The Wednesday Weekly - Addiction + Recovery, May 18, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
Highlights
National
9th Circuit ruling sides with insurers on addiction treatment | CDC: Drug OD deaths continued to surge in 2021
Fentanyl
Tips for finding fentanyl test kits | Families Against Fentanyl appeals to Biden Administration | State laws aim to treat fentanyl like the new crack
State and Local
MN Governor sends $300 million from settlement to state’s Opioid Response Fund | TN lawmakers propose making OD reversal drug, naloxone, more available | Ohio State Univ. warns of fentanyl-laced fake Adderall pills
Studies/Research in the News
Binge drinking and the adolescent brain | Buprenorphine still not widely available | Alcohol a ‘gateway drug’?
Opinion
Congress should pass the MAT Act | Drinking part of restaurant staff culture | Gambling not a reflection of character
Books and Movies
Review of David Sanchez’s “All Day is a Long Time” | Selma Blair’s new memoir recounts history of drinking
Podcasts
NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow on Heart of the Matter | High Truths podcast discusses cannabis and youth | This is What Recovery Looks Like drops part 3 of harm reduction series
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National
Ruling limiting mental health benefits undermines fight against addiction, three AGs say
If allowed to stand, the 9th Circuit's decision will embolden insurers across the nation to cut back on services to opioid addicts, going against a growing medical consensus about the proper treatment for addiction, the attorneys general said at a press conference.
Reuters - May 16, 2022
Pandemic’s Pressures Widen Embrace of Long-Lasting Drugs for Addiction, Mental Illness
More doctors are using antipsychotic and anti-addiction injections that stay in the body for weeks or longer, drugs with mixed efficacy records and big price tags that are bolstering the bottom lines of manufacturers.
Wall Street Journal - May 16, 2022
How artists could play a role in harm reduction centers
About a year after the Ocean State became the first in the country to legalize harm reduction centers, the Rhode Island School of Design is creating a design studio course that will allow students to reimagine the clinical settings where people who use opioids can use drugs safely. Harm reduction centers can often be “clinical,” “stark,” and “unwelcoming,” according to Justin W. Cook, a RISD faculty member and the founding director of the school’s Center for Complexity.
Boston Globe - May 16, 2022
DOJ Complaint Flags HCV Drug Denials for People With Addiction
A complaint filed with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Alabama's Medicaid program is illegally denying curative drug treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection to people with substance use disorder.
MedScape - May 15, 2022
How the Rolling Stones overcame heroin and more to make 'Exile'
The Stones overcame Richards’ addiction and other troubles — while taking their notorious excesses to new levels in the South of France — to make what is widely considered the best album of their legendary catalog.
New York Post - May 15, 2022
Drug overdose deaths in U.S. are surging
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. continue to surge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data this week showing drug overdoses killed more than 107,000 people in the U.S. last year. That's another record.
NPR - May 14, 2022
‘I lied to everyone I met’: How gambling addiction has taken hold of women in the UK
The number of women seeking help for problem gambling has doubled in the last five years. Joanna Whitehead speaks to some of them about their experiences.
The Independent - May 14, 2022
The Horrors Of Heroin Told By An Ex-Addict - Three Dog Night’s Chuck Negron
In the first three parts of this exclusive interview series with Three Dog Night vocalist Chuck Negron, we discussed why the classic rock group is not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, why the band ultimately split up, the big hits “One” and “Joy To The World,” when Negron discovered his voice and more. Here, we tackle a more difficult subject: Negron’s long-time battle with heroin addiction. It’s not pretty.
Forbes - May 13, 2022
White House waves off Fox News question on crack pipes in safe smoking kits: ‘Bit of a conspiracy theory’
White House press secretary Jen Psaki shot down a question from Fox News’s Jacqui Heinrich on Thursday after the reporter asked about a federal program long targeted by the right aimed at helping drug addicts avoid overdose deaths.
Independent - May 12, 2022
Amid crypto crash, trading can be an addiction: It’s ‘taking over my whole life’
Many say they’ve begun to privately worry that their crypto habits have morphed into full-blown dependency. On Twitter, YouTube, Discord and other online platforms, investors are now using the word “addiction” in all seriousness.
Los Angeles Times - May 12, 2022
Dr. Stephen Loyd: On substance abuse, addiction and harm reduction
Loyd’s says he has yet to find a way to treat dead people. His past has shaped his approach to addiction treatment, and he’s now one of the most stringent harm-reductionists in Tennessee.
