The Wednesday Weekly - Addiction + Recovery News, December 8, 2021
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
Highlights
National
Demi Lovato no longer just “California sober,” claims “sober sober” is the way to go | How U.S. alcohol use compares to other countries | Scotland adopts charter to ban stigmatizing terms for substance use disorders
State and Local
Rolling Stone examines heroin devastation in Chimayo, NM | Barriers to treatment for adolescent females in Texas
Studies/Research in the News
Study finds Australia drunkest country | New poll finds physician education on addiction still lacking
Opinion
Maia Szalavitz: why opioids feel like love | Harm reductionists and opponents weigh in on NYC safe injection sites | UK writer questions 12 step support
Reviews
Book: ‘Opioid Reckoning’ by Amy Sullivan
Podcasts
RMA examines Rational Recovery | Former UK undercover officer discusses addiction and the drug war on Rehab Confidential | Author Evan Haines on Dopey
Legislative Updates and Advocacy
Biden’s proposal to make fentanyl a Schedule I drug | New federal proposal would allow for ‘take home’ methadone | Proposal in Maine would dedicate opioid settlement funds for specific purposes
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National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Leg/Advocacy Comments
(Inter)National
Scotland to ban 'addict, alcoholic and junkie' under new 'stigma charter' to tackle war on drugs
Terms such as 'alcoholic', 'junkie', 'substance abuse' and 'addict' are all set to be scrapped under a new prejudice-busting charter that aims to protect those in desperate need of support from low self-esteem and poor mental health.
Daily Mail - Dec. 7, 2021
Free speech restrictions on social media could squash harm reduction and addiction recovery efforts
Entire groups of harm reduction activists have disappeared [from FaceBook], along with scores of informational posts and threads. Some accounts have been banned for life. By mentioning drugs, his account was dinged by Facebook’s automated content censors meant to curb drug sales on social media platforms. The algorithm picks up particular words, phrases, or speech patterns that are flagged and suppressed.
The Hill - Dec. 5, 2021
Will an F1 race mark the end of Saudi Arabia’s ban on alcohol?
This year the drivers of Formula 1 (f1) made a change: instead of celebrating after a race by spraying each other with champagne, they switched to sparkling wine. Not to be frugal—f1 is not that kind of sport—but because of a new sponsorship deal. Officials in Saudi Arabia face a harder decision. The kingdom, which will host a race on December 5th, bans alcohol. Some, though, think it may loosen up for the event. “Champagne is part of the ceremony,” says a royal adviser. “Jeddah [the host city] will have seen nothing like it.”
The Economist - Dec. 4, 2021
Do Americans drink the most? How US alcohol use ranks with countries
Americans were among the heaviest drinkers in the world in early 2021, with participants reporting to being drunk a little under twice a month, or 23 times a year, a new international study has shown. Among the 22 countries involved in the 2021 Global Drug Survey, the United States ranked No. 4 and respondents from Australia reported getting drunk more than any other country, with an average of 26 times a year, or about twice a month.
USA Today - Dec. 3, 2021
Patrick Radden Keefe to give away £10,000 prize cash over role of sponsor in opioid crisis
The American writer Patrick Radden Keefe has said he will give away the £10,000 he was awarded by a book prize whose sponsor helped to sell the opioid painkiller OxyContin.
The Guardian - Dec. 3, 2021
Demi Lovato 'No Longer' California Sober: 'Sober Sober Is the Only Way'
On Thursday, the 29-year-old singer announced that they would no longer be "California sober" — a term describing those who choose to use marijuana, but remain sober from alcohol — and instead opt for full sobriety.
People - Dec. 2, 2021
Nuisance Laws in Opioid Cases Give Hope to Both Sides
A jury’s finding last week that three major pharmacy chains are responsible for contributing to the scourge of opioid addiction in two Ohio counties may be just the beginning of a protracted legal battle that ultimately could leave the communities no better off. The reason is the central argument — that pharmacies created a “public nuisance” by dispensing an overwhelming quantity of prescription painkillers into each county. The lawsuits generally center on claims the companies created public nuisances by interfering with the rights of the public through the way they marketed, shipped and sold the drugs — feeding the addictions of some patients and providing pills diverted to the black market.
The Daily Record - Dec. 2, 2021
Experts Discuss How Pharmacists Can Help Fight Opioid Addiction
In a Pharmacy Times® interview, Jaime Bridges, opioid outreach coordinator at Orlando Health, and Kris Smith, PharmD, clinical pharmacy specialist for internal medicine at Orlando Health and Orlando Regional Medical Center discussed how COVID-19 has affected the opioid crisis and what opioid-free pain management options are available as alternatives.
