The Wednesday Weekly - Addiction + Recovery News, March 23, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
Highlights
National
US Drug OD deaths reach another record high | Shatterproof’s update on the Purdue Pharma/Sackler settlement and what’s next | Eminem on running as recovery tool | Is video game addiction an illness?
Fentanyl
How to help an overdose victim | Milwaukee County fentanyl OD’s quintuple | Veterinarian tranquilizers more potent than fentanyl | Fentanyl test strips at SF Bay Area restaurants
State and Local
Oregon lacks needed SUD treatment workers | Illinois Gov. announces opioid addiction plan | Kentucky lawmakers consider medical marijuana legislative proposal
Studies/Research in the News
Mass. Gen: Medical marijuana ineffective at treating symptoms, increases addiction risk | NIH study finds self-harm behavior has parallels to addiction
Opinion
SLP Insights interview with UNM’s Dr. Katie Witkiewitz discusses harm reduction, need to expand definition of recovery beyond abstinence | Carl Erik Fisher (“The Urge: Our History of Addiction”) opens up about his personal journey | The need for more effective emergency department treatment for addiction | Why executives struggling with addiction deserve empathy
Books and Movies
Leia Baez’s memoir, “A Star for Stella” | Dellena Harper’s memoir, “God’s Teardrop” | Anesthesiologist’s novel, “The Stairs on Billy Buck Hill” highlights dangers of opioids for medical professionals
Podcasts
RMA interviews Evan Haines (“Can America Recover”) | Flourishing After Addiction discusses addiction with self with Dr. Mark Epstein
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National
Faces and Voices of Recovery’s statement on final FY 2022 Federal Budget
President Biden signed the nation’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget into law Tuesday, March 15, 2022. This year’s budget received several increases in areas that directly benefit recovery support services, including: $50 million to Substance Abuse Block Grant (SABG); $25 million to State Opioid Response (SOR) Program; $7.3 million Treatment, Recovery, and Workforce Support (SUPPORT Act); and $3 million to Building Communities of Recovery (BCOR).
Faces and Voices of Recovery - March 22, 2022
Ted Cruz criticized the harm-reduction drug program. Here’s what it does.
A $30 million grant program aims to mitigate the fallout from drug addiction and overdoses. Officials say Cruz’s comments about it are misleading.
Texas Tribune - March 22, 2022
Press Release: Addiction Treatment Facility Operators Sentenced in $112 Million Addiction Treatment Fraud Scheme
Two brothers who operated multiple South Florida addiction treatment facilities were sentenced to prison Friday for a $112 million addiction treatment fraud scheme that included paying kickbacks to patients through patient recruiters and receiving kickbacks from testing laboratories.
U.S. Department of Justice - March 21, 2022
Is Video Game Addiction a Real Illness?
Last month, the World Health Organization formally recognized video game addiction as an illness, but questions remain about how prevalent the issue is, particularly among adults.
Washington Post - March 19, 2022
Kathy Griffin Calls Pill Addiction Almost Comical, Reflects on Recovery
Kathy Griffin is finding light in a dark situation. The comedian and actress, 61, appeared on the most recent episode of The New York Times' Sway podcast, where she opened up — and cracked jokes — about her addiction to pills and past suicide attempts.
People - March 19, 2022
Money flows into addiction tech, but will it curb skyrocketing opioid overdose deaths?
With the nation’s opioid overdose epidemic hitting a record high of more than 100,000 deaths in 2021, effective ways to fight addiction and expand treatment access are desperately needed. Sarabia and other entrepreneurs in the realm they call addiction tech see a $42 billion U.S. market for their products and an addiction treatment field that is, in techspeak, ripe for disruption. Plentiful apps offer peer support and coaching, and entrepreneurs are developing software for treatment centers that handle patient records, personalize the client’s time in rehab, and connect them to a network of peers. But while the founders of for-profit companies may want to end suffering, said Fred Muench, clinical psychologist and president of the nonprofit Partnership to End Addiction, it all comes down to revenue.
Sacramento Bee - March 18, 2022
US drug overdose deaths reach another record high as deaths from fentanyl surge
Annual drug overdose deaths have reached another record high in the United States as deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids surge to unprecedented levels. An estimated 105,752 people died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending October 2021, according to provisional data published Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. About two-thirds of those deaths involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, a stronger and faster-acting drug than natural opiates.