WPLN - May 12, 2022
In 2021, US drug overdose deaths hit highest level on record, CDC data shows
Drug overdoses in the United States were deadlier than ever in 2021, according to provisional data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 108,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2021, and about two-thirds of those deaths involved fentanyl or another synthetic opioid.
CNN - May 11, 2022
Shatterproof statement regarding the just released 2021 CDC overdose numbers
According to the CDC, more than 107,000 people died of an overdose in the year 2021—more than twice the number of U.S. traffic fatalities or gun-violence deaths during that period. Approximately 66 percent of these deaths involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and according to the CDC overdose deaths are the leading cause of death for people 18 to 45. “It is beyond time that we addressed the scourge that fentanyl has brought to our communities. Fentanyl’s silent and sinister prevalence is reversing otherwise positive trends in treatment quality and addiction stigma reduction. We must reduce the supply of fentanyl and the demand for its effects as logical and urgent next steps in our efforts to save lives, said Gary Mendell, Shatterproof Founder and CEO.”
Clanton Advertiser - May 11, 2022
Guggenheim Museum Latest To Drop Sackler Name Amid Outcry Over Opioid Epidemic
New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim museum removed the name of the Sackler family from an education center in recent days, the latest arts institution to distance itself from them over their ties to the prescription painkiller OxyContin.
Huffington Post - May 11, 2022
The F.D.A.’s Ban of Menthol Cigarettes Will Help Black Communities
As regulation of the tobacco industry has grown more and more extensive in recent decades, menthol cigarettes have been an exception. They account for more than one-third of cigarette sales in the United States and are especially dangerous because the menthol enhances nicotine’s already potent addictive effects.
New York Times - May 11, 2022
America's response to addiction relies on fixing this website
The website, FindTreatment.gov, was launched by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2019 to help hundreds of thousands of Americans affected by addiction answer a crucial question: Where can I get treatment? However, the same proponents say FindTreatment.gov and SAMHSA's other treatment locators have critical flaws — inaccurate and outdated information, a lack of filtering options, and little guidance on how to identify high-quality treatment — that are long overdue for attention. The nonprofit Shatterproof developed an online resource called ATLAS, which measures facility quality. Patient advocates hope the platform will guide people to more effective care and encourage facilities to improve their practices.
CNN - May 11, 2022
Addiction specialist provides strategies to quit smoking as smokers brace for menthol ban
The Food and Drug Administration is taking action to ban menthol cigarettes and smokers who prefer these tobacco products are not happy. News 8 spoke with Dr. Cynthia Meneghini, physician and addiction specialist at Community Health Network, who says it’s likely addicts will go through major withdrawal and offers suggestions on how to quit now to minimize withdrawal effects.
Wish TV - May 9, 2022
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments
Fentanyl
With overdose deaths rising, here’s how to test drugs for fentanyl
Raising awareness is one way to prevent overdoses. Other tools include fentanyl test strips, as well as resources for reducing or eliminating unhealthy substance use. Here are some tips for finding and using the test kits.
Los Angeles Times - May 16, 2022
Fentanyl awareness group asks Biden admin to track poisoning, overdose deaths like COVID-19 deaths
Families Against Fentanyl, an organization raising awareness about the dangers of the deadly synthetic opioid, are asking the Biden administration to count fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths the same way it counted COVID-19 deaths.
Fox - May 16, 2022
‘Letting them slowly kill themselves’ | Moms call on Gov. Newsom to tackle drug addiction services
A group of California mothers gathered at the Capitol Thursday to make an emotional request of Governor Gavin Newsom: step up and do more for drug addiction and mental health. Their group, Mothers Against Drug Deaths, is comprised mostly of moms whose children are in addiction or whose kids have overdosed and died. We agree with the clean needles and NARCAN®,” or its generic name naloxone, a fast-acting overdose-reversing medication. “I understand safe use, but at what point are we saying, ‘This is okay.’ At what point do we not say, ‘We’re here to help you – not enable you.’”
ABC10 - May 12, 2022
State Laws Are Treating Fentanyl Like the New Crack—And Making the Same Mistakes of the 80s and 90s
Since the U.S. drug war was declared in 1971, various drugs have been identified as public enemy number one—from crack cocaine, in the 1980s, to prescription opioids in the early 2000s. Today, the primary villain is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid about 50 times more potent than heroin. In 2021, more than 71,000 people in the U.S. died after overdoses involving synthetic opioids—mostly fentanyl, according to provisional data released by the National Center for Health Statistics on May 11.
