The New York Times: Alcoholics Anonymous vs. Other Approaches: The Evidence Is Now In
By Austin Frakt and Aaron E. Carroll
An updated review shows it performs better than other common treatments and is less expensive.
Vox: Joe Biden’s new plan to end the opioid epidemic is the most ambitious in the field
By German Lopez
The plan emphasizes more addiction treatment and prevention — and less war on drugs.
The Atlantic: The Opioid Epidemic Might Be Much Worse Than We Thought
By Olga Khazan
A new paper suggests that death certificates dramatically undercounted the number of people dying from opioid overdoses.
US News & World Report: Alcohol Is Increasingly a Women’s Health Issue
By Katelyn Newman
Experts are seeing surges in alcohol-related problems for women, with the end result too often fatal.
HealthDay: U.S. Kids Waiting a Little Longer to Try Alcohol, Drugs
By Steven Reinberg
Researchers found that between 2004 and 2017, the age at which teens started drinking alcohol and smoking rose from 16 to 17 years. The age for trying heroin went from 17 to 18, and for cocaine it increased from 18 to 19 years.
The City: Chirlane McCray’s ThriveNYC Mental Health Program Gets a Reboot
By Yoav Gonen
City officials this week are unveiling an overhaul of first lady Chirlane McCray’s ThriveNYC mental health project — cutting programs, establishing new goals and putting a greater emphasis on people with serious mental illness.
Reuters: Few U.S. residential drug rehabs give anti-addiction medicine
By Lisa Rapaport
Most people who check in to residential treatment facilities to recover from opioid use disorder won’t be given medicines proven to help combat addiction, a U.S. study suggests.
Health Affairs: Contingency Management: A Highly Effective Treatment for Substance Use Disorders and The Legal Barriers That Stand in Its Way
By Joseph E. Glass, Edward V. Nunes, Katharine A. Bradley
While medications are first-line treatment for opioid use disorders, psychosocial treatments are the only proven treatment for stimulant and cannabis use disorders. Among the psychosocial treatments, contingency management appears to be among the most effective across substance use disorders, including when combined with medications for opioid use disorder.
The Colorado Sun: A decade into the opioid crisis, Colorado hospitals have changed the way they treat opioid-exposed babies. And it’s helping.
By Jennifer Brown
Newborns are now less likely to get methadone and more likely to room with their moms
Tufts Now: What Opioid Use in Rats Can Tell Us About Addiction in Humans
By Angela Nelson
A neuroscientist at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine studies opioid use in rats to understand how drugs affect the next generation