CNN - March 16, 2022
Sleep Addiction: What the Science Says
Currently, no academic paper recognizes sleep as an addiction, Bodiu notes. However, she adds that excessive sleeping can be caused by other conditions.
Healthline - March 16, 2022
Samuel L. Jackson credits his wife LaTanya Richardson with helping him overcome his drug addiction
Samuel L. Jackson credited his wife with helping him overcome his drug addiction. The 73-year-old actor has been married to Broadway actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson, 72, for 41 years and they share a daughter named Zoe. The performer recently revealed that, early on in their relationship, he had been found 'passed out' as a result of drug-taking and LaTanya arranged for him to be taken into a rehabilitation clinic.
Daily Mail - March 16, 2022
Eminem health: How exercise proved a treatment for rapper's drug addiction
It is well known that Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, had a turbulent childhood which fueled his fierce lyrics. But not everyone knows that running helped him recover from crippling addiction.
Express - March 14, 2022
States Have Reached a New Settlement with Purdue Pharma and Sackler Family. What's Next?
The Sackler family will pay at least $5.5 billion to states, local governments, hospitals, and other claimants. Furthermore, Purdue Pharma will become a public trust corporation, Knoa Pharma, that will contribute at least $1.5 billion through 2024, and future profits will also go towards addressing the addiction crisis. In conversations with state leaders around the country, including Governors’ offices, Attorneys General, and state legislators, we are confident that states have learned valuable lessons from the misuse of tobacco settlement funds.
Shatterproof - March 3, 2022
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Fentanyl
What to do if you’re with someone who is overdosing and you suspect drug may be fentanyl
The Miami Herald reached out to the medical community to ask what the average person can, and should, do when confronted with someone who is overdosing in their presence and the suspected drug may be fentanyl.
Miami Herald - March 19, 2022
In 5 years, Milwaukee County fentanyl overdoses have quintupled
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office shared a graph on Twitter Thursday that shows how much fentanyl-related overdoses and overdoses, in general, have increased over the years.
TMJ4.com - March 17, 2022
How xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, is making overdoses even riskier
The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the country lost 105,752 lives to drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending October 2021. And while most of those overdoses involved the illicit synthetic opioid fentanyl, experts say that an adulterated and contaminated drug supply is also leading to deaths. Among the most concerning changes in the illicit drug market has been the appearance of xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer also commonly known as "tranq" or "tranq dope," said Naburan Dasgupta, an epidemiologist and senior scientist at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
CNN - March 17, 2022
‘Fentanyl is being sold everywhere. Mexico is a producer and consumer’
Pharmacologist Silvia Cruz warns that the powerful opioid has reached all parts of Mexico, but the scope of the problem is difficult to gauge as many users do not even know they are taking adulterated drugs.
El Pais - March 16, 2022
Pasco deputies warn of drug 20 times deadlier than fentanyl
Law enforcement leaders are issuing a new drug warning at the height of spring break. Isotonitazene, or ISO, is a synthetic drug that could be 20 times more deadly than fentanyl.
WFLA - March 16, 2022
Fentanyl test strips are in demand at Bay Area bars and restaurants: ‘People come in just for the strips’
“To use the strips, people take a tiny fraction of a drug, mix it with water and then dip the strip into the mixture and wait to see if it turns up positive for fentanyl. That way, people intending to use drugs that are not fentanyl, like cocaine or ecstasy, can test to see if it’s been cut with the dangerous opioid.”
SF Chronicle - March 14, 2022
State / Local
Oregon has millions of dollars for addiction rehab programs, but not enough employees
The state of Oregon is channeling millions of dollars into addiction recovery programs due to a law that passed in 2020. But the state is having trouble finding the workforce to fill these jobs.
NPR - March 21, 2022
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announces plan to prevent deaths from opioid addiction
Governor JB Pritzker announced Monday a plan to prevent deaths from opioid addiction in Illinois. The governor's overdose action plan provides new resources to help tackle addiction and the opioid crisis especially in Black and Latinx communities. The plan is already in the works. The governor said the Department of Human Services is providing help via a mobile van with mobile medication-assisted recovery. The overdose action plan is also concentrating on expanding overdose education by providing kits with naloxone, a medication that can quickly reverse an opioid overdose. Fifty thousand kits have already been distributed, with more to come.