TIME- May 12, 2022
Colorado lawmakers approve fentanyl bill; jury would decide if person knew drugs had fentanyl
With just over an hour left in the 2022 legislative session, Colorado lawmakers passed a finalized bill that aims to address the state’s fentanyl crisis, approving last-minute changes that would allow a jury or judge to decide whether a person charged with felony fentanyl possession between 1 and 4 grams knew the drug compound contained fentanyl and have the charge lowered to a misdemeanor.
The Denver Channel - May 11, 2022
More than 107,000 Americans died from overdoses last year. This drug is behind most deaths.
Deaths from the synthetic opioid fentanyl increased 23% to account for two-thirds of overdoses last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
USA Today - May 11, 2022
What is fentanyl and why is it behind the deadly surge in US overdoses? A medical toxicologist explains
As the Chief of Medical Toxicology at UMass Chan Medical School, I have studied fentanyl and its analogs for years. As fentanyl has become ubiquitous across the U.S., it has transformed the illicit drug market and raised the risk of overdose.
The Southern Illinoisan - May 10, 2022
Medic who treated patients with fentanyl discusses his recovery from opioid addiction
The effects of the war, however, stayed with him for years after his return and he was soon diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Now at home and away from the conflict, the medic who administered opioids to numb his patients' pain, developed an addiction to them.
ABC - May 10, 2022
Press Release: DEA Recognizes First Ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day
In an effort to save lives, DEA is proud to join “Song for Charlie” and many of our valued public health, non-profit, and law enforcement partners in recognizing the first ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day. This day is an effort to educate individuals around the dangerous threat that fentanyl poses to the safety, health, and national security of the American people.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration - May 9, 2022
State / Local
New York lawmakers consider addiction transportation service
The Democratic-led Assembly on Monday approved a bill meant to create new transportation services for people who are facing addiction and in need of treatment. The measure, if given final approval, would provide in-patient, residential and outpatient services for people to travel to treatment. The proposal would include at least one rural and one urban "demonstration" program run by the state.
Spectrum Local News - May 17, 2022
Kansas: Fentanyl’s poisonous toll aided by stubborn inaction from Kansas officials
The latest dark chapter in the opioid epidemic is upon us as fentanyl kills more and more Kansans than the year before. Recent inaction by the Kansas Legislature was stubbornly ideological while overdose deaths mount. The proposed intervention is simple: declassify test strips as drug paraphernalia in the state of Kansas. Yet, conservatives removed a provision earlier this month that would have allowed for the decriminalization of the test strips.
Kansas Reflector - May 13, 2022
Minnesota: Walz signs bill funneling $300 million from settlement into state opiate response fund
Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday signed a bill funneling $300 million from a multi-state settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors into the state’s opioid response fund.
Minnesota Reformer - May 12, 2022
Tennessee legislative proposal intended to put more naloxone into the community
HB 2228 would require doctors who are prescribing opioids to a patient to also inform them of the dangers and to let them know a prescription to naloxone, or Narcan, is also available.
News Channel 5 - May 10, 2022
Arizona: ASU launches new online master's degree to fight addiction
To better answer the call for more addiction counselors, the Arizona State University Department of Psychology is launching a new Online Master of Science in Addiction Psychology program. Unlike other online programs, this program includes an in-person practicum experience, which is completed wherever the student lives, and prepares students to use evidence-based treatment strategies.
ASU News - May 10, 2022
North Carolina: Strings attached to funds for addiction treatment in jails
State lawmakers are making $2 million available to North Carolina sheriffs to start or expand opioid addiction treatment programs in their jails, but the money comes with a big caveat. The $2 million grant program included in the state budget late last year specifies that the funds can be used to provide only one of the three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder. Some addiction experts argue that the favored medication — naltrexone, also known by the brand name Vivitrol — is the least effective of the three.
North Carolina Health News - May 10, 2022
Ohio State University Issues Warning About Fake Adderall Pills Containing Fentanyl After Two Student Deaths
Two Ohio State University (OSU) students passed away on Thursday and Friday, and the school issued an urgent safety message to the community warning about fake Adderall pills. OSU didn’t release the official cause of death in either case, but the statement announcing the first fatality urged students to “be aware of the possibility of contaminated drugs in our community.” It also said a third student had been hospitalized and then released.
