The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - June 15, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
NOTE: Sober Linings Playbook is a personal website. Any views or opinions expressed herein belong solely to the website owner and do not represent those of individuals or organizations the owner may be associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. This website offers no advice, products or services.
Highlights
National
Senate gun deal provides funding for mental health | Parents sue Meta for Instagram addiction
Fentanyl
NYC subway riders respond to "safe use” harm reduction posters |
State and Local
Kentucky partners with Shatterproof to reduce stigma | Public OD alerts issued in Rhode Island and Minnesota
Studies/Research in the News
Stanford study finds mental health response to 911 calls lead to better outcomes | Parental smoking increases risk of addiction | Longer is better with medication for opioid use disorder
Opinion
AA is not the only way | Can we do better than safe consumption sites? | How legal weed has changed the U.S., for better and worse
Books and Movies
Julie Myerson’s novel, “Nonfiction,” tackles teen addiction | Keri Blakinger’s memoir, “Corrections in Ink,” explores recovery and redemption
Add a Comment
Have a comment about a story? A suggestion about changes to the Wednesday Weekly format? Did we miss an important story? Leave a comment. Anonymous comments welcome.
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
National
Senate gun deal provides nationwide funding for mental health clinics
The bipartisan Senate deal aimed at preventing gun violence includes funding for a nationwide expansion of community mental health clinics, senators said Sunday. The proposal marks a significant move on mental health in addition to the measures aimed directly at guns.
The Hill - June 12, 2022
Jack and Kristina Wagner Set Up Scholarship in Son's Name to Help People with Addiction
Following the death of their son this week, Jack and his former wife Kristina created The Harrison Wagner Scholarship Fund to pay respect to their son, whom the one-time General Hospital co-stars described as "a bright, exuberant young man whose smile lit up any room he was in." "He has left behind many men and family members who loved him deeply," a statement on the website read. "We are heartbroken that he ultimately lost his battle with addiction and we hope that Harrison's memory will live on through this scholarship and will help other young men get help for their addiction that would not otherwise be able to afford it."
People - June 11, 2022
Boulder Care raises $36M to grow telehealth platform to treat opioid addiction
Boulder Care, the Portland startup using telehealth to treat people with substance use disorder, has raised $36 million in new funding.
Geek Wire - June 10, 2022
Parents sue Meta alleging teen daughter suffered due to Instagram addiction
The parents of a now 19-year-old New York woman are suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, alleging their daughter developed an Instagram addiction that led to an eating disorder and other mental health struggles. In the personal injury lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Kathleen and Jeff Spence of Long Island allege that their daughter Alexis began using Instagram at age 11 -- two years younger than Instagram's required minimum age of 13 -- without their knowledge.
GMA - June 9, 2022
Most states appear unprepared for national suicide hotline 988 to take effect
Only 13 states have passed laws that fund the new 988 suicide hotline, which goes live across the country on July 16. The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act made 988 the new national suicide hotline number, able to receive phone calls and text messages. States are expected to support 988 by imposing phone line fees, but only 13 have enacted legislation that addresses funding the new hotline. Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland are among those states that have not introduced any legislation that addresses the 988 hotline.
The Hill - June 7, 2022
Online opioid treatment startup Bicycle Health raises $50 million
Bicycle Health, a start up focused on virtual treatment for opioid addiction, raised a $50 million Series B round, founder and CEO Ankit Gupta tells Axios exclusively, bringing the company's total funding to $83 million. Why it matters: New data suggest a 15% rise in opioid overdose deaths during the pandemic, and research shows the drugs meant to treat it aren't reaching those most in need. Enter Boston-based Bicycle Health, whose purely virtual offering affords patients a key benefit that in-person options can't: Anonymity.
Axios - June 7, 2022
Phil Mickelson acknowledges 'reckless' gambling addiction amid LIV Golf uproar, report he lost $40M
After months of silence amid backlash to his comments on human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, Phil Mickelson is stepping back into the spotlight and acknowledging that he's struggled with a gambling addiction.
Yahoo! - June 7, 2022
D.C. law would ban firms from firing workers for positive pot tests
Private companies in D.C. will not be allowed to fire workers who test positive for marijuana use, under a law passed by the D.C. Council on Tuesday that now heads to the desk of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) for her signature. Recreational marijuana use has been legal in the District since a 2014 ballot initiative, and council members said they believe no worker should be fired for using a legal substance.
Washington Post - June 7, 2022
WHO says mental health support should be included in climate crisis response
The World Health Organization (WHO) wants governments to protect their people's physical and mental health from climate threats. In a new mental health and climate change policy brief created by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations agency discussed the serious risks of climate change on a person's mental health and well-being. The agency urges all countries to include mental health support in their climate crisis response.
GMA - June 7, 2022
CVS Health’s Intersection Strategies for Tech and Mental Health
According to Cara McNulty, DPA, president, Behavioral Health & Mental Well-Being at CVS Health, "We've had mental health, alcohol, and substance abuse concerns long prior to pandemic, but they've been exacerbated," notes McNulty. "Everyone has been impacted in one way or another but some populations more profoundly." Fortunately, the survey also found that more Americans feel comfortable seeking mental health support and using technology to do it. CVS—with and beyond its employees and the members of Aetna (a CVS Health company)—has deployed multiple solutions.
Health Leaders Media - June 6, 2022
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
Fentanyl
New York subway riders respond to health dept ad telling fentanyl users to feel ‘empowered’ for safe drug use
Subway riders in the Big Apple shared their thoughts on a health department advertisement that said fentanyl users should feel "empowered" that they are using safely.
Fox - June 11, 2022
Residents hit the streets with Narcan in the war against Fentanyl
BATON ROUGE - More than a dozen people gathered in a parking lot on Airline Highway and I-12, where they grabbed boxes of Narcan—the Fentanyl overdose medication—and hit the streets. "We are going to blanket every inch of our city with Narcan," Tonja Myles, the leader of Set Free, a drug recovery group and organizer of the Narcan outreach effort, said. The group took Narcan doses to the streets, holding up posters and offering help to addicts to get off drugs.
WBRZ2 - June 11, 2022
Teen drug use has dipped, but fentanyl overdoses are rising
“Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” the Drug Enforcement Administration’s top enforcer, Anne Milgram, said in an April letter to law-enforcement agencies. “Drug traffickers are driving addiction, and increasing their profits, by mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs. Tragically, many overdose victims have no idea they are ingesting deadly fentanyl, until it’s too late.”
Washington Post - June 9, 2022
Spike in local accidental fentanyl deaths prompts outreach to parents
Twelve children under the age of 18 died from fentanyl overdoses in San Diego County in 2021. The spread of fentanyl-laced pills is so insidious, and the number of deaths so alarming, San Diego County officials are working to warn people in the region about the dangers. On Wednesday, several took part in a virtual town hall.
San Diego Union Tribune - June 9, 2022
The college checklist: Bedding, reading lamp and fentanyl test strips?
It’s the world of free condoms and needle exchange programs. If you’re going to engage in risky behavior, at least be as safe as possible about it. A leap of faith that makes everyone queasy, even as the world around us embraces harm reduction and policymakers increasingly view drug use as a public health issue. And so we have fentanyl test strips, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said are the best way to stay safe — short of abstinence.
Washington Post - June 9, 2022
Drug overdose deaths are rising; fentanyl responsible for 75%
Drug overdose deaths increased in Virginia in 2016, and that’s when fentanyl came into play, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. Deaths increased again in 2020 when lockdowns started. Fentanyl is the main driver of those deaths. The substance is used to treat severe pain, but there is also a high risk for addiction and dependence. Fentanyl is so deadly because it’s often disguised as other less potent drugs.
WHSV3 - June 9, 2022
State / Local
Kentucky: Unshame KY campaign to reduce stigma associated with drug addiction shows promising results
A campaign to reduce stigma associated with substance-use disorders has shown it can change attitudes and beliefs about people with drug addictions and increase support for harm-reduction strategies. The campaign, “Life Unites Us,” also found a need to target the campaign to health care workers who are often the first line of contact to offer treatment for substance-use disorder. The campaign is led by Shatterproof, a national nonprofit focused on ending the nation’s SUD epidemic. The company has partnered with the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort of state for a communications and behavior-change intervention aimed at reducing addiction-related stigma. It’s called “Unshame KY.”
