The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - May 3, 2023
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
(Inter)National
Israel’s opioid addiction epidemic | Despite loosening of rules, use of opioid addiction medication not rising
Fentanyl
Pennsylvania veterinarians fear new rules could hinder access to xylazine | Public blames ‘drug dealers’ over Mexico and China for fentanyl
State and Local
Oregon recovery advocates blast state agency for promoting alcohol | Pennsylvania poised to ban safe consumption sites
Studies/Research in the News
Study finds exercise can aid addiction recovery | Study examines economics and addiction decision making
Opinion
Has Biden administration gone silent on opioid settlements | Why involuntary treatment is a dangerous idea
Books and Movies
John Mulaney shares addiction sruggles in new Netflix special | Trailer for addiction drama “Stay Awake” is released
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
(Inter)National
Now world’s no. 1 opioid consumer per capita, Israel faces addiction epidemic
New report traces spike in use of fentanyl and similar drugs; experts attribute abuse and addiction to overprescription, lack of understanding, and health system problems. Israel has a serious opioid problem, according to a recent report published by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. The report warns that Israel is on the verge of an opioid epidemic, based on several peer-reviewed studies indicating that in 2020, Israel led the world per capita in prescriptions for the potent and addictive drugs.
The Times of Israel - April 30, 2023
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Coverage in Medicare Advantage Plans
Despite the rise in enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans, which now cover about half of people on Medicare and typically offer extra benefits beyond traditional Medicare, not much is known about the scope of mental health and substance use disorder benefits covered by these plans.
KFF - April 28, 2023
Use of opioid addiction treatment in U.S. hasn't risen
The U.S. opioid crisis led to changes that make it easier for people struggling with addiction to get medication from a healthcare provider to help them quit.But researchers found that for some reason, rates of medication use haven't budged. Numbers of Americans who started buprenorphine were flat between 2019 and 2022, after rising from January 2016 to September 2018.
UPI - April 28, 2023
Virtual Addiction Treatment Providers Go Brick-and-Mortar with DEA Changes Looming
The proposed telehealth-prescribing rules from the Drug Enforcement Administration could require digital addiction providers to fundamentally change their business model and limit patient access to virtual addiction treatment.
Behavioral Health Business - April 28, 2023
New England Construction Workers Stand Down To Fight Addiction
Local labor groups including the Mass AFL-CIO are hosting a "Worker's Memorial Day" on the steps of the Massachusetts State House Friday, honoring workers who died from addiction and substance use disorder. More than 500 workers across New England are participating in a 'job site stand down' as part of Building Trades Recovery Week. Organizers say construction workers make up a quarter of all deadly opioid overdoses.
WBZ News Radio - April 28, 2023
Families of more than 60 youths who died of fentanyl overdoses sue Snapchat
The families of more than 60 young people who died of fentanyl overdoses said Snapchat’s algorithm helps connect children with drug dealers. Expanding arguments from a lawsuit filed against Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, in October in Los Angeles, the victims’ families now say the company was too busy chasing profits to recognize their social media app became known as an “open-air drug market,” according to an update to the suit filed Tuesday.
New York Post - April 27, 2023
‘Only takes 5 minutes’: naltrexone surgical chip implant first could help end scourge of alcoholism in China, offer hope to people with other addictions
A man whose life was almost destroyed by alcohol has become the first person in China to be implanted with a chip to cure his addiction. Experts say the chip, which only takes a few minutes to implant, is expected to combat the craving for a drink for up to 5 months. Once implanted, the chip releases naltrexone – a substance commonly used in addiction treatment to prevent relapse – which is absorbed by the body and targets receptors in the brain.
South China Morning Post - April 25, 2023
John Mulaney's first call in rehab was from Pete Davidson. Why connection is important for recovery.
Davidson was unable to attend the "star-studded intervention," as Mulaney put it, that his friends staged in 2020 for his drug abuse issue, but Davidson called as soon as he heard his friend had checked into rehab, Mulaney shares in his latest Netflix special. Davidson frequently changes his phone number and Mulaney made a habit of saving his new numbers under the names of increasingly famous actors, which led the nurse on duty to wake Mulaney up in the middle of the night because he had five missed calls from "Al Pacino."
USA Today - April 25, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Comments
Fentanyl (and Xylazine)
Veterinarians rely on xylazine. They say a new Shapiro administration rule could jeopardize that in Pa.
Veterinarians around Pennsylvania are concerned that a new rule proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration to mitigate the opioid epidemic will leave them unable to access a sedative necessary to treat animals. Last month, Shapiro visited Kensington to announce he was directing the state Department of Health to schedule xylazine, also known as tranq, as a Schedule III controlled substance.