Self - May 10, 2022
Ohio: Cincinnati Mayor to proclaim Monday 'Cincinnati Prevention Day'
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval will proclaim Monday as Cincinnati Prevention Day. The goal is to raise awareness of mental health disorders and substance abuse.
WCPO9 - May 9, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments
Studies/Research in the News
Binge drinking has a powerful impact on the adolescent brain
A University at Buffalo research team, funded by UB’s Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions, has published a preclinical study demonstrating the powerful effect that binge drinking has on the brains of adolescent rats. It also found that even low and moderate amounts of alcohol can significantly impact brain function.
University at Buffalo - May 14, 2022
Anti-overdose drug buprenorphine given to few Americans with opioid addiction
A potentially lifesaving drug that reduces overdose risk is prescribed to less than half of Americans treated for opioid addiction, a new study finds. This underuse of buprenorphine is "equivalent to giving those with advanced cancer a less aggressive treatment," said senior investigator Dr. Laura Bierut.
UPI - May 13, 2022
Alcohol, Tobacco Use Common on Reality TV Shows. Here's How That Can Affect Kids
New research published in the Journal of Public Health indicates that when children are exposed to unhealthy behaviors like smoking, drinking, and eating unhealthy foods in the media it can influence them to engage in those behaviors themselves.
Healthline - May 13, 2022
Can alcohol be considered a gateway drug?
A 2019 reviewTrusted Source of studies from 1968–2018 found that nicotine use among teenagers may increase their likelihood of using other drugs later in life, such as cocaine, cannabis, and heroin. However, evidence to support the gateway theory is mixed. One study from 2016Trusted Source found no relationship between teenagers using tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis and an increased risk of using illegal drugs later in life.
Medical News Today - May 12, 2022
Changes in US Clinician Waivers to Prescribe Buprenorphine Management for Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic and After Relaxation of Training Requirements
To increase buprenorphine access during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state regulations were relaxed to allow greater use of telehealth. This study examines the numbers of clinicians with waivers before and during the pandemic using national data. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, the mean (SD) quarterly growth in waivers dropped for all clinician types during the pandemic period. Findings in this study suggest that growth in the number of clinicians with waivers to prescribe buprenorphine slowed during the pandemic. The relaxation of training requirements for 30-patient waivers in April 2021 did not mitigate this. However, the total treatment capacity has continued to rise, largely because of clinicians who already had waivers shifted to 100-patient and 275-patient waivers.
Journal of American Medical Association - May 12, 2022
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Opinion
To save lives from addiction, Congress should pass the MAT Act
Outdated federal regulations are hampering healthcare providers from being able to prescribe this lifesaving medication. Under current law, healthcare providers must obtain special permission, known as an “X waiver,” to prescribe buprenorphine. As a result, 40% of counties, many of them rural, do not have a provider, effectively rendering them without access to buprenorphine. The MAT Act would eliminate the X waiver requirement to prescribe buprenorphine and allocate funds for a national education campaign for healthcare providers.
Washington Examiner - May 16, 2022
The right way to curb opioid abuse by Americans
I propose a radical solution. First, we should incentivize prescribers to achieve lower national rates and tie prescriptions to specific surgical procedures or medical diagnosis codes. Second, after one year, we should identify and talk to outliers about why they continue overprescribing. Third, we should require that insurance carriers and Medicare reimburse surgeons for non-opioid alternatives. Surgeons don’t need 200 pages of guidelines. We need funded incentives to cover the costs of revamping surgical protocols.
New York Daily News- May 16, 2022
My teenage drinking almost ruined my life. Now my story helps other teens.
I know from my experience that it’s not enough to simply deter young people from making destructive decisions. High school kids need alternative ways to feel good about themselves — and who better to know what might work than fellow students?
Washington Post - May 14, 2022
Record Numbers of Americans Are Dying of Overdoses. Instead of Justice, We Get Theater
The Guggenheim's effort is timely, coming on the heels of another devastating statistic: Nearly 108,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021. And yet, the sad truth is, embarrassing members of the Sackler family will not bring justice to the victims of the opioid crisis and their families, who are once again being offered busy work as though it were meaningful reform. Scrubbing the Sacklers' name from museums, like suing them in court, amounts to little more than kabuki theater—and everyone but the victims knows it. The Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced this week that it would be removing the Sackler's nameplate off of their arts center in response to pressure from activists.