Northern Kentucky Tribune - June 13, 2022
New York: Press Release - Governor Hochul Announces Award of More Than $5 Million to Expand Access to Addiction Services in New York State
More than $4 million will be awarded to providers in regional networks to provide transportation assistance and to coordinate care for people seeking addiction services, and more than $1 million will be awarded to help support the expansion of telehealth services in every region of New York State.
Office of NY Gov. Hochul - June 10, 2022
California: New alcohol certification required for California bars - They don’t even realize this law exists
By the end of summer, every bar and restaurant employee who serves alcohol in California must obtain a new certification. So far, just 33,000 people have become certified, a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of workers employed by not only bars and restaurants but also wineries, breweries, distilleries, brewpubs, event centers and stadiums — essentially any place of business where you can drink. There’s worry from some in the industry about a lack of awareness of the law and the added burden it may bring to a sector deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Los Angeles Times - June 9, 2022
Police warn public after 9 opioid overdoses in St. Paul over 24 hours
Police are warning members of the public after they've responded to nine suspected opioid overdoses over the course of the past 24 hours. The St. Paul Police Department issued an "OD Alert" due to the incidents. Officers say all nine recent overdose patients survived. However, over the past five days, the city has reported five overdose deaths. The alert is a reminder of the dangers of using street drugs. If you have access to naloxone, the opioid antidote, police say you should carry it with you.
KMSP - June 9, 2022
Rhode Island Health Department issues public health alert about drug overdoses
The Rhode Island Health Department issued a public health alert on Wednesday in light of increased non-fatal opioid overdoses. The alert came from both RIDOH and the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. The Rhode Island Department of Health said 48 individuals received emergency care for suspected opioid doses between May 29, 2022 and June 4, 2022.
10WJAR - June 9, 2022
Virginia: Overdose reversing Narcan now offered at Arlington Public Library branches
Here’s another reason to be grateful for your local library: The overdose reversal medication Naloxone (Narcan) is available at Arlington Public Library branches in Virginia. The nasal spray can safely and effectively counter an overdose from opioids — including prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl.
WTOP - June 9, 2022
Texas: Mobile health clinic helps Houstonians overcome opioid addiction
New data shows a 15 percent surge in overdose deaths during the pandemic, with a growing number involving the dangerous drug fentanyl. To combat the issue, UTHealth Houston’s Project INTEGRA is bringing treatment for addiction within reach for people who desperately need it.Allen says her research team offers two options to patients. They can either receive a 26-week addiction treatment program from the mobile clinic, or the team connects patients with another treatment program. Project INTEGRA is one of five teams in the country studying whether mobile clinics are an effective tool in the fight against opioids.
KHOU 11 - June 8, 2022
Massachusetts: Overdose deaths reached a record high in Mass. during 2021
A stunning 2,290 people likely died after an overdose in Massachusetts last year, setting a new record high. These confirmed and estimated deaths, released Wednesday by state officials, represent a nearly 9% increase compared to 2020, which translates to 185 more lost lives.
WBUR - June 8, 2022
Pennsylvania Department of Health advocates for clean needle program
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is advocating for syringe services programs in Pennsylvania as a way to prevent viral hepatitis. “Viral hepatitis is significantly reduced by having access to syringe service programs,” Dr. Wendy Braund, Department of Health deputy secretary of health preparedness and community protection said on June 7. While providing a new syringe to an intravenous drug user would prevent the potential spread of hepatitis, it also would provide drug paraphernalia to a user which the act deems illegal.
We Are Central PA - June 8, 2022
Montana: Opioid crisis: Montana officials report 'alarming number' of recent fatal overdoses likely linked to fentanyl
Law enforcement officials have tried to keep up with the growing threat in the state, seizing more fentanyl in the first three months of this year than in the previous four years combined, according to health officials and the Montana Department of Justice. There were at least eight fatal drug overdoses between May 22 and June 1 throughout Montana, all of them likely due to opioids, health officials said this week. "Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl are becoming increasingly common nationally, and in Montana are taken by people who misuse diverted prescription opioids as well as those who inject, smoke, or snort drugs," the Montana Department of Health said in a statement on Tuesday.
