The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - May 17, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
California introduces new tools in fight against addiction | Addiction treatment medicine still under prescribed, particularly by race
Fentanyl
Fentanyl Awareness Day | Xylazine
State and Local
Transparency urged for Ohio nonprofit overseeing opioid settlement funds | S.F. Bay Area University unveils free Narcan vending machine
Studies/Research in the News
Researchers study use of monetary incentives to treat stimulant use disorders | Prevalence of alcohol and drug use among U.S. high schoolers decreased from 2019-2021
Opinion
Is there a middle ground for addiction policy? | The Hill: Mental health system of care needs to change
Books and Movies
30 best movies about addiction and recovery | What you need to know about Netflix’s “Painkiller”
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National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
National
California introduces new tools in fight against addiction: Shatterproof’s Treatment Atlas and Unshame CA
An alliance with the national nonprofit Shatterproof, Blue Shield of California and the California Department of Health Care Services has been formed to address drug addiction and provide recovery resources. The alliance brings new tools like the Shatterproof Treatment Atlas, a one-stop treatment resource that locates treatment centers, lists accepted insurers (including commercial and government sponsored coverage), shows payment options, discloses use of best practices, lists types of treatment offered and documents testimonies of patient success. Endorsed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the web-based platform is managed by Shatterproof, an non-profit with a mission to “save lives and make treatment available to everyone who needs it.” Alongside the web-site, the department has introduced Unshame California to reduce the stigma that prevents users from seeking help. “Our new partnership will help all Californians find and compare addiction treatment facilities for substance use disorders so they can make informed decisions about their care,” said Director Michelle Baass.
The Center Square - May 12, 2023
Drug experts are normalizing the idea that you can be "pre-addicted." Is that really a thing?
As the opioid crisis has precipitated a huge investment in a public health apparatus devoted to treating addiction, public health experts have coined a new term: pre-addiction. The idea behind the label is that it could be a useful concept for ascertaining one's risk of developing a drug addiction. Indeed, some organizations that use the term, such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), hope that it can be useful in intervening in addiction before it even starts. Yet as the term gains more prominence, experts in the field are torn over whether or not it's a worthy concept.
Salon - May 12, 2023
Comedian Rickey Smiley on 'Responsibility' to Share His Grief Over Son's Accidental Opioid Overdose
Comedian and radio personality Rickey Smiley has found a new purpose since losing his 32-year-old son Brandon to an accidental overdose in January. The host of radio's The Rickey Smiley Morning Show is speaking out about his grief and encouraging families to have conversations about addiction.
People - May 11, 2023
Addiction Treatment Medicine Is Vastly Underprescribed, Especially by Race, Study Finds
Despite the continuing rise in opioid overdose deaths, one of the most effective treatments for opioid addiction is still drastically underprescribed in the United States, especially for Black patients, according to a large new study. From 2016 through 2019, scarcely more than 20 percent of patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder filled prescriptions for buprenorphine, the medication considered the gold standard in opioid addiction treatment, despite repeated visits to health care providers, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
New York Times - May 10, 2023
Regulators struggle to keep up as pot becomes more potent – and more dangerous
Although decades ago the THC content of weed was commonly less than 1.5%, some products on the market today are more than 90% THC. The buzz of yesteryear has given way to something more alarming. Marijuana-related medical emergencies have landed hundreds of thousands of people in the hospital and millions are dealing with psychological disorders linked to cannabis use, according to federal research. But regulators have failed to keep up. Among states that allow the sale and use of marijuana and its derivatives, consumer protections are spotty.
CNN - May 10, 2023
Charles Kelley Opens Up on Addiction Battle in New Interview
Lady A's Charles Kelley is on the other side of a hard battle with alcohol abuse these days, but a mere nine months ago, the fight was just starting. In August of 2022, Kelley entered treatment for an alcohol abuse problem, and in a vulnerable new interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, the singer and his wife, Cassie, recall that journey from start to finish. As Kelley explains, his Lady A bandmates, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, started realizing he had a problem with alcohol about five years ago, and even once confronted him about the way alcohol was affecting his behavior towards them.
Taste of Country - May 10, 2023
People can get controlled medications via telehealth for awhile longer, DEA says
As the expiration of the Covid-19 public health emergency declaration approaches, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has extended the flexibilities regarding the prescription of controlled medications via telehealth. Before the pandemic, medical practitioners were subject to the conditions of the Ryan Haight Act, which required at least one in-person medical examination before prescribing a controlled medicine, Dr. Shabana Khan, chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Telepsychiatry, told CNN in a previous story on the flexibilities.
CNN - May 9, 2023
Is there such a thing as an addictive personality?
