The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - February 28, 2024
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
Methamphetamine plays increasing role in addiction crisis | The new definition of sober | Does Portugal have the answer?
State and Local
Colorado counties collaborate for anti-stigma campaign | Ocala Florida’s drug amnesty program aims to help people with addiction
Studies/Research in the News
Brain stimulation shows promise for treating addiction | Indiana study captures real-time data to gain insights on relapse
Opinion
Is it time to abandon the “tough love” approach to addiction? | Let’s not glamorize addiction…again
Books and Movies
Former NBA star, Rex Chapman, chronicles drug and gambling addiction in new memoir
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National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
National
Everyone Is Addicted Right Now: “Dopamine Fasting” Offers New Hope for Us All
Many of us struggle with addictions that are concealed behind closed doors or hidden deep inside an emotional vault, such as alcohol, food, gambling, drugs, nicotine, media, porn, and shopping. Even workaholism, for all its social accolades, often destroys one’s mental health or relationships. And even if you have been spared (or are in recovery) from any of these types, we still all face perhaps the most ubiquitous addiction—our smartphones! Doctors are beginning to “prescribe” something called “dopamine fasting” so their patients can finally break clear of this otherwise interminable dopamine-pain cycle.
Forbes - Feb. 23, 2024
German parliament supports partial legalization of cannabis, doctors warn against risk of addiction
The German parliament on Friday (Feb 23rd) backed the move to partly legalise cannabis use. This legislation would make Germany only the third European country to legalize the drug for personal use.
WION - Feb. 24, 2024
Director of National Drug Control Policy discusses addiction research and prevention at Ohio State
The national head of U.S. drug control and addiction efforts discussed effective research and programs at The Ohio State University this week. “Today, as you know, we have 46 million Americans suffering from substance disorder,” Gupta said. He pointed out that the nature of the drug addiction and overdose threat has changed with the rise of synthetic or made-to-order drugs. He said people ordering what they believe are prescription medicines online from unregulated websites run the risk of buying fentanyl-laced counterfeits.
Ohio State University - Feb. 23, 2024
Methamphetamine plays increasing role in addiction crisis
Illicit fentanyl, the driving force behind the U.S. overdose epidemic, is increasingly being used in conjunction with methamphetamine, a new report shows. The laboratory Millennium Health said 60% of patients whose urine samples contained fentanyl last year also tested positive for methamphetamine. Cocaine was detected in 22% of the fentanyl-positive samples.
USA Today - Feb. 21, 2024
'Recovering from food addiction is like walking a tiger'
"I was eating vast, vast amounts of food - sometimes out of the bin - and it was to sort of try and calm myself. It was the only way I knew how, in absence of alcohol. I couldn't pick up a drink, so I picked up the food instead."Briony says it came with a huge amount of shame and was extremely difficult to manage given the body needs food to survive. "It's like having to take a tiger out for a walk three times a day," she says. "But it was as dark as the last days of my drinking were." She says the pattern of focusing on women's weight as a solve-all is detrimental and prevents so many people from seeking help, especially when it comes to binge eating disorder.
BBC - Feb. 21, 2024
Does Portugal Have The Answer To Stopping Drug Overdose Deaths?
Overdose deaths in Portugal are extremely rare. The country has taken a radically different approach to drugs – decriminalizing small amounts and publicly funding addiction services – including sites where people can use drugs like crack and heroin. Portugal treats addiction as an illness rather than a crime. No one has to pay for addiction care, and no one scrambles to navigate a poorly regulated recovery system. Could Portugal's approach help the U-S fight its opioid epidemic?
NPR - Feb. 20, 2024
The New Definition of Sober
Experts have found it's unrealistic to think total abstinence of all substances is right for everyone. It's a major shift in the field from past thinking. Some addiction experts are leery about whether people with addictions can make good decisions about drug use.
Psychology Today - Feb. 19, 2024
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
State / Local
Oregon: Drug addiction, housing and homelessness to dominate session
Oregon lawmakers are starting the legislative session, promising to aim squarely at the state’s homelessness and drug addiction crisis. From Gov. Tina Kotek to Democratic and Republican legislators, elected officials agree on the priorities, especially with fentanyl overdoses skyrocketing in Oregon and across the country. They agree police need more tools to investigate and charge fentanyl drug dealers. They also agree that addiction treatment and services need to expand. And they want to cities to add affordable and middle-income housing to address the state’s homelessness crisis and high home prices.