Fox - June 7, 2022
North Carolina: Gaps in NC addiction treatment hit some harder
A new CDC study found more than 75 percent of counties don’t have anywhere residents can get methadone, and 30 percent of counties lack a buprenorphine provider. In North Carolina, rural communities with many Black and Indigenous residents often lack access to care.
NC Health News - June 6, 2022
Philly lawyer found his higher calling by starting an org to combat addiction stigma
Philadelphia lawyer Kevin Hyer was 39 when he tried meth, quickly became addicted, and almost died. He had no history of drug use. After he underwent treatment and entered into recovery, he started the foundation Hyer Calling to help fight the stigma associated with people experiencing addiction and their journey to regaining employment in recovery.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star - June 5, 2022
In San Francisco’s dystopian Tenderloin, the city goes rogue to slow drug overdoses
When people engage in illegal activity, they often try to hide it. That’s been the case in San Francisco, where for months, city officials have quietly been running a safe drug consumption site — a violation of state and federal law.
Los Angeles Times - June 4, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Studies/Research in the News
For mental health crises, send the pros not the police?
The study of a pilot 911 response program in Denver, in which mental health specialists responded to calls involving trespassing and other nonviolent events, finds a 34% drop in reported crimes during the six-month trial. The study by Stanford University scholars Thomas Dee and Jaymes Pyne also shows that direct costs of the alternative 911 approach were four times lower than police-only responses.
SCRIBD - June 9, 2022
Pain relief doesn’t have to mean opioids, Pa. urologic study suggests
Physicians now have an important responsibility to help combat the opioid epidemic. The United States consumes 80% of the world’s supply of opioids and loses more than 60,000 people a year to this crisis. The Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative (PURC) showed that it is possible to control pain and ensure patient comfort while minimizing or eliminating opioid use. The PURC study, involving 2,061 patients, resulted in 14,582 total fewer opioid tablets prescribed in Pennsylvania over a year. This was accomplished by reducing oxycodone prescriptions to patients while in the hospital.
Philadelphia Inquirer - June 9, 2022
Nicotine-sired male offspring at risk of addiction behavior and memory impairments, study finds
Parental smoking is a significant risk factor for developing smoking behavior and nicotine dependence in offspring. These findings suggest that parental nicotine exposure may promote addiction-like behaviors in subsequent generations. Given the significance of cigarette smoking for public health, preventing nicotine use among adolescents is critical to ending tobacco use disorder and decreasing e-cigarette use.
Science Daily - June 8, 2022
Longer is better when treating opioid addiction with medication
A large study of Medicaid patients found that the longer they take medication to treat their opioid use disorder, the less likely they are to overdose. The study results are being published today in the journal Addiction. “Longer is better, but even relatively short episodes of medication treatment for opioid use disorder – as short as 60 days – are associated with significant reductions in the risk of overdose,’’ said Marguerite Burns, associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who led the study.
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health - June 2, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Opinion
Pennsylvania’s approach to alcohol vs. marijuana makes no sense
Alcohol is by almost every measure more harmful for adults than cannabis. And yet it's recreational cannabis that remains illegal in Pennsylvania. In terms of the evidence, this is not a close call. Alcohol is far more addictive than cannabis. A perfectly healthy adult can die from alcohol poisoning during a night with friends, while I haven’t seen any well-documented cases of fatal cannabis overdose.
Philadelphia Inquirer - June 13, 2022
We Can Do Better Than Drug Consumption Sites
Some harm reduction advocates have called for more drug consumption sites—that is, facilities purpose-built for users to take drugs under supervision. For all their presumed advantages, drug consumption sites also pose several ethical and practical concerns. And while they may help prevent sudden overdose deaths—the two centers in New York reportedly reversed 280 overdoses since opening—they do little to prevent the slow death of drug addiction. Harm reduction practices are at least part of the solution, along with other drug control policies focused on treatment, supply reduction, and demand reduction and prevention. As U.S. policymakers consider these different approaches, they must ensure they adopt smart, effective, compassionate policies that don't just save lives, but enhance them.
