The Wednesday Weekly - Addiction + Recovery News, January 5, 2022
The Wednesday Weekly is a collaboration of Sober Linings Playbook and Recovery in the Middle Ages Podcast.
Highlights
(Inter)National
Dry January and dry dating | Teva Pharmaceuticals found liable | Addiction treatment Medicaid fraud in MA |
State and Local
Narcan (naloxone) distribution and training in PA | Michigan poised to ramp up harm reduction in 2022 |
Studies/Research in the News
Study finds more evidence alcohol is a cancer risk | How states rank by alcohol consumption | NIH funds to go to harm reduction studies
Opinion
NIDA Director Volkow makes the case for harm reduction, non-abstinent recovery | ‘My sobriety isn’t a trend or a monthly challenge’ | Heroin addict recounts road to recovery in The Guardian
Reviews
Music: Ohio rap artists focus on opioid addiction, donate proceeds to help
Podcasts
RMA recaps the addiction and recovery headlines of 2021 | Author Dr. Peter Grinspoon (‘Free Refills’) on Rehab Confidential
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(Inter)National
NYC vending machines will give people syringes, opioid overdose treatment
In November, New York became the first U.S. city to greenlight supervised consumption sites for illegal drug use. The city is now establishing a program that will install public health vending machines (PHVM) in 10 spots across the city to combat overdoses and the opioid epidemic. The PHVMs will dispense sterile syringes, the drug naloxone — administered to combat overdoses — and additional health supplies.
The Hill - Jan. 3, 2021
Dry January: couple who quit drinking alcohol are slimmer, healthier and have more energy now; you can go sober, too
With Dry January here, you may be thinking about giving up alcoholic drinks. Find out how one Hong Kong couple did it. With plenty of alcohol-free wines, beers and spirits to choose from, giving up alcohol might be easier than you think.
South China Morning Post - Jan. 1, 2022
Teva Pharmaceuticals is found liable in the opioid crisis
Drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals contributed to the opioid crisis, a suburban New York jury ruled Thursday in one of few verdicts so far among thousands of lawsuits nationwide over the painkillers.
NPR - Dec. 31, 2021
‘We’re making harm reduction cool’: overdose reversal Narcan becomes a rave essential
As recreational drugs like cocaine are increasingly cut with fentanyl, a movement has sprung up to prevent deaths in nightclubs. Fentanyl test strips and Narcan training were provided by Asap Foundation (a harm reduction organization named after A$AP Yams, the founder of the rap collective A$AP Mob who died of a drug overdose aged 26) that distributes these supplies to many stores around Los Angeles.
The Guardian - Dec. 31, 2021
‘Dry dating’ is on the rise as more singles ditch alcohol on first dates
The dating app Bumble has listed “dry dating” as a dating trend for 2022. According to a survey conducted among Bumble users, 29 per cent of respondents in Canada said they’re drinking a lot less and 34 per cent of Bumble users say that they’re more likely to go on a dry date now than before COVID-19. A Gallup poll from August 2021 reported that 60 per cent of U.S. adults drink alcoholic beverages, down from 65 per cent in 2019.
Toronto Star - Dec. 31, 2021
Does ‘Dry January’ actually improve your health?
Outside of saving money from all the alcoholic beverages, you won’t be purchasing for the month of January, the top health benefit you’ll receive is avoiding unnecessary calories.
NY Post - Dec. 31, 2021
Sober parties offer safe alternative for people in addiction recovery
For people in addiction recovery, holiday parties can be hard. Some organizations offer safe alternatives for people choosing a sober lifestyle.
KPBS - Dec. 31, 2021
Lil Xan hits out at his ex-manager for enabling his drug addiction: “That was a time I almost died”
Lil Xan (aka Diego, full name Nicholas Diego Leanos) has spoken out against his former manager, Stat Quo, for allegedly enabling his drug addiction on tour. Leanos made the claims in a livestream that he later shared on Instagram, labelling Quo a “terrible fucking human being” and alleging that Quo would regularly supply him with drugs while he was out touring with the likes of Nicki Minaj and Juice WRLD.
New Musical Express (NME) - Dec. 31, 2021
Press Release: National Addiction Treatment Center to Pay $4.5 Million in First-Of-Its-Kind Settlement of Laboratory Self-Referral Violations and Claims of Unnecessary Drug Tests
A national addiction treatment center chain has agreed to pay a total of $4.5 million to the state’s Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, and Medicare to resolve allegations that the company submitted false claims for urine drug tests that were medically unnecessary and were illegally performed at the company’s own laboratory. This resolution is the first civil settlement under the Massachusetts clinical laboratory anti-self-referral law, originally proposed by the AG’s Office.
Office of Attorney General Maura Healey (Massachusetts) - Dec. 30, 2021
Telehealth controversy: Should it be ok to prescribe addiction meds virtually?
A growing number of Americans with opioid use disorder have benefitted from a rule change early in the pandemic that allowed them to access prescriptions of their controlled medications, via telehealth. These medications, which are themselves opioids, are regulated heavily by the Drug Enforcement Administration. These allowances were pegged to state or federal states of emergencies, so once those come to an end — absent new legislation — the pre-pandemic rules will come back, including requirements to see a doctor in person for a prescription.
NPR - Dec. 30, 2021
Overdoses have killed a million Americans since the start of the opioid epidemic : NPR
Deaths due to drug overdose have topped a million for the first time since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting data on the problem more than two decades ago. The opioid epidemic began in the late 1990s when the pharmaceutical and health care industries started marketing and prescribing highly addictive painkillers far more aggressively.
NPR - Dec. 30, 2021
ERs Can Boost Efforts to Stamp Out Opioid Addiction
A program meant to encourage the use of a drug that can help people overcome opioid addiction led to dramatic increases in its use in emergency rooms, researchers report.
Drugs.com - Dec. 29, 2021
Her son died from fentanyl. Now this mom is advocating for a tool that could save lives
TODAY spoke with advocates and activists who say despite their effectiveness as a useful tool in harm reduction against fentanyl, awareness around testing strips is lacking and in some states they are even considered illegal.
Today - Dec. 28, 2021
National State and Local Studies in the News Opinion Reviews Podcasts Leg/Advocacy Comments
State / Local
New York: Teva fueled opioid addiction in New York state, jury finds
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd fueled opioid addiction in New York state, a jury found on Thursday, a setback for a company still facing thousands of other opioid-related lawsuits around the United States. The verdict, which followed a nearly six-month New York state court trial in a case brought by the state and two of its counties, does not include damages, which will be determined later.
Al Jazeera - Dec. 30, 2021
New Jersey: 'As real as it gets:' Brick Police develop intensive drug education program
Brick police officers noticed something when they started interviewing drug overdose victims in 2019 – they needed to do more to reach students than just one or two drug prevention classes. And so the department decided to “get real” with the youth in town: by developing an intensive drug prevention curriculum aimed at students in fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th grades.
Asbury Park Press - Dec. 29, 2021
Fall River, Massachusetts: Here's what Fall River did to fight the opioid epidemic in 2021 and what to expect in 2022
Fall River has been hit harder by the opioid epidemic than almost any community in the state. But, the city took some big steps in 2021 toward better helping community members who struggle with addiction and the problems that often accompany it, like homelessness and mental illness. Here are some recent developments in the local fight against addiction and one major change coming in the new year.
The Herald News - Dec. 29, 2021
Mississippi experts searching for ways to reduce lethality of opioids
The coronavirus pandemic has caused the national overdose death rate from opioids to surge according to addiction experts. And a group of doctors in Mississippi are searching for ways to understand the addictive properties of these drugs and prevent deaths. “Behavioral treatment, behavioral therapies. Trying to make those better. Things like Narcan which are more pharmaceutical type treatments, what can you do to make that critical part of combatting opioid addiction more efficient,” Says Rowlett. “And the third area is genetics and trying to understand genomic relationships as it relates to addiction.”
MPB Online - Dec. 29, 2021
Pennsylvania: Narcan training, distribution event held in York
An event was held Tuesday in York to train people how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose. The York City Bureau of Health, the York/Adams Drug and Alcohol Commission and the York Opioid Collaborative hosted the Narcan training session.
WGAL8 - Dec. 28, 2021
Michigan: Local health officials hope to ramp up harm-reduction programs in 2022
In a meeting last week, officials from District Health Department No. 4 discussed the importance of focusing on the growing opioid epidemic and working toward ways to reduce fentanyl deaths in Northeast Michigan in 2022.
The Alpena News - Dec. 28, 2021
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Studies/Research in the News
Doctor: Alcohol could boost cancer risk
“The connection with alcohol and breast cancer has been well defined,” Dr. Paula Rosenblatt, an oncologist who treats breast cancer patients at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “There are hundreds of studies that have shown the association that, basically, as little as a drink a day can increase one’s risk of breast cancer,” she said.
WTOP News - Dec. 31, 2021
Feds Announce Funds For Drug Harm Reduction Studies, Including On Decriminalization And Safe Consumption Sites
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) put out a pair of requests for applications (RFAs) on Wednesday for an effort that will provide funding for efforts to investigate how that and other harm reduction policies could help address the drug crisis. Specifically, NIH wants to establish a Harm Reduction Network that seeks to “increase our understanding of the effectiveness, implementation and impact of existing and new harm reduction practices to address the ongoing opioid crisis and substance use disorder more broadly.”
Marijuana Moment - Dec. 30, 2021
Alcohol consumption by state: Who’s drinking, who’s not
In 2019, USA Today reported a Gallup poll said 63% of American adults drink. Top 10 states by alcohol consumption (beer, wine and liquor) in annual number of gallons per person: 1. New Hampshire: 4.67; 2. Washington, D.C.: 3.77; 3. Delaware: 3.52; 4. Nevada: 3.42; 5. North Dakota: 3.16; 6. Montana: 3.1; 7. Vermont: 3.06; 8. Idaho: 2.94; 9. Wisconsin: 2.93; 10. Colorado: 2.88; Cleveland.com - Dec. 30, 2021
The Medical Minute: Ring in the New Year, rein in your drinking
“The National Survey on Drug Use and Health administered every year by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed that a lot more people reported heavier drinking from 2019 to 2020,” Kawasaki said. Research supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and non-profit research group RTI International found that, nationally, increases in alcohol consumption from February 2020 to November 2020 translated to 1 billion more drinks per month, 4.6 million more people exceeding drinking guidelines and 9 million more people binge drinking.
Penn State Heatlh - Dec. 29, 2021
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Opinion
Nora Volkow: Making Addiction Treatment More Realistic And Pragmatic: The Perfect Should Not Be The Enemy Of The Good
Healthcare and society must move beyond this dichotomous, moralistic view of drug use and abstinence and the judgmental attitudes and practices that go with it. While not using any drugs or alcohol poses the fewest health risks and is often necessary for sustained recovery, different people may need different options. Temporary returns to use after periods of abstinence are part of many recovery journeys, and it shouldn’t be ruled out that some substance use or ongoing use of other substances even during treatment and recovery might be a way forward for some subset of individuals.
Health Affairs - Jan. 3, 2021
If you think drug addiction is ‘self-inflicted’, you’re part of the problem
It is inevitable that we will carry on investing record amounts of money in drug treatment until we get to grips with the root causes that propel people towards needing treatment in the first place.
The Independent - Jan. 3, 2021
'Abstinence only' approach to COVID failed in 2021 — missed opportunity for teaching harm reduction
The approach to COVID-19 this past year (and stretching back to the early days of the pandemic) has been one consistent with an “abstinence-only” approach that eschewed any risk-taking. By promoting such an approach — that was not practicable by many — not only was behavior driven underground but the ability of the public to risk calculate was stunted.
The Hill - Dec. 31, 2021
Syringe programs save lives in New Jersey
As social workers, we believe in the right to self-determination. As such, we begin our work with people struggling with substance use wherever they are on the spectrum of possible use — including those who are not yet able to stop or curtail their use — and we do so without stigma or shame. Syringe access services are often the entry point for further treatment, and one of the best tools we have to end the overdose crisis. This is a public health approach to this public health crisis.
NJ.com - Dec. 30, 2021
Reinvent addiction recovery for our age
We say that addiction is a disease and I do believe that. Or, I really want to believe that. But then why do I still blame myself as if I could have done something different that would have saved Isaac? If Isaac had cancer and died, would I have blamed myself that I didn’t do everything that I could to save his life? I guess that is possible, but would be uncommon. It would be easier to just accept that the disease took their life.
NY Daily News - Dec. 29, 2021
My Sobriety Isn't A Trend Or A Monthly Challenge
How to celebrate Dry January while being mindful of sober people in recovery, like me. Gone are the days when one must attend a 12-step meeting and identify with the A-Word (alcoholic). The only prerequisite to evaluating your relationship with alcohol is the desire to be “sober curious.”
Huffington Post - Dec. 27, 2021
I was a heroin addict and had given up on myself. Then suddenly, briefly, I felt a desire to live
I am in little doubt that if I had continued taking the quantities I had been using in the last year of my active addiction, I would have been dead within six months. Just another junkie statistic. Mourned by a few and long since forgotten by everyone else. Yet here I am, nearly 35 years later, still buggering on, my life far fuller, richer and longer than I could ever have dared imagine at my rock bottom.
The Guardian - Dec. 27, 2021
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Leg/Advocacy Comments
Reviews
Music: Blind Eye song by Portsmouth Ohio rappers focuses on opioid addiction
Sam Quinones, who wrote the bestselling book “Dreamland” about the opioid problem in Portsmouth included the stories of the members of RWR about their songs and how they reacted to the opioid epidemic, which destroyed the lives of many of their friends. That led to the Canadian Broadcasting Company interview with the group.
Columbus Dispatch - Jan. 4, 2021
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Podcasts: The Weekly Roundup
Recovery in the Middle Ages – RMA New Year’s Special! Grant Boyken Recaps All Things Recovery in 2021
Happy New Year! It’s the RMA New Year’s special! This week Mike and Nat are joined by Grant Boyken, editor-at-large of the RMA newsroom, moderator of the RMA Facebook Group and the mastermind behind the preeminent recovery news website SoberliningsPlaybook.com. Grant, Mike and Nat break down the year in recovery, highlighting the stories that made news in the recovery universe and getting caught up on recent developments. There are book and movie recommendations and lively debate on topical issues. You don’t want to miss it! Plus, the Monksters share their New Year’s resolutions and Mike and Nat talk about what’s ahead for the RMA universe in 2022. All this and more on a committed, goal-oriented, resolute episode of Recovery in the Middle Ages.
Rehab Confidential – Dr. Peter Grinspoon, Author, Physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital
Joe and Amy sit down with Dr. Peter Grinspoon, primary care physician, cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He is also the author of the memoir ‘Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction’. We discuss his own addiction, cannabis, his take on 12 step and why there aren’t earlier interventions and less punitive routes for doctors facing SUD.
Dopey – Happy Dopey New Year’s aka the Sam Show! Sam’s last show, Crack, Booze, Relapse, Recovery.
This week on Dopey! It is with a heavy heart that we wish a nice Bona Fortuna to Dopey Producer, Sam! Sam drops the bombshell that he is taking an extended hiatus from the Dopey Show starting...now! We recount some of Sam's Dopey history, and what working on Dopey has meant to him personally and to his recovery. We play some of Sam's Grestest Hits and cry our eye's out on a super emotional Dopey Show!
National State/Local Studies/Research Opinion Reviews Podcasts Leg/Advocacy Comments