Lincoln County Leader - Feb. 23, 2024
Colorado: Local counties collaborate on an awareness campaign to dispel stigma, promote recovery from addiction while reducing the tragic toll of fentanyl and other opioids
“Recovery starts when stigma ends.” That’s the message of a new local public awareness campaign created to dispel stigma around addiction, including opioid use disorder, and to inspire the community to rise together to meet the challenge of this devastating epidemic. The bilingual campaign, a collaborative effort of Chaffee, Custer, Fremont and Park counties, directs the community to information and resources available at EndStigmaStartRecovery.org and ParaElEstigma.org.
Canon City Daily Record - Feb. 23, 2024
New Jersey: Preventing an addict from getting behind the wheel is delicate balance in New Jersey
Other than repeat DUIs, a history of traffic offenses won't put someone in jail or take away their license even if substance abuse is a known factor. In Camden County, New Jersey, Project S.A.V.E. (Substance Abuse Visionary Effort) is aimed at addressing the root cause of someone's repeated run-ins with the legal system. Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. played a role in making the program a countywide initiative. "What we try to do is get them into treatment to end that cycle of substance abuse and criminal behavior," he said.
CBS - Feb. 23, 2024
Michigan Senate passes bills expanding judicial programs for mental health and addiction
The Michigan Senate passed bipartisan legislation Thursday to give more people access to mental health and drug treatment courts. Those are programs within the judicial system that provide extra support to people who break the law but might also be dealing with issues related to mental health or addiction.
WKAR Public Media - Feb. 23, 2024
West Virginia: Paula Vega Cakes staff works to break stigma of addiction
A Huntington business owner is on a mission to give back to her community in the form of second chances. Owner of Paula Vega Cakes, Kathy Melba, is trying to break the stigma of addiction by mentoring people in recovery from substance abuse disorder, giving them jobs at the bakery.
WSAZ - Feb. 22, 2024
Florida: Ocala Police Department's drug amnesty program helps people with addiction
Local leaders in Ocala are working to reduce drug overdoses through a program that aims to help people struggling with addiction. Ocala police started the heroin/opioid amnesty program in 2018 as a way to fight the opioid epidemic and get people the help they need. With the amnesty program, anyone who is addicted to drugs can reach out to the Ocala police department for help, and they will check them into a licensed treatment facility for free.
WESH - Feb. 22, 2024
Florida: Sheriff Grady Judd launches ‘groundbreaking’ mental health, substance addiction services at Polk County Jail
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says his agency is taking a new approach when it comes to providing mental health and substance addiction services at the Polk County Jail. “We are bringing multiple partners together to focus on how we can best reduce the cycle of criminality. We are breaking down silos to provide resources and services to those who end up in our jail and want to live as productive citizens.”
Fox 13 - Feb. 21, 2024
Oregon Democratic lawmakers reach tentative deal to address drug addiction crisis
Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday they have reached a tentative deal to create a new type of misdemeanor that would give defendants no jail time for drug possession and another chance to enter treatment programs. The charge, hammered out near the mid-point of the 35-day session, will be folded into House Bill 4002, the vehicle lawmakers are using this session to address the fentanyl-fueled drug overdose and addiction crisis. Its purpose would be to give people found with small quantities of drugs ample chances to enter treatment and recovery rather than jail.
Oregon Capital Chronicle - Feb. 21, 2024
Oregon: Mandatory treatment for addicted teens off the table for 2024, lawmakers decide
Oregon lawmakers decided they don’t have enough time to research, debate and pass a bill this session that would allow parents and guardians to force their children to enter residential programs for drug addiction treatment. As initially written, Senate Bill 1547 would have given parents the authority to require their children to be evaluated and, if needed, enter addiction treatment for up to 14 days even if the minor did not consent. The Senate Human Services Committee kept the rest of the bill, which would address other parts of the addiction crisis and health care workforce shortage.