The term "addictive personality" is widely used. Are some people really more prone to developing an addiction? is there such a thing as an addictive personality? Are some people really more prone to developing an addiction? Many psychiatrists and addiction experts say there is no scientific evidence supporting the idea. They also warn that the concept is harmful as it suggests that people have little to no control over whether they become addicted. "For there to be such a thing as an addictive personality, what you're saying is that there's a trait that is predictive of addiction and addiction alone," says Griffiths. "There is no scientific evidence that there is a trait that predicts addiction and addiction alone."
BBC - May 8, 2023
To ease start of addiction treatment, doctors look to ketamine
Ever since fentanyl came to dominate the U.S. illicit drug supply, doctors and patients have found buprenorphine, a key addiction-treatment medication, increasingly difficult to use.
Stat - May 8, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
Fentanyl (and xylazine)
'Gruesomely disfiguring' zombie drug hits the streets disguised as counterfeit opioids, worrying addiction specialists who warn of flesh-eating effects
Xylazine, called "tranq" or "tranq dope," is a sedative used by vets that has been found in opioids. The "zombie" drug has flesh-rotting effects and can lead to amputations, addiction specialists warn. The drug has been found across the country and Congress has moved to make it a controlled substance.
Insider - May 12, 2023
Searching for solutions on the front lines of fentanyl
In a battle being fought in every community in America, fentanyl has become the top killer of all adults ages 18 to 49 years old. From speaking to recovery specialists and political leaders in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. Fox 4 Investigates is searching for solutions to the fentanyl epidemic.
Fox4 - May 11, 2023
National Fentanyl Day puts overdoses, reversal in spotlight
Drug overdoses remain a serious problem in Colorado and across the nation as Tuesday is recognized as National Fentanyl Awareness Day. Steve Carleton from the Gallus Medical Detox Center says the most important thing people can do to help is learn how to use Narcan a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose.
CBS - May 9, 2023
Fentanyl Testing Strips Are Illegal in Many States — but That’s Changing
The potent opioid fentanyl is driving a dramatic increase in overdose deaths — and health experts agree that rapid testing strips can save lives. Still, access remains limited. Here's what's at stake. Rapid fentanyl testing strips can provide people with vital information about a drug they are about to use, but U.S. paraphernalia laws, which prohibit items explicitly used for taking or testing illicit drugs, still create barriers to safe use in many states. In a review published in May 2022 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers at the Network for Public Health Law, including Dr. Davis, scoured each state’s paraphernalia laws as of July 31, 2021. The study found that as of July 2021, it was legal to possess at least some testing equipment in 22 states. In 19 states, it was legal to distribute this equipment to adults.
Everyday Health - May 9, 2023
Advocates speak out ahead of Fentanyl Awareness Day
May 8 is Fentanyl Awareness Day. Kimberly Stidham and her family are determined to make a dent in deadly fentanyl overdoses. Six months ago, when they lost their son and brother Ahlijah, they joined a growing club no one wants to be a part of. Monday, the California Assembly voted not to fast-track three bills related to cracking down on drug dealers caught selling fentanyl. We will continue to go, we'll continue to fight, we'll continue to keep presenting these bills and on a daily basis here at P.A.I.N.," said Flindt Andersen, founder and president of Parents and Addicts In Need (P.A.I.N.).
ABC 30 - May 8, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
State / Local
California introduces new tools in fight against addiction
An alliance with the national nonprofit Shatterproof, Blue Shield of California and the California Department of Health Care Services has been formed to address drug addiction and provide recovery resources. “Our new partnership will help all Californians find and compare addiction treatment facilities for substance use disorders so they can make informed decisions about their care,” said Director Michelle Baass. The alliance brings new tools like the Shatterproof Treatment Atlas, a one-stop treatment resource that locates treatment centers, lists accepted insurers (including commercial and government sponsored coverage), shows payment options, discloses use of best practices, lists types of treatment offered and documents testimonies of patient success. Endorsed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the web-based platform is managed by Shatterproof, an non-profit with a mission to “save lives and make treatment available to everyone who needs it.”
Santa Barbara News-Press - May 15, 2023
New Mexico: They were promised help getting sober and a fresh start. Instead they ended up stranded in Arizona.
It’s a story — about people luring victims across state lines, asking them to sign up for benefits to get treatment that they don’t actually provide and then leaving them stranded — echoed by many Indigenous people living on the streets in Albuquerque and Gallup.
Albuquerque Journal - May 13, 2023
Ohio nonprofit overseeing opioid settlement fund must publicize records, court rules
The state-established nonprofit overseeing $440 million in opioid settlement funds must publicize its records, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous decision, the Court ordered the OneOhio Recovery Foundation – a 29-member organization tasked with distributing more than half of the state’s $808 million opioid settlement fund – to make its records available to the public.
NBC4 - May 12, 2023
Minnesota group pushes a new approach to support loved ones struggling with addiction
Amid a torrent of drug overdoses, some families are turning away from a tough-love response. A new movement that challenges long-held views about how family members should respond to the opioid epidemic. They have abandoned the idea that people addicted to drugs need tough love and harsh consequences, and instead have embraced a strategy of empathy, love and unconditional support.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune - May 12, 2023
Maryland high school aims to help students beat addiction
Getting someone with a substance-use disorder into a recovery program is a difficult process, even if that person wants help — in part because the list of those programs is a short one. The process is made even more difficult for parents with teenagers as this list is even shorter. In the City of Frederick, Maryland, an alternative high school helps students battling addiction. The academy offers teens between the ages of 14 and 18 a place to not only continue learning but also provide the tools and support students need to recover from their addiction.
WTOP News - May 11, 2023
California: Mental Health Awareness Month Continues With New Lifesaving Resources and Tools for Substance Use Prevention, Treatment and Recovery in California
Californians now have a free, confidential way to find lifesaving, high-quality addiction treatment. As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Shatterproof, a national organization focused on guiding communities, removing systemic barriers to recovery, mobilizing the country to advocate for change, and ending addiction stigma, is expanding and bringing its work to California.
AP - May 11, 2023
Connecticut House Approves Psilocybin Decriminalization Bill, Sending It To Senate
The Connecticut House of Representatives has approved a bill to decriminalize possession of psilocybin mushrooms, sending it to the Senate. The legislation—which was introduced by the Judiciary Committee and cleared that panel in March—passed the House in an 86-64 vote on Wednesday.
Marijuana Moment - May 11, 2023
Washington state Democrats urging teens to carry Narcan
Seattle radio host Ari Hoffman reacts to the state telling teens to carry Naloxone to fight opioid overdoses but won't criminalize drug use.
Fox - May 10, 2023
California: This university is the first in the Bay Area to unveil a free Narcan vending machine
As lawmakers in Sacramento debate solutions to the fentanyl crisis, public health students at Santa Clara University unveiled their own unique approach on Tuesday: a free on-campus vending machine that dispenses canisters of the opioid-overdose reversing medication Narcan to anyone who wants it.
The Mercury News - May 9, 2023
Minnesota: North Minneapolis fire station becomes Minnesota's first opioid treatment "Safe Station"
The opioid epidemic is claiming lives and destroying families. In Minnesota, the number of deaths from the drug has more than doubled since 2019. To combat that, the Minneapolis Fire Department has created a first-of-its-kind solution in the state. Fire House 14 on Lowry Avenue in north Minneapolis is a "Safe Station" – home to a 24-hour drop-in service to get people into detox and treatment through the Twin Cities Recovery Project.
CBS - May 9, 2023
California: Teen at LA County juvenile hall dies of apparent overdose as officials address troubled facilities
A teen died of an apparent overdose at a Los Angeles County juvenile hall, weeks after a state oversight board declined to shut down the facility. According to the L.A. Times, the teen was found unresponsive in his room at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall (BJNJH) in Sylmar. Now, county officials are investigating whether the teen overdosed on fentanyl.
ABC7 - May 9, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Studies/Research in the News
The Cocaine Comeback: Addiction Scientists Turn to Cash Incentives for Answers
With a surge in cocaine use and related fatalities in the US, researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute are studying the disorder, focusing on the theory of reinforcer pathology. They’re using a monetary incentive approach for drug-free behavior, seeking to develop innovative interventions to curb the rising issue.
Sci Tech Daily - May 16, 2023
FGCU doctor studies method for detoxing opioid-addicted babies
A Florida Gulf Coast University professor studied a method for weaning babies off opioids now recommended by the National Institutes of Health and a local foster mom has detoxed more than one addicted baby using the method. The opioid addiction problem in the U.S. is so widespread that 7% of babies are born with drug exposure, and many are addicted in the womb. Weaning them off opioids is a challenge, but research is being done on the safest ways to break their addictions. But many doctors felt there was a better way than the use of morphine or ohter drugs: supportive care like the Scotts used. Higgins’ study group looked at a method called ESC—eat, sleep, console.
WINK - May 12, 2023
Does Addiction Treatment "Work"? NAATP Foundation Publishes Inaugural Report Examining Outcomes Measurement in Addiction Healthcare
The Foundation for Recovery Science and Education (FoRSE), a nonprofit organization developed by the NationalAssociation of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) in 2020, has published its inaugural report summarizing addiction treatment delivery and outcomes from over 50 treatment centersacross the country. The FoRSE Addiction Treatment Outcomes Program maintains a database of de-identified data, with a growing sample of over 170,000 unique patient treatment episodes from 73 data site facilities spanning 25 States. The aim of the report is to provide a summary of the characteristics of the patients served, the nature and duration of services provided, and the outcomes observed during and after services were provided.
Yahoo! - May 11, 2023
Black Patients Less Likely to Get Treatment for Opioid Overdose
Medications that treat opioid addiction and prevent overdose deaths are drastically under-prescribed in the United States, particularly for Black patients, a new study has found. Black Americans are even less likely than whites to receive these meds following a medical event that clearly indicates the patient has opioid use disorder, said lead researcher Dr. Michael Barnett, an associate professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
WebMD - May 11, 2023
Alcohol and Other Substance Use Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2021
Substance use prevalence declined during 2009–2021. From 2019 to 2021, the prevalence of current alcohol use, marijuana use, and binge drinking and lifetime use of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine and prescription opioid misuse decreased; lifetime inhalant use increased. In 2021, substance use varied by sex, race and ethnicity, and sexual identity. Approximately one third of students (29%) reported current use of alcohol or marijuana or prescription opioid misuse; among those reporting current substance use, approximately 34% used two or more substances.
CDC - April 28, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Opinion
This Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s shift from self care to system change
Without adequate systems of care, we default to crisis response; too often, this entails arrest and processing through the criminal court system. Surface-level self care solutions are likely not enough for this student. What’s often really needed is access to culturally competent mental health care and to have their basic needs met in a stable home. If cities and states invest in basic needs such as housing, affordable childcare, food access and a living wage, we can expect to see improved health and crime rates across the board.
The Hill - May 14, 2023
A third way on addiction policy
Given that the outcomes of the punitive “war on drugs” approach have been disappointing, it is common to imagine that the opposite approach would yield better results. In 2000, Vancouver launched a new public-health focused strategy to address drug addiction. Despite noble intentions and a substantial resource investment, British Columbia’s overdose death rate is now as high as the worst affected parts of the United States. Drug policy seems stuck in a polarized debate between a war on drugs versus complete laxness about their availability and harms. We need a “third way.” No jurisdiction has all the answers, but the time has come to recognize the limits of an exclusively harm-reduction approach, as well as the right place for smart enforcement — including court-ordered sobriety — and adequate investment in recovery.
Toronto Sun - May 9, 2023
This is America’s surprising youth drug crisis
The data is in and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the impacts of commercial marijuana industry are even worse than we thought, particularly for America’s young people. A new report released by Smart Approaches to Marijuana shows the reality in "pot-legal states" paints a vastly different picture than the common sales pitch of the industry and supporters of legalization.
Fox - May 9, 2023
Dear Prudence: I tried to help my friend with her addiction at a party and it was a huge mistake
Q: I have a friend, “A,” who is a recovering heroin addict, she has been clean for over 10 years and I’m very proud of her. Unfortunately, it seems like she has recently developed a problem with cocaine. I called up K and let them know that A was in recovery and not to give her any next time she asked. I went into a blind rage.
A: A blind rage? You need to reflect on what you are really angry about. Do you have trauma around drug use? Did you massively over-invest in this person’s recovery, despite knowing that you really couldn’t guarantee that she’d stay sober? Or do you just hate it when people don’t listen to you and allow you to control their choices? A healthy person’s reaction would have been something like, “It’s really a shame that A is in recovery and she’s using again.”
Slate - May 8, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Books and Movies
Michael J. Fox talks addiction, Parkinson’s struggles, ‘Still’ movie
"Still" director Davis Guggenheim relies on multiple ways to tell Fox's full story − from struggling actor to global superstar and then unflagging Parkinson's advocate after he publicly revealed the brain disorder in 1998. Fox would need the support, not only for the disease but also overcoming alcoholism as he turned to heavy drinking to "disassociate" from his diagnosis. After not taking a drink for more than 30 years, Fox says the early days of sobriety were especially challenging.
USA Today - May 12, 2023
30 Best Movies About Addiction & Alcoholism
There's no right or wrong time to raise awareness of mental health and substance use struggles. But Mental Health Month (May 1-May 31) raises awareness of the possibilities of treatment, other services and fellowship-based programs—and to eliminate stigma. This list of the best movies about addiction and alcoholism tackles the tough topic with grace.
Parade - May 10, 2023
Netflix's Painkiller - Everything You Need To Know
Plans for the Netflix series "Painkiller" have been in the works for some time, with initial announcements for its cast in the press going back to at least July 2021. Tackling the opioid crisis could be done in a lot of different ways. From the sound of it, "Painkiller" is taking a somewhat biographical route, even if certain confessed liberties are taken with the story. "A fictionalized retelling of events," said a press release from Netflix, "'Painkiller' is a scripted limited series that explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of the perpetrators, victims, and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin."
Looper - May 9, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments