA - Aug. 25, 2023
France to Spend $216M Destroying Excess Wine As Consumption Habits Change
France's wine industry has seen a change in consumption habits, with less people drinking red wine. The French government hopes to shore up the country's wine industry by purchasing excess wine. The excess wine will be turned into industrial alcohol used in hand sanitizer or cleaning products.
Insider - Aug. 25, 2023
Lily Allen Reflects on Drug and Alcohol Use and Says Fame Was an Addiction
It's been four years since Lily Allen got sober, and the British singer-songwriter is opening up about what contributed to her substance use. In a new interview with The New York Times, the "Smile" performer spoke about her years of drug and alcohol use, explaining how it went hand in hand with her relationship to fame and success.
People - Aug. 24, 2023
Ex-addicted doctors, nurses cannot bill Medicare or Medicaid
Doctors and nurses who have struggled with opioid addiction in the past may be allowed to keep their medical certifications, but they are not allowed to bill Medicare or Medicaid for five years. That's a rule put into place in the 1980s by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to deal with fraud, but its current iteration leaves medical professionals with very few places to practice medicine.
Spectrum 1 News - Aug. 21, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
State / Local
New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee says state should invest more in alcohol death prevention
The powerful Legislative Finance Committee is recommending New Mexico lawmakers focus more on preventing alcohol-related deaths. In a recent report, the committee says the state is currently “investing relatively little effort” in early prevention. The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) keeps track of spending and government programs across the state. Now, their report shows New Mexico saw a recent uptick in alcohol-related deaths.
KRQE - Aug. 25, 2023
Sober State Fair: Non-alcoholic options at the Minnesota State Fair
Looking for a non-alcoholic drink to quench your thirst at the Minnesota State Fair? There are more NA options than just the all-you-can-drink milk booth.
Minnesota Public Radio - Aug. 25, 2023
Vermont’s largest hospital has revamped addiction treatment services
As recorded overdoses in Burlington reached new heights this summer, the University of Vermont Medical Center reorganized its addiction treatment services to streamline access to treatment.
VT Digger - Aug. 25, 2023
Utah is an alcohol control state. A new citizen initiative wants to change that
A group filed a citizen initiative to overhaul what they consider a monopoly on liquor, wine and high-point beers. They call Utah’s state control of alcohol “prejudiced due to endemic partisan politics and influenced by specific religious special interests” in filing documents.
KUER - Aug. 24, 2023
Oregon: Former drug addict to race in Hood To Coast says running key part of his recovery
On the day before the 2023 Hood to Coast relay race begins, runner Chad Seely is all too ready.
KPTV - Aug. 24, 2023
Massachusetts: Boston officials look to revive Long Island as hub for addiction services, homeless care
They've sat vacant for nine years on an island in Boston Harbor — more than a dozen buildings that once housed critical social service programs for people facing addiction and homelessness. Now city officials, led by Mayor Michelle Wu, are looking to restore the island's services as Boston grapples with the ongoing addiction crisis.
WBUR - Aug. 24, 2023
Pennsylvania: Kensington outreach program helps those fighting addiction get treatment
Every weekday, a massive RV rolls down Kensington’s narrow streets, delivering addiction care and medical supplies to triage the latest danger in Philadelphia’s drug crisis. Nowadays, the first question nurse Elaina Rodriguez asks of patients who approach her is whether or not they have any wounds. It’s a sign of the spread of the animal tranquilizer xylazine through Philadelphia’s drug supply — and it’s made the Girard team’s already difficult job that much harder.
Philadelphia Inquirer - Aug. 22, 2023
Mon Valley slated to get rare inpatient drug addiction unit
The Mon Valley is getting an inpatient substance abuse treatment center, a rare service in Western Pennsylvania considering the size of the opioid problem. Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital in Washington County will open a 14-bed inpatient addiction treatment unit after state inspections are done in the fall, hospital officials said
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Aug. 22, 2023
New state office for addiction and recovery services gets its leader
Lawmakers left the Capitol this spring with agreements to pump more than $200 million into addiction and recovery support over the next four years. Some of that money will go to preventing overdose deaths, some of it to recovery services. Interwoven into this new network of funding and programming is the state's Addiction and Recovery Director — a new role that reports directly to Gov. Tim Walz on the state of Minnesota's addiction services.
Minnesota Public Radio - Aug. 22, 2023
Studies/Research in the News
Cost Burden of Alcohol-Related Liver Disease to Skyrocket
The indirect and direct costs of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) could sap the US economy of $880 billion from 2022 to 2040, a new analysis shows.
Medscape - Aug. 25, 2023
Sound Waves Could Be A Novel Tactic in Battling Cocaine Addiction
Researchers are launching a pioneering study using low-intensity focused ultrasound to address cocaine addiction by targeting the insula region of the brain. This noninvasive technique aims to reprogram brain cells to diminish cocaine cravings.
Neuroscience News - Aug. 22, 2023
Opinion
AA’s Step Two: Looking Beyond Your Self For Hope
While A.A.'s step one leaves people demoralized, step two offers a path toward hope for greater sanity. Step two begins a spiritual path to right-size one's sense of "Self," and possibly accepting help. Ending the isolation of relying only on oneself is an essential foundation of recovery from addiction.
Psychology Today - Aug. 25, 2023
Former Ohio medical director: THC is the “big deal” about marijuana.
The “big deal” about marijuana is that THC — tetrahydrocannabinol, the main “drug” component of marijuana is addictive, as confirmed by research by the National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, the World Health Organization, and other preeminent health organizations around the globe.
Columbus Dispatch - Aug. 22, 2023
Books and Movies
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments