First, an historical perspective from Bill White: Most drug epidemics don't simply disappear: they transform themselves into something else. For example, periods of excessive stimulant use are often followed by periods of rising alcohol, sedative and opiate use. There are drug facilitated cycles of stimulation, introspection, intoxication, and emotional anesthesia. Repeated episodes of each drug … Continue reading Food for thought on the cyclical nature of drug trends

Variations of this infographic are making the rounds. I'll offer 2 warnings: I'd be very cautious about telling mutual aid groups what they should and shouldn't say within their communities. (Or outside them, for that matter.)It's one thing to recommend language for professionals and people who choose to become advocates, but it's another to do … Continue reading Recovery dialects

A new JAMA study concludes, "Long-acting buprenorphine depot formulations appear to be efficacious for treatment of opioid use disorder." Keep reading. They compared the effectiveness of sublingual (oral) and long-acting injections of buprenorphine to see if the long-acting injections are as effective as the sublingual version. The study was 24 weeks. That's better than we … Continue reading Study of Long-acting buprenorphine published–17% respond

Over the last week, there have been two noteworthy stories on supervised injection sites. NYC planning supervised injection sites The first story was in the New York Times and reported on NYC considering supervised injection sites and looking to Toronto for their experience. The scouts from NYC are seeking to learn what they can to … Continue reading What would things look like if we believed they could recover?

Mark Kleiman responds to the question, why is fentanyl use becoming widespread now? He describes the increase in availability of prescription opioids and the role of price in leading users to transition to heroin. Then, he describes the expansion of fentanyl. At the same time, people in the U.S. were learning how to buy chemicals … Continue reading Why is fentanyl use becoming widespread now?

CNN Money has a pretty inspiring story: This past winter, John Stroup had a problem. Roughly one out of 10 applicants for jobs at his factory in Richmond, Indiana, had failed their drug tests, disqualifying them for employment at the safety-conscious company. A handful of the 450 people already working there had failed random drug … Continue reading Recovery is good business

A typically thought provoking take from Tyler Cowan: I propose that cities and suburbs restrict the sale and usage of marijuana to the same areas we use for garbage disposal and other “zoned out of sight” enterprises. We needn’t throw anyone in jail: If people or businesses violate these strictures, keep hitting them with the … Continue reading “Legalize Pot, But Don’t Normalize It”

This weekend, John Oliver spent nearly 2o minutes describing several of the treatment industry's biggest hustles. https://youtu.be/hWQiXv0sn9Y Is this a sign of the times? Maybe, but it's not new. In Recovery Rising, Bill White describes the business landscape in the 1980s: The trend of private insurance companies paying for the treatment of alcoholism and subsequently … Continue reading The treatment hustle makes Last Week Tonight

Why is BCN launching these pilots? "Cost is one factor. We also look at quality of life. Our goal is to help people stay well," said Beecroft, a psychiatrist, geriatrician and substance abuse specialist. "We have looked at return on investment and if you just treat the individual, you get 2-1 investment return. You spend … Continue reading Blue Care Network of Michigan tests new opioid treatment with 2 mental health facilities

There's actually an interesting discussion happening in congress right now: A question some lawmakers and journalists often ask is whether Congress is too closely targeting opioids, as the epidemic is a problem of polydrug misuse. Bloomberg’s editorial board warned “lawmakers need to take benzodiazepines seriously, before it’s too late.” (Overdose deaths associated with benzodiazepines are fewer than opioids, … Continue reading Congress is hyperfocused on opioids. Is it focusing enough on addiction?