Pharmacy Times - Dec. 2, 2021
Kathy Griffin on Her Attempted Suicide, Finding Happiness Post-Cancer
During an appearance on ’The View’ on Thursday, the comedian and actress revealed that after seeking treatment with the help of her husband following an attempted suicide, she was put on a psych hold for three days.
Hollywood Reporter - Dec. 2, 2021
'Saved our son's life' — injectable pellet, fentanyl vaccine among cutting-edge addiction treatments
New implants, fentanyl vaccine being tested.
News 5 Cleveland - Dec. 1, 2021
Edie Falco: ‘Alcohol was the answer to all my problems – and the cause of them’
One of TV’s most admired actors, she is now playing Hillary Clinton on screen. She discusses overcoming addiction, her adoration for Sopranos co-star James Gandolfini and the pure joy of adopting two children.
The Guardian - Dec. 1, 2021
Searching for new ways to avoid drug overdoses
When US drug overdose deaths hit a shocking 100,000 over a 12-month period, we focused the newsletter on stories from around the country of overdose deaths related to fentanyl. The issue needs much more attention. CNN reporters offered up three television reports this week on the US drug crisis, looking at opioids, heroin, meth and fentanyl in an attempt to show how they enter communities, the toll they take and efforts to cut down on them.
CNN - Dec. 1, 2021
The first supervised illegal drug injection site opens in New York City
Officials in New York City say the first government-approved supervised drug injection sites in the nation began offering services to people with addiction on Tuesday. People with substance use disorder will be able to inject heroin and other illicit drugs under the care of medical professionals. They will also be offered access to addiction treatment and other health care. It's unclear whether New York City's safe injection program will face opposition and legal challenges. De Blasio has acknowledged the possibility of a federal crackdown.
NPR - Nov. 30, 2021
Press Release: On Senate Floor, Portman Calls on Washington to Respond to Surging Addiction Epidemic
On the Senate floor last evening, Senator Portman discussed the record number of overdose deaths that have devastated families and communities across America. Portman laid out a comprehensive strategy for the federal government to help address [factors such as the increased prevalence of fentanyl and the effects of the pandemic] driving this heartbreaking surge. A transcript of the speech can be found below and a video can be found here.
Office of Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) - Nov. 30, 2021
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Podcasts Leg/Advocacy Comments
State / Local
Rising overdose concerns in Ohio: Pleading for caution
With Northeast Ohio overdoses on the rise, state officials are warning 'dangerous' counterfeit prescription tablets containing fentanyl have been found.
WKYC - Dec. 4, 2021
Utah: Student-run app for addiction recovery wins $3,000 at University of Utah business contest
An addiction-recovery app run by college students won $3,000 in a business competition at the University of Utah. Focused on helping people with pornography addictions, Tribe is an online community support group, co-founder Nick Van Slooten said.
Salt Lake Tribune - Dec. 4, 2021
Chimayo, New Mexico: Drugs Nearly Destroyed This Town. Strength of Family Ensured Survival
Heroin devastated Chimayó, New Mexico — and a 1999 DEA raid tore it apart — but many in the town turned to friends and family to pull through.
Rolling Stone - Dec. 3, 2021
Press Release: Governor Hochul Announces $9 Million in Awards to Expand Mental Health, Addiction and Aging Services For Older New Yorkers in Communities Hard-Hit by COVID
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the selection of six mental health providers to receive up to $9 million over five years to support community programs that identify and assist adults age 55 or older whose independence or survival in the community is in jeopardy because of a mental health, substance use, or aging-related concern.
Office of Governor Hochul - Dec. 3, 2021
Adolescent females face multiple barriers to drug treatment in Texas
Despite residential treatment centers’ positive effects for Madero and others, only a small number of women in the state receive residential drug treatment as teenagers. Over 70% of beds available to adolescents for residential drug treatment in Texas are designated for males. Male juveniles in the state have more than double the options for treatment facilities a female the same age can access. Although addiction rates are historically higher in men, the estimated 260-bed difference does not reflect the current need for female juvenile drug treatment in the state.
KXAN - Dec. 3, 2021
Virginia: Arlington increases funding to provide fentanyl-testing strips to those struggling with addiction
Months after Arlington County’s Department of Human Services started the pilot program to dispense 100 fentanyl-testing strips, the county is renewing its opioid response grant as demand continues to grow.
WTOP - Dec. 2, 2021
Orange County, CA: Addiction rehab CEO, indicted on federal charges, died with fentanyl in his system
Tarek Greiss, 51, was facing federal charges of conspiracy and paying for patients when he died at his Costa Mesa home on Aug. 6. It was the combined effects of fentanyl and acetaminophen — the main ingredient in Tylenol — that killed him, the autopsy report from the Orange County Coroner concluded. His death was ruled accidental.
Orange County Register - Dec. 1, 2021
Connecticut: Nancy Navaretta nominated to head Mental Health and Addiction Services
Gov. Ned Lamont on Wednesday nominated Nancy Navaretta to serve as commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Navaretta has been serving as the department’s acting commissioner since Miriam Delphin-Rittmon left the position several months ago to serve as assistant secretary for mental health and substance use for the Biden administration.
Connecticut Mirror - Dec. 1, 2021
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Studies/Research in the News
75 per cent of people sent to B.C. prisons struggle with addiction, mental health: study
A first-of-its-kind study in B.C. highlights how our safety nets are failing tens of thousands of the province’s most vulnerable people. B.C.’s prison system has become a health and addiction system of last resort, according to a new study from SFU , which found that three-quarters of people admitted to B.C. prisons in 2017 suffered from addiction or mental health issues — up from 61 per cent in 2009.
Vancouver Sun - Dec. 5, 2021
‘Risky levels’: Australia is the drunkest country in the world, survey finds
An international survey has found Australians drank to the point of drunkenness an average of 27 times a year, almost double the global average of 15. Almost a quarter of Australians reported feeling regret for becoming intoxicated. The Global Drug Survey asked more than 32,000 people from 22 countries what their drug and alcohol consumption was last year.
The Guardian - Dec. 3, 2021
Physicians remain uncertain in addiction education
Quest Diagnostics recently released its latest Health Trends report, Drug Misuse in America 2021: Physician Perspectives and Diagnostic Insights on the Drug Crisis and COVID-19, conducted by the Harris Poll, which reveals physicians' worries and fears about recognizing addiction and affects of the pandemic on people who use drugs. The doctors' responses show a troubling, yet unsurprising, lack of understanding about opioid use disorder, addiction specialists say.
Cincinnati.com - Dec. 1, 2021
Clinical impact, costs, and cost-effectiveness of hospital-based strategies for addressing the US opioid epidemic: a modelling study
Injection drug use and serious injection-related infections is leading to increasing mortality in the USA. Although outpatient treatment with medications for opioid use disorder reduces overdose risk and recurrent infections, hospitalisation remains common. We evaluated the clinical impact, costs, and cost-effectiveness of hospital-based strategies to address the US opioid epidemic. Among people who inject opioids in the USA, we estimated that expanding medications for opioid use disorder with bridge prescriptions would reduce hospitalisations and overdose deaths by 3·2% and 3·6%, respectively, and the combination of expanded medications with opioid use disorder along with addiction consult services would reduce hospitalisations and overdoses by 5·2% and 6·6%, respectively, compared with the status quo.
The Lancet - Nov. 30, 2021
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Opinion
Maia Szalavitz: Opioids Feel Like Love. That’s Why They’re Deadly in Tough Times.
I had told myself that I’d never try heroin because it sounded too perfect. It’s like “warm, buttery love,” a friend told me. It wasn’t euphoria that hooked me. It was relief from my dread and anxiety, and a soothing sense that I was safe, nurtured and unconditionally loved. Science now shows that this comparison is more than metaphor. Opioids mimic the neurotransmitters that are responsible for making social connection comforting — tying parent to child, lover to beloved.
New York Times - Dec. 6, 2021
NYC gets it right: Safe injection sites save lives
Overdose deaths blew past the 100,000 mark last year, a record-high in America, which leaves us with binary options: Either we surrender to the overwhelming tide of drug-related carnage, or we expand every evidence-based intervention that works to keep people alive.
NJ.com - Dec. 6, 2021
I was told the 12 steps would cure my addiction. Why did I end up feeling more broken?
In this quasi-religious programme, ‘working the steps’ is the remedy for any problem, but for me the cracks soon started to show.
The Guardian - Dec. 4, 2021
Safe Injection Sites Like New York's Are a Huge Mistake
New York City announced today that it is preparing to open its first safe injection site in an effort to curb the massive amount of overdoses. Social justice organizations are celebrating this as a big win, but as a recovering addict who has lost too many friends to overdoses to count, I have to disagree. Safe injection sites are not how we address this crisis; they're no better than putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.
Newsweek - Dec. 4, 2021
Would Humans Be Better Off Without Alcohol?
The effects of alcohol depend, partly, on income. Despite the demonstrable ill effects of alcohol, alcohol use is actually higher in populations that are likely to be healthier than average, including the wealthy class living in wealthy countries. These anomalies are baffling to researchers but it could be that for affluent people, alcohol is consumed in positive circumstances that boost social support and immune function. The bottom line is that although uncontrolled drinking is dangerous, rich people may benefit from moderate drinking. This could be because alcohol is consumed in positive social celebrations rather than as a reaction to emotional distress.
Psychology Today - Dec. 3, 2021
Aaron Quigley: Harm reduction can keep people alive so their substance abuse can be treated
We can’t control how ready our clients are to make a change in their lives. From unwilling to unable there are just too many factors. It was heartbreaking to watch someone sick walk out the door, but I always sent them with that same message. Just don’t die.
Salt Lake Tribune - Dec. 2, 2021
New York’s Approach to Ending HIV/AIDS Must Center Harm Reduction
‘While the HIV/AIDS epidemic may not look like it did 30 years ago, little has changed in recent years to eradicate the virus. We are still fighting the same battle to make sure our solutions to end the epidemic are inclusive of people who use drugs.’
City Limits - Dec. 1, 2021
NYC safe injection sites sends odious message to drug addicts
The two new Overdose Prevention Centers — and two more planned — will apparently resemble those medical labs where one gets blood drawn. But there are still good reasons to be concerned about such facilities.
NY Post - Nov. 30, 2021
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Leg/Advocacy Comments
Reviews
Book: ‘Opioid Reckoning’ by Amy Sullivan
Amy C. Sullivan is a visiting assistant professor at Macalester College and author of “Opioid Reckoning: Love, Loss, and Redemption in the Rehab State.”
Minnesota Public Radio - Nov. 23, 2021
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Podcasts: The Weekly Roundup
Recovery in the Middle Ages – Post Thanksgiving Report and We Discuss Rational Recovery & “The Small Book” by Jack Trimpy
We're back! And boy do we have a show for you. This week Mike and Nat discuss the ins and outs of Jack Trimpey’s Rational Recovery. What is it? How is it different from AA? Can you incorporate the principles of RR into your own recovery? Tune in to find out. Plus, Recovery in the News, The Week in Weird, and the life update, on a rational, beastly, self-directed of Recovery in the Middle Ages
Rehab Confidential – Neil Woods,former UK undercover police officer
Joe and Amy sit down with former undercover police officer Neil Woods from the UK. He discusses the prevalence of PTSD and suicide among cops and explains what UK harm reduction looks like. As part of the global Law Enforcement Action Partnership, (LEAP) he speaks around the world to politicians, policy makers and the general public to tell the dark truths about the War on Drugs.
Dopey – Can Dopey America Recover? Evan Haines, LSD, Recovery, Mysticism
This week on Dopey! Author, co founder of Oro Recovery, husband of Alexis Haines, longtime super supporter of the show and recovering addict and alcoholic, Evan Haines finally calls in. Evan talks about his new book that he cowrote with Bob Forrest called Can America Recover? Which ponders that very question. We hear all about the origins of Oro, Evan's traumatic and sometime tragic childhood, and his eventual triumph in his recovery and in founding Oro. Then Evan reports on the great AA myth: "was Bill Wilson totally tripping on LSD?", mysticism in 12 step and so much more on a deep dive into the history and ideology within addiction and recovery. Check it out!
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Leg/Advocacy Comments
Legislation
Opioid settlement funds must be used to tackle Maine’s addiction crisis
LD 1722, introduced by Rep. Charlotte Warren of Hallowell and co-sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson, would create what I have come to call the Substance Use Response Fund (SURF), a fund to separate the monies from the general treasury. The SURF should be designed to respond to the ever changing tides of the addiction crisis in Maine and only be used to expand prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services – the four pillars of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2021 Overdose Prevention Strategy.
Bangor Daily News - Dec. 7, 2021
Congress Reviews Biden’s Proposal to Regulate Fentanyl
Federal officials are urging a U.S. House committee to support President Joe Biden’s proposal to strengthen regulations on all fentanyl-related substances, with one calling it the most dangerous drug he’s seen. Biden’s proposal also includes creating an easier process for scientists to obtain all Schedule I substances, including fentanyl, for research purposes.
WebMD - Dec. 6, 2021
Opioid treatment access would be expanded under House Democratic bill
Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., announced legislation Monday that would allow some opioid users in treatment to continue to get methadone prescriptions from pharmacies to take at home, making the easing of restrictions approved during the coronavirus pandemic permanent.
NBC News - Dec. 6, 2021