Newsweek - May 12, 2022
Drinking is part of restaurant industry culture, but what do you do when it becomes alcohol abuse?
In many bars and restaurants, alcohol plays a central role in the event of dining out. It’s there for celebrations or commiseration, considered an easy way to elevate any meal. Carefully crafted cocktails and meticulously curated wine lists can win awards, bring prestige. Servers and bartenders making and serving these drinks have an integral part to play, but that role can come with its own set of problems too.
Seattle Times - May 12, 2022
Gambling addiction has nothing to do with someone’s character’
When the performance artist realised her partner was hooked on gambling, it shook her world – and went on to inspire an ambitious new show. Like many partners of gambling addicts, Walker was perplexed by the gulf between how she perceived her partner – kind, caring, responsible – and how addicts are typically portrayed: as people who are out of control, and who don’t follow the advice of one discontinued industry-funded slogan, “When the fun stops, stop”.
The Guardian - May 12, 2022
Ohio State deaths a reminder that student drug use is common
We do not have to keep experiencing tragedies like the deaths of these students over and over. The Ohio Senate must act now to make life-saving tools like fentanyl test strips legal and naloxone accessible.
Columbus Dispatch - May 10, 2022
Schmidt: America's addiction nightmare comes home
A few weeks ago, my husband and I lost a friend to an opioid overdose. He was not the first person we knew who died from an overdose, but he was perhaps the closest. And while I am still working through the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance), the anger I have been feeling has been particularly intense. Probably because deaths by overdose are senseless.
St. Louis Dispatch - May 10, 2022
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Books and Movies
David Sanchez’s debut novel a starkly compelling look at addiction
Ever wondered what it feels like to be an addict? If you have, Tampa writer David Sanchez’s debut novel, All Day Is a Long Time, is a vivid, unsparing account of a descent into addiction and the trip back out.
Tampa Bay Times - May 12, 2022
Live Well: New book by Colorado Springs author addresses caring for those with addiction, mental health issues
Brinker’s new book, “Conscious Bravery: Caring for Someone with Addiction,” will be available for pre-order May 18 with a one-day, 99-cent sale for the Kindle version. The paperback will be released at the end of May. Go online to amazon.com or bebrave.us. In it, she tells the story of her sons’ struggles, while weaving in her own emotions and how she learned to walk alongside her children through the wilderness of their addictions, and how others can do the same.
Gazette.com - May 12, 2022
Selma Blair's Stunning New Memoir Reveals Decades of Alcoholism—and First Getting Drunk at Age 7
In her new memoir Mean Baby, and in an interview with PEOPLE, the Cruel Intentions star details her decades-long alcohol addiction, which began at age 7, as well as other horrifying personal trauma (suicide attempts, sexual assaults).
People - May 11, 2022
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Comments
Podcasts: The Weekly Roundup
This is What Recovery Looks Like - Harm Reduction Part 3: Policy View
We're wrapping up our harm reduction mini-series with an interview with Tracie Gardner, Senior Vice President of Policy Advocacy at the Legal Action Center, to discuss the past and present political advocacy efforts around harm reduction. Hear Tracie discuss how she came into harm reduction work, federal policies and advocacy initiatives that are moving us forward, the disproportionate harm the Black community has faced throughout the War on Drugs, and what advice she would give to those looking to get involved in harm reduction advocacy.
Episode #74 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Sharon Levy on Cannabis and Youth
Cannabis use is associated with alarming increase in mental health crisis, especially in youth. High potency THC products are the driving this problem. Dr. Levy sees this in her clinic treating kids with cannabis use disorder. Sharon Levy, MD, MPH is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician, Addiction Medicine specialist, Director of the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Over the past 20 years she has evaluated and treated thousands of adolescents with substance use disorders, and she has written extensively on the topic. In 2016 she established the nation’s first accredited Pediatric Addiction Medicine Fellowship training program. She has expertise in the integration of substance use treatment services into pediatric primary care.
Heart of the Matter - Dr. Nora Volkow on the state of adolescent mental health and why we urgently need to apply the lessons learned in the pandemic to addiction and mental health
Like many families, Dr. Nora Volkow’s had kept it a secret that her grandfather had a substance use disorder and eventually committed suicide. Today, as the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, she speaks out regularly about how important it is to share these stories to help other families impacted by addiction. Dr. Volkow sits down with Heart of the Matter host Elizabeth Vargas to discuss the growing complexities of fentanyl-laced drugs; the state of mental health in our nation; what the pa
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