The Wednesday Weekly Addiction + Recovery News Clips - December 6, 2023
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
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Highlights
National
SCOTUS scrutinizes Sackler settlement | U.S. Army curtails late night alcohol sales on bases
State and Local
Mass. lawmakers consider safe injection sites | SF Chronicle hires dedicated reporter for homelessness and addiction beat
Studies/Research in the News
Study questions helpfulness of cannabis for opioid use disorder | More research suggests Ozempic/Wegovy may help treat substance use disorder
Opinion
Brian Cuban writes about recovery journey for lawyers | Untapped potential of therapy in addiction treatment
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National
US Supreme Court scrutinizes controversial opioid crisis settlement that would give Sackler family immunity
The Supreme Court spent nearly two hours Monday morning grappling with whether federal bankruptcy code permits a controversial agreement that would give billions of dollars to victims of the opioid epidemic while protecting members of the Sackler family, who owned the company Purdue Pharma, from current and future opioid-related civil lawsuits.
CNN - Dec. 4, 2023
No More Late Night Alcohol Sales: Army and Air Force Exchange Stores to Ban the Practice Next Month
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, says that beginning Jan. 1 it will no longer sell alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at its stores in the U.S. and around the world. The change on Army and Air Force bases is meant to support the Pentagon's suicide prevention initiative, which said that limiting when alcohol is available "reduces heavy drinking and other adverse outcomes associated with alcohol misuse," including suicide, according to Defense Department research and recommendations.
Military.com - Dec. 1, 2023
Top general launches investigation into allegations of alcohol consumption at key commands
An internal investigation into allegations of alcohol consumption in the workplace has been launched by Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command. VanHerck confirmed the probe's existence to CBS News, adding it was initiated after receiving a recent media inquiry.
CBS - Nov. 30, 2023
Fighting opioid addiction – one life at a time
Tackling the opioid crisis requires integrated strategies: Integrated Care, Policy Enhancement and Technology. With a 55% rise in overdose deaths since 2019, these approaches offer hope and effective intervention to save lives.
The National Association of Counties - Nov. 29, 2023
Melissa Etheridge shares continued grief from loss of son to opioid addiction: 'The shame is too big’
Following the death of Melissa Etheridge’s son, the singer is now looking on the brighter side of things. "You’ve got the light in the dark and the positive and the negative… the good and the bad. Yet it’s all one thing, and that one thing is love," she said on the "Making Space" podcast. "When I lost my son, I learned how much my capacity for love was," she continued.
Fox - Nov. 29, 2023
John Mulaney Admitted Being “Mad” At His Friends For Staging An Intervention
“Going to rehab and a lot of other things had become public knowledge, and I felt there was no way to start doing stand-up again without going through this,” the former SNL writer said of his decision to discuss rehab in his Netflix special.
BuzzFeed - Nov. 28, 2023
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Comments
State / Local
Inside a safe injection site that could be a model for Massachusetts
The goal of the center is to reduce harm and keep people alive amid the opioid overdose epidemic. Advocates for this and other harm reduction approaches often say no one can recover from substance use disorder if they’re dead. Sites like this one could open in Massachusetts if a proposed law before the Legislature passes.
Mass Live - Dec. 3, 2023
Maggie Angst joins the San Francisco Chronicle as a homelessness and addiction reporter
“Maggie is an experienced, dogged reporter who is equally adept at covering a beat and jumping on big breaking news,” Deputy Metro Editor EmilyFancher said. “We’re looking forward to her bringing an accountability perspective to our coverage of homelessness and the drug crisis.” “I’m thrilled to join the San Francisco Chronicle and carry on the newsroom’s tradition of providing readers with thought-provoking stories about some of the biggest challenges facing the city,” Angst said. “As a reporter, I’m committed to earning the trust of San Franciscans, shedding light on lived experiences, holding local leaders accountable and ideally, inspiring positive change.”
Editor and Publisher - Dec. 1, 2023
New Jersey: NJ prosecutors, hospitals team to stop opioid addiction
A new partnership in three South Jersey counties lays out best practices for prescribing opioids for pain management in an effort to avoid addiction. Part of that plan is to create a new scholarship program to encourage more doctors, nurses, dentists and other prescribers to take part in Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s “Do No Harm” medical education course. Inspira CEO Amy Mansue says the expanded partnership will also include stronger collaboration between law enforcement and health care providers. “Literally having our mental health providers riding with police officers to go to those scenes and then looping in recovery coaches. That’s the key,” Mansue said.
KYW News Radio - Dec. 1, 2023
Minnesota’s drug treatment system often fails to treat parents, protect kids
A parent's drug use is the top reason Minnesota children are taken from their care, but the state's system for identifying and protecting children whose parents are using fentanyl, meth or other substances is filled with holes.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune - Dec. 1, 2023
Colorado: Arapahoe County jail expansion will focus on inmates with addiction, health problems
“The needs of the people that we are in custody of have changed,” Brown said. “We’re not warehousing individuals anymore. We’re treating them.” Arapahoe County officials gathered Thursday to watch construction crews work near the foundations of an expansion to the county’s jail, funded by COVID-19 relief funds and built to help inmates experiencing mental health problems and acute medical conditions.
Sentinel Colorado - Nov. 30, 2023
Oregon study highlights need for more addiction treatment resources in jails
A new study recently released from OHSU shows that almost half of the illicit drug users studied in rural areas have been recently incarcerated. Experts said this represents an opportunity to get people connected to addiction treatment where it's needed.
KATU - Nov. 30, 2023
Virginia: Botetourt County says no to addiction treatment center
Botetourt County supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to deny a zoning request that would have allowed an assisted living facility for veterans with mental health issues to become a residential addiction treatment center. County Zoning Administrator Drew Pearson explained that the property is presently is zoned for agriculture, with the assisted living facility allowed through a special use permit. The county’s Comprehensive Plan designates the future use of the property as agricultural. Supervisors voted with little discussion other than Supervisor Amy White noting that the decision was prompted partly by the location suggested for the treatment center.
The Roanoke Times - Nov. 28, 2023
Studies/Research in the News
New Study Suggests Cannabis Does Not Help Opioid Use Disorder
A 20-year-long Australian research project which followed heroin addicts who also used cannabis has found that anecdotal evidence supporting cannabis as a harm reduction tool may not be reliable or safe to recommend to recovering addicts.
High Times - Dec. 1, 2023
Rodents Offer New Insights Into the Diversity of Addiction
To get a more detailed understanding of addiction’s molecular underpinnings, in a study recently published in Nature Genetics researchers used single cell resolution technologies to better understand cocaine addiction in a diverse pool of rats. Focusing on the amygdala, the part of the brain involved in emotions and memories, they found that many molecular markers of addiction relate to how cells generate and use energy, which may point to a treatment for addiction-related behaviors.
The Scientist - Dec. 1, 2023
Substance abuse treatment helps reduce reported methamphetamine use among men who have sex with men
A nearly decade-long study by UCLA researchers found that substance abuse treatment of any kind may help to reduce methamphetamine usage among men who have sex with other men—a population that has been disproportionately impacted by the U.S. methamphetamine crisis in recent years. The findings come from the mSTUDY and are published in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment.
Medical X Press - Nov. 30, 2023
Ozempic, Wegovy may help treat alcohol addiction, researchers say
Wegovy and Ozempic may be helpful in treating people with alcohol addiction and other addictive disorders, according to new research on the medications.
Philly Voice - Nov. 30, 2023
Opinion
Addiction and the Recovery Journey for Lawyers
Mental health struggles and addiction are more common than we realize, especially among attorneys. In this episode, Brian Cuban, author of The Addicted Lawyer: Tales of the Bar, Booze, Blow, and Redemption, delves into addiction and the recovery journey for lawyers. As an advocate for mental health awareness and recovery, Brian shares his personal story, which includes psychiatric struggles, in-patient treatment facilities, and jail.
Texas Appellate Law Podcast - Nov. 30, 2023
The Untapped Potential of Therapy in Addiction Treatment
Therapists are often the first-line option for people struggling with substance use issues. Traditional models were designed with only the most severe forms of addiction in mind and don't work for many. Those people who are not interested in rehab are hungry for alternatives. Therapists are ideally suited to this challenging but very rewarding work.
Psychology Today - Nov. 29, 2023
I was diagnosed as a love addict – but does it really exist?
After finding the emotional pain of a break-up totally unbearable, Charlotte Cripps was told she was experiencing ‘love addiction’ – meaning relationships are always dysfunctional. Years later, she talks to experts and those in recovery about a controversial and largely unknown form of addiction.
The Independent - Nov. 29, 2023