Philadelphia Inquirer - May 1, 2023
Public blames drug dealers over Mexico and China for fentanyl problem
Nearly three-quarters of people blame illegal drug dealers for the fentanyl crisis. A YouGov poll found that 74% of respondents blamed the drug dealers who sell fentanyl "a lot." Fewer, 43%, blamed Mexico and China. Forty percent blamed pharmaceutical companies, and 38% blamed the U.S. government.
Washington Examiner - April 30, 2023
Artist's death spotlights peril posed by xylazine-fentanyl mix
Mental illness and heroin derailed the life of Amber Webber, a gifted - if troubled - artist whose soulful paintings evoke Picasso. One night last year, the 35-year-old disappeared into the bathroom of a Miami-area group home. A roommate discovered her lifeless body 15 minutes later.
Chron - April 30, 2023
Fentanyl deaths skyrocket in Southern California prompting outcry for stricter laws
The number of fentanyl-related deaths in California has skyrocketed over the past six years. “As a mom, this scares the hell out of me,” said Irvine Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. “As a legislator, I am determined to act.” Petrie-Norris is pushing for stiffer penalties for fentanyl dealers caught selling the drug on social media.
KTLA - April 28, 2023
California legislative effort to curtail trafficking fentanyl through social media stalls
Only a few fentanyl-related bills survived a special public safety hearing in the California Legislature on Thursday — and one from Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris that would strengthen penalties for trafficking fentanyl through social media was not among them.
The Mercury News - April 28, 2023
Gavin Newsom is sending California’s National Guard to help San Francisco fight fentanyl
San Francisco has seen a more than 40% increase in overdose deaths between January and March 2023. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’ll send his state’s National Guard and the California Highway Patrol to fight fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco. Newsom, who served as San Francisco mayor from 2004 to 2010, said the agencies would work with the San Francisco Police Department and District Attorney’s Office to take on large-scale drug trafficking operations. Supervisor Dean Preston called the program a “publicity stunt,” according to ABC 7, and said Newsom vetoed legislation for overdose prevention sites he believes led to increased public drug use and overdoses.
Deseret News - April 27, 2023
California lawmakers debate whether to address fentanyl crisis with punishment or prevention
More than 30 bills combating California’s fentanyl crisis have been drafted, but efforts continue to stall as lawmakers debate on how the state should best approach the opioid crisis. While Republicans and some moderate Democrats want to increase prison sentences for drug dealers in California, other Democrats want to focus on prevention programs. About 110 people die each week in California due to the state’s fentanyl crisis.
Fox - April 27, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
State / Local
Oregon: Addiction treatment advocates blast proposal to fund new state agency to promote liquor
Advocates for alcohol abuse treatment are pushing back on a bill that would use public dollars to fund a new agency to promote Oregon distilleries across the country and the world, arguing the state shouldn’t push “the consumption of a toxic, addictive carcinogen.” The House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business passed House Bill 2976 last month and referred it to the House Committee on Revenue, which held a hearing Tuesday.
Oregon Live - April 28, 2023
Pennsylvania is set to ban supervised drug use sites
Pennsylvania lawmakers are set to pass a new ban on supervised drug consumption, effectively ending a Philadelphia nonprofit’s long-running effort to offer a sanctioned substance-use site meant to prevent overdose and death.
Stat - April 28, 2023
Colorado: Bill to allow ‘safe use’ sites in Colorado fails at state legislature
A bill that would have made Colorado the first state in the country to allow facilities for supervised illegal drug use has failed at the state legislature. House Bill 1202 would have given local governments the power to permit what it described as "overdose prevention centers," where people could have used illicit drugs under medical supervision.
Colorado Public Radio - April 27, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Studies/Research in the News
“Eat, Sleep, Console” reduces hospital stay and need for medication among opioid-exposed infants
Researchers have found the “Eat, Sleep, Console” (ESC) care approach to be more effective than using the Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool (FNAST) to assess and manage opioid-exposed newborns, according to a national, randomized controlled clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. “Medical care for newborns who were exposed to opioids during pregnancy varies widely across hospitals,” said Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., director of NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), which co-led the study with the NIH Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. “These findings are an important step toward standard, evidence-based guidance for the care of these infants.”
National Institutes of Health - May 1, 2023
Did you know that exercise can help in addiction recovery?
‘Exercise is fantastic medicine for those struggling to recover from their addiction,’ psychology professor Jeremiah Weinstock said. In recent studies, exercise has been revealed to be a useful tool for people who are seeking to conquer their addictions. A review of scientific studies, published in the journal Health Education & Behavior, reported that individuals who have an exercise routine that is regular and consistent have lowered their substance use or have quit using substances.
Deseret News - April 27, 2023
Exercises like jogging or weight training may help addiction recovery
At a moment when substance-use disorders and overdoses are on the rise, new research offers hope for the addicted: People who exercised as part of their addiction treatment programs were substantially more likely to reduce their substance use than those who didn’t. The study, published Wednesday in PLOS One, found that incorporating simple workouts such as jogging or weight training into treatment improved the likelihood of recovery from a variety of substance-use disorders, including to cocaine, opioids, cannabis and alcohol.
Washington Post - April 26, 2023
Exercise can help addiction treatment, study shows
One key to fighting addiction may be exercise, according to a new study. Researchers undertook a review of the existing literature around physical activity and its relationship to substance use, and they found that regular exercise was associated with lowered use in about 75% of the studies investigating that question, according to the analysis. The review, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE, looked at 43 studies with more than 3,000 total participants. In addition to a reduction or cessation in substance use, the studies also found improved markers of physical health and decreased depressive symptoms, the study said.
CNN - April 26, 2023
The economics of addiction
In 1999, fewer than 10,000 people died from causes related to drug overdoses in the United States. In 2021, the number was over 106,000. Why do rational people make risky choices? In “The Downward Spiral,” which covers the period from 2000 to 2019, the authors used a computer model to follow the choices people make. During that period, people underestimated the odds of dying from opioid addiction by just 13%. So why did people continue to become addicted?Prices dropped, says Greenwood. “The government and various insurance programs paid for opioids. And then we had fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, that really lowered the price. Prices fell legally maybe 350%, and illegally maybe 150%. So that’s a big stimulus to people taking opioids.”
Penn Today - April 25, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Opinion
The Biden administration vowed to be a leading voice on opioid settlements but has gone quiet
Early in President Joe Biden’s tenure, his administration promised to play a key role in ensuring opioid settlement funds went toward tackling the nation’s addiction crisis. But today, as billions of dollars actually start to flow and state and local leaders make crucial decisions on how to spend the more than $50 billion windfall to tackle this entrenched public health crisis, the federal government has gone mostly quiet.
The Columbian - April 30, 2023
Rolling back the clock on addiction treatment will cost even more lives
As overdose deaths continue to rise throughout the U.S., the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed rolling back pandemic-era rules that have allowed health care providers to prescribe lifesaving treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) via telehealth. This proposal is the wrong approach — and may lead to more overdose deaths and despair among patients seeking care.
The Hill - April 27, 2023
Why involuntary treatment for addiction is a dangerous idea
Support for involuntary treatment is rooted in compassion, love, and sheer desperation. In these instances, the supporters are often parents, loved ones, or beleaguered clinicians who care deeply for the well-being of individuals who use drugs and grasp at the idea of civil commitment as a necessary evil to save a life. A powerful description of this perspective, and the love behind it, was recently written by a father and published in the New York Times. The problem is, forced treatment likely does more to harm than to help.
Stat - April 25, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments
Books and Movies
In Memoir, Author and Addiction Treatment Advocate Writes of Brother’s Death and Running as a Release
For Keefe, a 2008 Fordham College at Lincoln Center graduate, her brother’s death was both a painful personal loss and a wake-up call to the systemic failures—criminalization, pharmaceutical profit-chasing, lack of patient-centered addiction treatment—that had contributed to so many tragic endings like Matt’s. In the year following Matt’s death, Keefe moved to Brooklyn and began spending a lot of her time researching addiction issues, leading her to a job at the nonprofit Shatterproof. She also began training for the Brooklyn Half-Marathon.
Fordham News - April 28, 2023
Official Trailer for Addiction Drama 'Stay Awake' with Chrissy Metz
Stay Awake, an indie addiction drama from filmmaker Jamie Sisley, premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival and will be screening in limited US theaters this May. The film confronts a serious and common problem of rural families across the country with human mix of humor and levity. The deeply personal film is a fictionalized account of the filmmaker’s coming of age, as he struggles to get out from under the yoke of a prescription-drug-addicted mother in small-town Virginia. Featuring three superb performances that find surprising humor and humanity amid the tragedy of parental addiction.
FirstShowing.net - April 28, 2023
‘Baby J’: John Mulaney Makes Beautiful Comedy Out of His Addiction Struggles
Mulaney, now 40 years old, sober, and healthier-looking, emerged from the Sturm und Drang with an hour and change of new material that he’s brought to the eyes of the world in John Mulaney: Baby J, a wonderfully candid Netflix stand-up special premiering April 25.
Rolling Stone - April 25, 2023
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Comments