Why Is the Addiction Crisis Getting Worse?

www.ozy.com [OZY]( OZY A Modern Media Company Share This Sh*t January 23, 2023 Share This Sh*t [The drop]( WHY IS THE ADDICTION CRISIS GETTING WORSE? New York City has reported record overdose deaths for 2022. What can be done? Which Interventions Actually Work? How Not to Relapse For those who successfully kick an addiction, the odds of relapsing are high — in the range of 40% to 60%. But three groups are faring better than others: pilots, doctors and lawyers. According to one study, their relapse rates are as low as 10% to 25%. So what exactly is working so well for these particular professionals? Well, those with lower relapse rates are generally accessing long-term, comprehensive treatment with a lengthy period of residential care, followed by outpatient treatment that includes psychotherapy and, crucially, follow-up assistance. In other words: better all-around care. [READ MORE]( Rewards for Quitting Addiction often mushrooms in places where economic opportunity has diminished. Thus, it makes sense that compensating people for staying drug-free is an [evidence-based means]( of supporting folks in recovery. In Newport, Oregon, an outpatient clinic called Phoenix Wellness Center is at the forefront of deploying this strategy. “It’s about using people’s internal motivations and rewarding them for making these achievements or making steps towards progress and change,” the clinic’s co-owner Ashliegh Ramirez [said]( in an interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting. She and her co-owners are members of the Siletz tribe; offering incentives is a normal tribal practice, which they are now making available to a broader population. Change Law — and Medicine? Fentanyl Test Strips, Decriminalized Last spring, two Ohio State University students [died]( after taking counterfeit pills laced with the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. These deaths sparked support for legislation that has now [decriminalized the test strips]( that can detect the presence of fentanyl in a given substance. Until recently, such strips were regarded as drug paraphernalia, and a person caught possessing or using one in Ohio faced up to 30 days in jail. Ohio’s News 5 found that even the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association supported this decriminalization. Medical School Curriculum Piloted Dr. Kimberly Hu and her colleagues at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center have [developed, implemented and evaluated]( a training curriculum for third-year medical students on treatment for opioid use disorder. In U.S. healthcare, such treatment is typically separated from primary care, and addiction is rarely a focus of study for medical students. In a presentation for the American Psychiatric Association, Hu noted that both future patients and future doctors stand to benefit from enhanced addiction training in medical schools. NOW STREAMING FROM OZY STUDIO Novel Solutions A Pill to Treat Alcoholism? Binge drinking and alcoholism are profound problems, and they seem only to get worse with each passing year. For more than eight decades, Alcoholics Anonymous has been the leading prescription for alcoholism, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Enter a different solution. Described as an opioid antagonist, which works by shutting off the pleasure centers of the brain triggered by alcohol, naltrexone received FDA approval in 1994. But it’s only recently that Americans have started opening up to this unconventional approach to curbing addiction. [READ MORE]( A Vaccine for Addiction? Some research suggests that treatment for a variety of different addictions might come in the form of a vaccine. Researchers have developed a vaccine for nicotine addiction, and others have been working on vaccines to block the effects of phencyclidine (PCP), as well as methamphetamine and opioids like heroin and fentanyl. But some remain skeptical. Addiction vaccines have produced mixed results in clinical trials, and pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to fund them. [READ MORE]( In your view, why is the addiction crisis in the U.S. getting worse? [SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE]( [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. #OZYMedia, #TheDrop OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](