Oregon Live - Feb. 21, 2024
California: San Francisco wants to offer free drug recovery books at its public libraries
The most stolen books from San Francisco public libraries’ shelves are not the hottest new novels or juicy memoirs, they are books about recovering from addiction. Now, city officials want to provide universal access to free drug recovery books, including Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-step recovery book.
AP - Feb. 20, 2024
Maine jail helps revolutionize addiction treatment for inmates
A program designed to help stop the cycle of opioid addiction is showing promise as a pilot project at a Maine county jail. The Somerset County Jail in Madison offers inmates an injection of the drug buprenorphine, a low-strength opioid doctors frequently provide to patients to help them wean off stronger opioids, such as heroin or fentanyl.
News Center Maine - Feb. 19, 2024
Florida: Decrease in drug-related deaths in Florida gives new glimmer of hope to families affected by addiction
A recent report by the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission revealed a slight decrease in the number of drug-related deaths in 2022, bringing a new glimmer of hope for families who have loved ones battling drug addiction.
News 4 Jax - Feb. 19, 2024
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Studies/Research in the News
Brain stimulation shows promise in treating drug addiction
Today, neurostimulation is used to treat a variety of human disorders, including Parkinson's disease, tremor, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome. A Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon and his colleagues believe one form of that treatment, called deep brain stimulation (DBS), is poised to solve one of the greatest public health challenges: drug addiction.
Mayo Clinic - Feb. 23, 2024
New Study Reveals Crucial Insights About Addiction Recovery, Relapse
Dr. Jason Runyan and his colleagues at Indiana Wesleyan University—in collaboration with a local substance use disorder (SUD) treatment program—recently conducted a study examining growth and relapse in the daily lives of individuals in recovery. In their study—published today in Scientific Reports—Dr. Runyan and his research team used a smartphone app to capture real-time data from individuals in a SUD residential recovery home in Indiana, a state deeply affected by the opioid epidemic. Examining the daily experiences and behaviors of these individuals—a method called experience sampling—enabled them to uncover predictors for relapse as well as for personal growth in the recovery process. Consistent with previous research, Runyan and his team found that, while impulsivity predicted relapse, having the sense that there were people in one’s life that one could count on decreased the likelihood of relapsing.
WBIW - Feb. 22, 2024
Cannabis may be the gateway out of drug addiction
New research has found that daily users of crystal methamphetamine who turned to cannabis to manage their cravings used the stimulant drug less, especially female users. The findings suggest a new harm-reduction strategy is needed for people who use illicit drugs. There are dissenting opinions among researchers about whether cannabis is a ‘gateway drug’ that leads people to use other, more dangerous drugs. New research by the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, examined whether using cannabis to manage cravings changed a person’s use of illicit stimulants.
New Atlas - Feb. 19, 2024
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Opinion
Is it time to abandon the ‘tough love’ approach to addiction?
"The old school model of addiction treatment has really focused on this model of moral failing ... and we know that that’s not correct. And what that’s created is a whole lot of stigma around a treatable chronic health condition," says Alicia Ventura. Today, On Point: Is it time to do away with the "hit bottom" approach?
WBUR - Feb. 21, 2024
I grew up in Kensington, Philadelphia. Let's not glamorize addiction — again
If you look up videos of the worst of the opioid epidemic, you will see Kensington's "zombies." In those videos, you can see the house where I grew up. You can argue the aesthetic of "heroin chic" was born in the same city I was. Growing up, I confronted the painful juxtaposition of the people outside my window, cast aside by society while on my television, gossip news glamorized addicted celebrities. Even as a child, it seemed clear to me that the only difference between my neighbors and their identically addicted counterparts in California was wealth and color.
NPR - Feb. 20, 2024
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Books and Movies
Rex Chapman: Former NBA star publishes autobiography and is glad to ‘be on the other side’ of drug and gambling addiction
Former college and pro basketball player Rex Chapman is now a social media influencer and popular podcaster, but in between those accomplishments, he developed a drug and gambling addiction and was arrested for shoplifting. The former Charlotte Hornet and Phoenix Suns player’s new autobiography, “It’s Hard for Me to Live with Me,” co-written with CBS Sports’ Seth Davis, covers all of Chapman’s highs and lows.
CNN - Feb. 20,2024
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments