The Big News

The TODAY show visited the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., this week to talk to women in recovery from alcohol use disorder, bringing attention this morning to rising alcohol use and alcohol-related deaths among women nationally, and the promise and possibility of treatment and recovery. Our own colleague Carrie Bates, pictured here, was among those interviewed, making her second appearance on the show. The first time: 36 years ago, after winning a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics!

The most rigorous review ever of Alcoholics Anonymous' effectiveness was published today. It found that AA and AA facilitation interventions yield higher abstinence rates than evidence-based psychotherapies like Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy; fare as well as evidence-based psychotherapies in reducing drinking and related consequences; and reduce healthcare costs. The review, published by the medical journal Cochrane Database of Systematic Review, brings together research findings from over 150 scientists all over the world. At Hazelden Betty Ford, we integrate Twelve Step facilitation interventions with evidence-based psychotherapies and medications in a comprehensive treatment model, and are pleased to see the new review further validate something we’ve known experientially to be effective for decades. Lead author John Kelly, PhD, said, “In the popular press, there’s been reports of AA not working or being even harmful for people. So, we wanted to clarify the scientific picture to the highest scientific standard.” Exactly why it’s so nice to see the research in today’s New York Times and USA Today.

All the world is talking about the new coronavirus and the disease it can cause, COVID-19. We have taken strong precautionary measures at Hazelden Betty Ford to protect our patients, staff, faculty, students and volunteers. See our website for more and look for updates soon, and regularly, including related tips and resources for people in recovery, and regularly.

Marijuana myth #1 is that it’s not addictive. But former users told the Chicago Tribune otherwise. “It’s a lot like the other addictions,” added our own Michael Mahoney. “People want to stop using and can’t. They have to use in greater quantities to get the same effect or just have a feeling of normalcy. Along the way, problems emerge.”

U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito introduced the Protecting Jessica Grubb’s Legacy Act. The legislation, supported by a broad coalition of healthcare and patient advocate organizations across the country including the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, would bring patient recordkeeping requirements for nonprofit and government-assisted treatment providers into closer alignment with the requirements of HIPAA. The bill amends a law known as 42 CFR Part 2 by strengthening privacy protections for people’s substance use disorder (SUD) medical records in judicial proceedings while also modernizing and streamlining rules in healthcare settings to allow for better care and care coordination among providers. The bill reflects a compromise from legislation that passed the House of Representatives last Congress, streamlining the process of coordinating addiction records for the purposes of treatment, payment and operations while allowing patients to opt-in before their information may be shared. It should also be noted that thousands of people across the country receive treatment every year in for-profit SUD programs and through the Veteran’s Administration that are not subject to the requirements of Part 2.

Maine dropped ‘substance abuse’ from the name of its agency that helps people who have substance use disorders. The state’s opioid response czar says it’s another step toward ending the stigma associated with addiction-related illnesses.

The U.S. House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on 14 bills intended to address the needs of people with substance use disorders. Among them are the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act (which would authorize $1 billion per year in grants for another five years), the Family Support Services for Addiction Act (which would create a grant program for community organizations and other nonprofits to provide family support services), the Medicaid Re-entry Act (which would allow medical assistance for incarcerated individuals during the 30 days prior to release) and the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act (which would remove training requirements for buprenorphine prescribers). See all of the bills and watch the hearing here.

National Football League players are considering a new collective bargaining agreement that would include a dramatic shift in the league’s drug-testing policy. Under the proposal, players would no longer be suspended for positive drug tests and would instead be steered to clinical care and testing. Sounds like progress!

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For adolescents today, social media can amplify ordinary feelings of inadequacy or loneliness into fatalistic thinking and even an increased vulnerability to risky or harmful behaviors. What's a parent to do? This week’s featured media is the latest episode in our award-winning Let’s Talk podcast series, with host William C. Moyers talking to psychiatrist Joseph Lee, M.D., about the convergence of cultural polarization, family stressors, technology and other influences on the health and well-being of youth, specifically in relation to mental health and substance use. Watch, listen or read.

Cannabis

Ohio’s attorney general has rejected the wording on a petition seeking to have voters decide in November whether to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. Learn more →

A cannabis epidemiologist says “cannabis legalization may be moving too fast.”

Chronic pain patients expressed high satisfaction with medical cannabis despite clinically insignificant changes in pain scores, a prospective study showed. Researchers said the high satisfaction scores may be due more to improved sleep and overall mood than reduced pain.

A Colorado couple is putting a spotlight on marijuana after their son's suicide.

In the new book Craft Weed, a Concordia University law professor envisions the future of commercialized marijuana.

Is legal marijuana a step backward for social justice? This advocate thinks so.

The first recreational pot shop in a major East Coast city opened this week.

The CBD craze may be waning.

Opioids Americans grieving the personal toll of our overdose epidemic last week recognized Black Balloon Day, an international event that began in 2015. Learn more →

Greater prevalence of injection drug use has driven Hepatitis C infections up so far, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends screenings for all adults ages 18 to 79.

A new analysis of survey data from 500 primary care physicians showed that nearly three-quarters of them trusted their patients to take medications as prescribed, but half of specimens showed signs of misuse. The survey also found that while most physicians expressed confidence in their ability to discuss drug misuse, just over half actually broached the subject and a third worried they might offend patients.

The DEA has issued a proposed rule that would allow federally certified opioid treatment programs—sometimes called methadone clinics—to transport medication to patients by vehicle.

A Tennessee psychiatrist was found guilty of unlawful opioid prescribing after he doled out 1,200 pills to three sisters for no medical purpose over a 3-year period.

Kentucky continues to have the highest rates of fentanyl use nationally.

Alcohol The most viral beer of 2019 was a Lucky Charms-inspired IPA called Saturday Morning—part of a trend of nostalgia-inducing alcohol products. Parents: don’t leave these in your fridge. Learn more →

Public health specialists tell Forbes it’s time for a much broader national dialogue about addiction to all drugs, including alcohol.

If it’s illegal to drink on trains and no one knows, can you still get arrested? Only if you’re homeless, apparently.

Now here’s a good use for alcohol: fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

For those living with HIV, drinking may be bad for the bones.

Taco Bell is testing its alcohol-serving Cantina locations in the suburbs.

Health Care Reform and Parity

Massachusetts has reached agreements with five health insurers and two companies that manage behavioral health coverage based on investigations of potential parity law violations. Learn more →

The latest edition of Health Affairs is all about the Affordable Care Act, as its 10th anniversary approaches, and serves as a reminder of why the ACA—and the lawsuit against it—matter.

In states like Washington, the coronavirus is straining already stressed health department budgets.

Colorado lawmakers are taking another run at legislation to create a public health insurance option in the state.

The team at Open Minds highlighted 25 recent developments at the state level that it thinks are most important to health and human service organization strategy.

The Administration released widely anticipated rules that will allow people to access and download their health records using third-party apps.

Advocate Spotlight Hundreds of thousands of social media users interacted with a post last week by Humans of New York, featuring a young man in recovery from opioid addiction. Learn more →

Watch how recovery advocate Chris Herren helped actor Ben Aflleck make his new movie.

Singer Demi Lovato tells Justin Bieber he inspired her to get sober again.

Great profile of our friend Kevin Bowe, a songwriter, producer and rock ‘n’ roller who has been sober for 40 years.

Miscellaneous Musings

Activists in Oregon say they have collected enough signatures to get an initiative on the November ballot to decriminalize all drug possession and increase access to addiction treatment. Learn more →

• Our Dr. George Dawson explains the challenge of untangling addiction and dementia in older adults.
• Two moms’ recoveries help illustrate the ties between addiction and loneliness. A recent poll showed that 54% of 18- to 24-year-olds get lonely, and 21% say they are intoxicated once a week or more.
• Congrats to our own Jerry Moe, who on Friday will receive the 2020 Firestone Award!
• A bill and petition in Alabama take aim at a product, tianeptine, sold at gas stations and called highly addictive by law enforcement.
• Here’s something new to this writer: addiction trusts.
• Female physicians are at a greater risk of dying by suicide than male physicians, according a meta-analysis in JAMA.
• Social media and eating disorders may be a bad combination.
• Welcome to Northern Light Acadia Hospital in Maine, our newest collaborative Patient Care Network member!
• William White remains on a break from his blog, so this week we share a clip from a speech he gave at last year’s MPRC: The National Recovery Conference, where he said: “The people who have been most wounded in this culture have what the whole culture needs at this unique moment in time.”
• Thank you for reading. What do you think? Send us a note anytime, and have a great week!