Newsweek - June 13, 2022
How Legal Weed Has Changed the US for Better and Worse
Turn an illicit product into a highly taxed and regulated one and you have a classic business experiment. Do it with a little-studied psychoactive substance that has both medical promise and addictive potential and you have a public health trial, too. That’s what the US has done with cannabis, otherwise known as marijuana, pot or weed. While marijuana arrest rates have plummeted overall, racial disparities have persisted in arrests for violating regulations of legal marijuana.
Washington Post - June 9, 2022
One Day I Woke Up, Suddenly Allergic to Alcohol
“With no definitive answers to what the hell happened to my body, every sip of liquor now tastes bitter, in a way it never did.” Drinking is a huge part of Filipino culture. An introvert in an extrovert’s world, the only courage I had in public was the liquid kind. Turns out, my life is interesting, and insecurities need to be overcome, not temporarily ignored. I’ve also just traded in heels for Birkenstocks.
Vice - June 9, 2022
Oregon's decriminalization of drugs backfires bigly
In 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, a proposal to decriminalize the use of most drugs. Much like other large, blue cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Baltimore, Oregon set up “safe injection sites” in Portland and other locations. Clean needles were provided in a “safe” setting while they tried to tempt some of the people to enter addiction treatment programs. They widely pushed the idea of “self-help in lieu of incarceration.” So how did that work out? That depends on the criteria you’d like to apply.
Hotair.com - June 8, 2022
Normalizing drug addiction leads to even more overdoses
Accepting hard-drug use signals that public-health authorities believe they have no tools to reverse a public-health crisis, that they are giving up on thousands of citizens or embracing the misbegotten idea that one can be a productive drug addict.
American Enterprise Institute
Alcohol problems aren't for life, and AA isn't the only option. 8 things film and TV get wrong about drug and alcohol treatment
Drug use and addiction are popular themes in movies and television, but they often get things very wrong. Here are eight common myths about drugs you’ll see on the silver screen: (1) Rehab goes for 28 days; (2) Rehab is a luxury retreat; (3) ‘Once and addict, always an addict’; (4) Recovery only comes after rock bottom; (5) ‘Tough love’ works; (6) Addiction happens after one use; (7) All drug use is to ‘self-medicate’; (8) ‘Interventions’ help.
The Conversation - May 29, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Books and Movies
Book review – Nonfiction: A Novel by Julie Myerson
Julie Myerson’s 11th novel – entitled Nonfiction – is all about “teenage drug addiction”. The narrator is a once “happily married” writer, who is looking back on her attempts to save her heroin-addicted daughter “from self-destruction”. Given her own backstory, Myerson is risking a lot with such a novel – but “the results are nothing less than incandescent”.
The Week UK - June 10, 2022
Demi Lovato Goes Grunge, Gets Real About Addiction and Rehab in Autobiographical ‘Skin of My Teeth’
“Demi leaves rehab again/ When is this shit gonna end?” These are the brutally honest opening lines to Demi Lovato’s new single, “Skin of My Teeth,” which sees the Grammy-nominated singer embracing a pop-punk sound and opening up about their struggle with addiction.
Variety — June 9, 2022
Kenny Loggins reveals pill addiction, Garth Brooks diss in book
In his memoir, “Still Alright,” out June 15, the “Footloose” singer reveals he fell apart when his second marriage broke down in 2005 — losing an alarming amount of weight and suffering from insomnia. A doctor prescribed benzodiazepines to help Loggins cope with his anxiety and depression and he “became acquainted with every member of their family: Klonopin, Ativan, Valium.” He attempted to wean himself off the pills again but was unsuccessful. It was his youngest daughter who “motivated” him to “kick the habit.”
Page Six - June 8, 2022
A Harrowing Journey From Cornell to Addiction to Prison
Keri Blakinger’s brave, brutal memoir, “Corrections in Ink,” is a riveting story about suffering, recovery and redemption. It’s funny at times — and I felt bad laughing about someone sinking as low as Blakinger did, but she’s sardonically witty, so I couldn’t help myself. Ultimately, there’s nothing comical about her descent.
New York Times - June 7, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments