The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - January 10, 2024
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
National Council, Shatterproof, Ad Council tackle racial disparities in SUD | Privacy at issue in programs aimed to help doctors experiencing addiction
State and Local
Massachusetts moves to legalize fentanyl test strips | Contingency management program in California
Studies/Research in the News
U.S. has seen steady rise in substance-related heart deaths | Study finds SUD treatment for adolescents costly and hard to find
Opinion
Safe consumption sites could save lives | Op ed claims addiction in San Francisco is misdiagnosed as homelessness problem
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National
National Council for Mental Wellbeing Tackles Deaths and Racial Disparities in Substance Use
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, in partnership with Shatterproof and the Ad Council has launched a new campaign to bring resources and stories of hope to people with substance use disorder. WUGA’s Alexia Ridley spoke to Courtney Lovell from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
Univ. of Georgia - Jan. 6, 2024
[press release]Find Addiction Rehabs Unveils Newly Redesigned Web Presence and Guides on Using Insurance for Rehab
Find Addiction Rehabs, a trusted resource in the field of addiction treatment, proudly announces the launch of its redesigned website, marking a significant step forward in enhancing user experience and accessibility. The revamped site, characterized by a sleek and modern design, is poised to be a clearinghouse and essential resource for those navigating the complex landscape of substance use disorders and behavioral health issues. Find Addiction Rehabs empowers users with the knowledge they need on their journey to recovery.
EIN News - Jan. 5, 2024
Strategies to Quit Dipping: Overcoming Smokeless Tobacco Addiction
Smokeless tobacco, also known as dipping, is a highly addictive substance that poses significant health risks. While quitting can be a daunting task due to the strong chemical dependence, it is not an impossible feat. With the right strategies and tools, individuals can successfully overcome this addiction.
Medriva - Jan. 5, 2024
Doctors are as vulnerable to addiction as anyone. California grapples with a response.
As addiction and overdose deaths command headlines across the nation, the Medical Board of California, which licenses MDs, is developing a new program to treat and monitor doctors with alcohol and drug problems. But a fault line has appeared over whether those who join the new program without being ordered to by the board should be subject to public disclosure.
KFF - Jan. 4, 2024
Dry January health benefits
Dr. Van Wehmeyer with Baylor Scott & White Health says cutting out alcohol can overall help with your well-being. "We are noticing people are becoming more energetic," Wehmeyer said. "It's helping with their sleep, and it's helping with their weight loss. You're less hostile. You're less irritable. You're going to be happier on the whole front."
KCEN TV - Jan. 4, 2024
This family didn't wait for 'rock bottom' to help a loved one with their addiction
We're sometimes told to let an addicted loved one "hit bottom." Addiction experts say providing support is more likely to lead to someone entering recovery.
NPR - Jan. 2, 2024
Pharmacy Schools Play an Important Role in Addressing Opioid Addiction
Pharmacy education is proving critical in addressing the ongoing opioid crisis by promoting harm reduction and awareness, advancing critical research, and diversifying the field of addiction science. Several new initiatives in higher education highlight the transformative role that pharmacy school students and faculty can play in advancing addiction treatment and recovery.
Insight Into Diversity - Jan. 1, 2024
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
State / Local
Vermont: 10 years ago, Gov. Peter Shumlin highlighted the opioid crisis. Has Vermont made any progress?
Vermont's Legislature-opening State of the State speech is usually a predictable affair where the governor outlines a laundry list of accomplishments and priorities. But on Jan. 8, 2014, Gov. Peter Shumlin deviated from that script and told lawmakers that he wanted to “focus exclusively” on the “rising tide” of opiate addiction. Ten years later, the state has largely implemented the plan Shumlin pitched, and by some measures, made progress.
Vermont Public - Jan. 8, 2024
Massachusetts: Lawmakers move to legalize fentanyl test strips
State lawmakers are moving to legalize fentanyl test strips to help curb an ongoing wave of opioid-related overdoses deaths. The state Senate on Wednesday approved legislation to remove criminal or civil liability for the sale, possession, and distribution of fentanyl test strips, and other testing equipment used to identify the synthetic opioid.
Salem News - Jan. 8, 2024
New Mexico: Youth advocates criticize New Mexico governor’s move to ramp up juvenile detention
Last fall, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a sweeping series of executive orders to address gun violence and drug use. It also addressed the need for addiction treatment among young offenders. But in some cases, the change means that minors get sent to detention, where treatment might not be available. Megan Myscofski at KUNM explains.
NPR - Jan. 7, 2024
California: Paid to stay sober: Promising but debated therapy comes to California
The Rewarding Recovery program uses a treatment approach called “contingency management,” where drug users are rewarded with gift cards for attending counseling sessions and staying sober. Despite proof of its efficacy in treating stimulant addiction in research trials, contingency management remains controversial.
SF Chronicle - Jan. 5, 2024
Washington: Why a leading option for treating opioid addiction is not widely available in Washington prisons
If you’re incarcerated in a Washington state prison with an opioid-use disorder, a very specific set of circumstances must occur if you want access to addiction treatment medication. Medication-assisted treatment is widely considered the “gold standard” for treating opioid addiction and studies show incarcerated people are much more likely than others to use opioids — and die of overdoses shortly after release. In Washington, overdoses were the top cause of unexpected deaths within state prisons during the 12-month period that ended in June last year.
Oregon Capital Chronicle - Jan. 5, 2024
Colorado: Alcohol abuse treatment is available in CO, but getting help can be hard
There’s a pressing need for more people to find suitable treatment in Colorado, which has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths in the country.
Denver Post - Jan. 4, 2024
Oregon: Two new residential projects will expand behavioral health and addiction treatment in Portland area
As Oregon faces a behavioral health and addiction crisis, two separate projects will expand residential capacity to serve at least 90 more adults and children at a time in the Portland area.
Oregon Public Broadcasting - Jan. 4, 2024
New year, new laws on housing, addiction and more
New Oregon laws that took effect Jan. 1 are aimed at the state’s biggest crises and needs, from affordable housing to the exploding fentanyl addiction crisis to mental health.
Oregon Capital Chronicle - Jan. 2, 2024
Massachusetts: State grapples with intertwined epidemics: Opioid addiction, homelessness crisis
Mass. and Cass. The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston is the epicenter of the state’s homelessness and substance abuse problems. Since 2008, Massachusetts has been in the top percentile of opioid-related death rates in the U.S., with more than twice the U.S. average in 2016.
Daily Hampshire Gazette - Jan. 1, 2024
Kentucky eyes ibogaine, a psychedelic, to treat opioid addiction
The state’s commission may use some of its opioid-settlement money to study the drug.
The Economist - Dec. 30, 2023
Studies/Research in the News
U.S. Has Seen Steady Rise in Role of Alcohol, Drugs in Heart Deaths
Heart disease deaths linked with alcohol or drug use have been steadily increasing in the United States, a new study has found. Deaths from heart disease in which substance use was cited as contributor rose an average of 4% per year between 1999 and 2019, researchers report. Further, the death rate accelerated in recent years, rising more than 6% from 2012 to 2019, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. This occurred even though overall deaths from heart disease declined during the same period.
US News and World Report - Jan. 10, 2024
Access to adolescent addiction treatment limited, costly: Study
Residential addiction treatment centers in the U.S. that serve adolescents under 18 are limited and expensive, a new study reveals, despite increasing drug overdose deaths among teens. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, was led by researchers at Oregon Health and Science University who identified 160 facilities nationwide that treated teens with opioid use disorder as of December 2022.
News Nation - Jan. 9, 2024
Opinion
‘Spare me the nonsense!’ Left’s radical drug ‘agenda’ exposed as addicts take over US streets
The US progressive left has been criticised for their drug “agenda” as states move towards easing policies. Conservative radio host Jason Rantz joined Patrick Christys on GB News, where he speculated on the motives of those pushing decriminalisation. “On the radical left, they argue this is about reducing the stigma”, Rantz said. “I don’t want to reduce the stigma. I want people to feel as if doing drugs and being an addict is not what is best for them, so they actually get help.”
GB News - Jan. 5, 2024
Countering Flawed Policies to Curb Homelessness, Addiction and Mental Illness
Tom Wolf, director of West Coast Initiatives for the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions, is working on solutions to the homelessness crisis, and he says drug addiction and homelessness go hand in hand.
Philanthropy Roundtable - Jan. 4, 2024
California: Misdiagnosing San Francisco's Addiction Crisis
San Francisco officials call the city’s drug-addiction crisis a homeless problem. Until recently, the city’s remedy has been to provide addicts with indoor spaces and drug-use gear—a strategy that has proven increasingly deadly. As of mid-December, San Francisco had 752 fatal overdoses in 2023, the highest number on record. the city’s Department of Public Health has leaned hard into a Harm Reduction policy rather than actively promoting recovery. Placing people with serious addiction issues within four walls, alone, and without proper care and support has produced tragic consequences.
City Journal - Jan. 3, 2024
Drug overdoses can be prevented by treating addiction as a health condition
Opioid-related deaths are preventable. With better funding of treatment programs, a different approach to drug users who run afoul of the law and more action that handles addiction as a health condition, not a moral failing, more lives can be saved.
Chicago Sun Times - Jan. 2, 2024
Wales drug use rooms could save addicts' lives
Wales should follow Scotland's drug room trials to combat rising deaths, according to the chairman of the Senedd's cross-party addiction group. He said evidence showed people who used safe drug consumption facilities (SCFs) were more likely to seek help in future. In Europe there are more than 80 SCFs across 16 countries.
BBC - Jan. 2, 2024