ABC7 Chicago - March 21, 2022
New Jersey: The changing face of opioid addiction: Overdoses among Blacks in New Jersey have skyrocketed
In New Jersey, Blacks are now more likely to die of overdoses than whites, according to the State Police, a reversal of the epidemic’s traditional face, which had long been disproportionately white. “We know racial disparities exist everywhere, and this is no exception,” Gov. Phil Murphy said this month at an event on opioid addiction held at a treatment center in Egg Harbor.
NJ.com - March 21, 2022
Philly hospitals and key insurers plan novel effort with the city to improve health equity
For the first time, the region’s largest health systems and its largest insurer are banding together to improve racial equity in health care in Philadelphia. The collaboration, called Accelerate Health Equity, will use pilot programs to try out different approaches and share what is learned. The project will focus on 16 areas, ranging from substance abuse, maternal and infant mortality, obesity/diabetes, and racism in medical settings to food access, housing and community violence.
Philadelphia Inquirer - March 18, 2022
Kentucky House passes bill to legalize medical marijuana
The Kentucky House endorsed legalizing medical marijuana, passing a bill Thursday to strictly regulate the use of cannabis for a list of eligible medical conditions. The high-profile measure cleared the Republican-dominated House on a 59-34 vote after a long and occasionally emotional debate. The yearslong debate now shifts to the GOP-led state Senate on whether Kentucky should join the majority of states allowing medical marijuana.
SF Gate - March 17, 2022
Texas: Health leaders developing plan to help those with substance use disorder
For the past two years, a network of local stakeholders has been thinking about how best to help community members who struggle with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. After two years of “planning to plan,” representatives from the Travis County Department of Health and Human Services, the city of Austin and Central Health have developed a coordinated strategy and will be making some final recommendations to the Commissioners Court. If the recommendations are approved, the development of the substance use disorder (SUD) community plan will begin.
Austin Monitor - March 17, 2022
California Bill Aims to Make Tech Firms Liable for Social-Media Addiction in Children
A pair of California lawmakers introduced a bill that aims to hold technology companies liable for social-media addictions that may affect children. The bill would let parents and guardians sue platforms that they believe addicted children in their care through advertising, push notifications and design features that promote compulsive use, particularly the continual consumption of harmful content on issues such as eating disorders and suicide. It would hold companies accountable regardless of whether they deliberately designed their products to be addictive.
Wall Street Journal - March 16, 2022
Orange County, CA: Persistent Stigma May Limit Access to Addiction Treatment for Orange County's Most Vulnerable
Medication-assisted treatment saves lives, but it is not fully accepted or understood. Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars combatting homelessness, Orange County still has a street population of at least 7,000 people. The issue persists, in part, due to a stubborn connection between chronic homelessness and active addiction.
Voice of OC - March 14, 2022
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Studies/Research in the News
Medical marijuana fails to improve symptoms, doubles risk of addiction, study says
Medical marijuana fails to improve symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression — while increasing the risk that patients will develop an addiction to cannabis, a new study warns. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital add that up to one in five users may develop cannabis use disorder (CUD).
Study Finds - March 21, 2022
NIH study of Reddit posts finds that self-harm is 'addictive'
An analysis of online posts to Reddit show that many people who self-harm exhibit similar patterns towards the behavior that those addicted to substances like drugs and alcohol do. Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), trawled the subreddit r/SelfHarm to analyze posts from users that frequent the board.
Daily Mail - March 21, 2022
UCF Researchers to Identify Decision-making Factors in Courts Regarding Medications for Opioid-use Disorder
A new study led by a team of UCF researchers is collecting evidence that will contribute to expanding treatment and access to medication for people in the justice system who struggle with opioid-use disorder. The team’s findings will be used by the Office of the State Courts Administrator to develop trainings and guidelines for problem-solving courts to use when making decisions about treatment options for court participants.
Univ. of Central Florida News - March 16, 2022
Genetically altered skin grafts hold promise as addiction treatment
Scientists at the University of Chicago have come up with an intriguing potential treatment to combat cocaine and alcohol addictions — a skin graft genetically altered to release molecules that curb the craving for those substances. The treatment has been shown to work in mice, and the researchers hope to begin human trials next year. If it proves itself there, it would be a valuable addition to a growing but still inadequate arsenal of addiction treatments, observers said.
Chicago Tribune - March 15, 2022
Psychedelics expert Matthew Johnson speaks about addiction treatment
One of Johnson’s pilot studies from 2014 focused on the feasibility and safety of using psilocybin to aid in smoking cessation. While the data was preliminary and “should be taken with a huge grain of salt,” the pilot study presented “encouraging” results showing that over 50% of participants had not used a single cigarette for 12 months after their target quit date, Johnson said. The “big question in the field” is what the mechanisms behind psychedelics treating addiction are, Johnson said. Addiction is “associated with a narrow behavioral and mental repertoire” and “loosely speaking, it seems like psychedelics can blast people out of” their addiction, he added.
The Brown Daily Herald - March 14, 2022
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Opinion
Take 3 w/ SLP, March 2022
An end-of-the-month look at three of the stories SLP has been following: (1) update on the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement and the Sacklers; (2) Biden Administration’s plans to address the opioid epidemic and addiction; (3) A conversation about harm reduction and non-abstinent recovery with University of New Mexico psychology professor Dr. Katie Witkiewitz.
Sober Linings Playbook - March 22, 2022
SLP Insights: A conversation with Dr. Katie Witkiewitz about recovery beyond abstinence, multiple pathways to recovery and the importance of “a life worth living”
This month's SLP Insights interview is with University of New Mexico psychology professor Dr. Katie Witkiewitz. Together with Dr. Jalie A. Tucker of the University of Florida, Katie edited a recently released book titled, Dynamic Pathways to Recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder: Meaning and Methods. In the concluding paragraph of Dynamic Pathways, Katie and her co-author, Jalie A. Tucker, offer the following: “There are many pathways to recovery…We encourage the field to embrace this heterogeneity and embark on new research, community action, and policymaking to support the many pathways to recovery.”
Sober Linings Playbook - March 21, 2022
How to make the most of outpatient addiction treatment
An outpatient program holds people accountable while allowing them the space to balance their personal and professional lives with a treatment program. “Just a little bit of willingness from someone can literally move a mountain,” Piccerelli says. “They are only going to have a higher chance of succeeding with a true support structure.”
Seattle Times - March 17, 2022
How one manic episode helped a physician see addiction differently
Addiction physician Carl Erik Fisher was embarking on a bright future as a psychiatrist in 2009, after graduating with honors from Columbia University. That changed when Fisher had a manic psychotic episode prompted by an alcohol and Adderall binge in November 2010. Police were called to Fisher's Manhattan apartment, and Tasered him when he wouldn't co-operate. "That's the thing that ultimately got me into treatment and forced me to come face to face with my problems," he said. Fisher has written about the experience in his book, The Urge: Our History of Addiction, which also looks at how society's understanding of addiction has changed over the centuries.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - March 16, 2022
Emergency response systems must not overlook people with substance use disorders
A good place to begin is building upon what has already achieved in terms of expanded access to treatment for opioid use disorder: (1) Increase and diversify methadone access points by expanding take-home doses, as well as dispensing it in community pharmacies and mobile units; (2) Enable prescribers with the proper waiver to provide buprenorphine to more patients by eliminating caps on the number of patients a clinician can manage; (3) Ensure that people who use substances have what they need to stay safe by funding and implementing low barrier harm-reduction programs that offer naloxone, safer use supplies, supervised consumption, and other evidence-based interventions.
Stat News - March 16, 2022
Why Executives Struggling with Addiction Deserve Empathy
Addiction doesn't get off the elevator before the C-suite floor. Addiction doesn't care about job title, pedigree, college degrees, or how many employees you're successfully managing every day. I know that for a fact because my addiction persisted while I managed a successful agency with 200 employees. I also know that I'm not the only executive who has managed to keep my addiction in the background by succeeding, outperforming, and creating the illusion that I was in control.
Newsweek - March 15, 2022
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Books and Movies
Dellenna Harper on her book, "God's Teardrop: My Journey of Healing from Addiction and Prostitution"
Dellenna Harper is a social worker whose work and talents have helped people from New York to Minnesota. While her education enabled her to become the professional she is today, it's her life experience that has helped her empathize with her clients. Harper's addiction to drugs led her to a life of prostitution. She spent years on the streets and months in jail. Through connections with Spiritus Christi, the YWCA, and other local organizations, Harper worked her way to recovery. Her new memoir, "God's Teardrop" is a raw and honest look at her journey of healing.
WXXI News - March 18, 2022
Omaha mom opens up about overcoming divorce, addiction and childhood trauma in new memoir
Baez opens up about her story — one of self-discovery, healing trauma, overcoming alcoholism, dealing with divorce and fighting to be the best version of herself — in a newly published memoir, “A Star for Stella.”
Lincoln Journal Star - March 16, 2022
Anesthesiology professor’s novel highlights opioid addictions
Steven Orebaugh, professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine and critical care medicine, published his second novel — “The Stairs on Billy Buck Hill” — in January 2022. The book spreads awareness of the influence that opioids have on medical professionals who work in close proximity to them.
University Times (Univ. of Pittsburgh) - March 15, 2022
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Podcasts: The Weekly Roundup
Let’s Talk Addiction and Recovery (Hazelden Betty Ford) – What Can You Expect to Happen During the Treatment Process?
The prospect of entering into addiction treatment can be wildly intimidating. Many don't know what to expect from their treatment experience, and they may delay or avoid the process if they can't picture what's to come. What do those early days in treatment look like? How is addiction treated, and how is a person made to feel comfortable? Those questions and more are answered by Vice President Tessa Voss and Clinical Director Cecelia Jayme. Tune in.
Recovery in the Middle Ages – Can America Recover? Author and Recovery Luminary Evan Haines Joins Us!
Can America Recover? Evan Haines sure thinks so, and he is our guest this week on RMA. In addition to being the co-founder and co-CEO of Oro House Recovery Centers, Evan, along with his partner Bob Forest, are the authors of the new book, “Can America Recover,” a sprawling look at the past, present and future of the recovery movement in America, and where America itself fits into the addiction narrative.
Can America Recover posits that treating the symptoms of the individual and treating the addict as a scapegoat, absolve us from the pressing need to address the larger, more intractable social problems of childhood trauma, alienation and isolation that are the breeding grounds for addiction.
Oro Recovery believes that the way to treat addiction is not by using shame or forcing a client to adhere to a rigid set of rules, but through compassionate care, deep listening and creating an environment where the individual feels empowered to utilize the healing power that already exists inside of them.
Flourishing After Addiction with Carl Erik Fisher, M.D. – Our addiction to the self, with Dr. Mark Epstein
Mark Epstein, M.D., is a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and the author of a number of books about the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Advice Not Given, The Trauma of Everyday Life, Thoughts without a Thinker and Going to Pieces without Falling Apart. His newest book, out now, is The Zen of Therapy: Uncovering a Hidden Kindness in Life. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University. For more, check out his website, and you can find him on Instagram and Twitter.
In this episode: Mark's most recent book: The Zen of Therapy (also discussed: Advice Not Given); George Vaillant (a summary of his book, The Natural History of Alcoholism); A fun book about Ram Dass and others at Harvard, The Harvard Psychedelic Club ("How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America"); Gestalt therapy; More on the Emmanuel Clinic - a repository of several articles on the early 20th century, pre-Freudian psychotherapy in the US that reported great success in working with alcoholism. (I like this article in particular); Revenge bedtime procrastination.
Dopey – The Great White Dope - Robbing Cocaine Dealers with Jack Russell, Addiction, Recover
This week on Dopey! We are joined by the frontman of Great White, Jack Russell! We hear all about Jack's drug history in one of the 1980's great hard rock bands! We learn about weird drugs he did as a kid and his forays into addiction and recovery. We also hear about the tragic fire at The Station Night Club in Rhode Island. PLUS my dad joins us to make a huge Dopey announcement! AND we hear from OG Dope and Toodles for Chris Scholarship recipient Charlotte! Also amazing Dopey emails, reviews, video voicemails and more! On a brand new episode of that old Dopey Show!
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