Recovery Advocacy News, Issues & Miscellaneous Musings (Feb 2023)

NOTE: This was originally published for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s monthly Recovery Advocacy Update. If you’d like to receive our advocacy emails, subscribe today.

Curation with occasional commentary by Jeremiah Gardner

📕 READ: Sports agent and recovery advocate Leigh Steinberg — who inspired the movie Jerry Maguire and whose clients include two-time MVP and NFL champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes — will deliver the 24th Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies commencement address on April 22.

📕 READ: She Recovers co-founder Dawn Nickel wrote a daily meditation book for women. Check out the latest from Hazelden Publishing: She Recovers Every Day!

📺 WATCH: Dr. Lipi Roy joined William C. Moyers for a fascinating discussion about the efficacy and humanity of harm reduction in the latest episode of our award-winning podcast series Let’s Talk.

More than 1,000 people — including President and CEO Dr. Joseph Lee and several other Hazelden Betty Ford team members — attended the 5th Annual Minnesota Wild Recovery Night at Xcel Energy Center. Not only did we see a 3–2 OT win by the Wild over the Philadelphia Flyers, but we got to hear from former NHL player Paul Broten, who shared his recovery story during a pre-game event. Hazelden Betty Ford has co-sponsored Wild Recovery Night, which supports the Twin Cities Recovery Community Hockey League, since its inception.

📺 WATCH: Hazelden Betty Ford’s Carrie Bates, a former Olympic champion, says she hid in her addiction and is determined NOT to hide in her recovery. You’ll love her talk at Recovery Reinvented 2022.

🔊 LISTEN: Recovery and yoga maestro Tommy Rosen has a new podcast, In the Circle, and we love it!

📕 READ: Recovery advocate Bill Stauffer (one of my favorite recovery writers) penned a beautiful reflection about the late Justin Townes Earle, whose music filled the historic Ryman Auditorium once again thanks to a tribute concert held by friends and fellow musicians in January.

📕 READ: New stigma study — take a look at the results of the largest research study to date assessing substance use and recovery stigma expressed by U.S. healthcare workers.

📕 READ: We’re one step closer to over-the-counter naloxone. The opioid overdose reversal medication is still often frustratingly inaccessible in moments of need. A significant expansion to accessibility is needed.

📕 READ: Overdose is now a leading cause of death during or shortly after pregnancy. Dr. Nora Volkow explains the urgency of improving equitable access to addiction treatment.

📕 READ: Now that marijuana is widely available in New York City — veterinarians say they’ve noticed a steady increase in the number of dogs brought in after accidentally eating cannabis products.

📕 READ: Hazelden Betty Ford Chief Medical Officer Alta DeRoo, MD, was elected to serve on the board for ASAM.

🔊 LISTEN: Do you know or ever work with adolescents who have a loved one facing addiction or initiating recovery? They need support too, and Hazelden Betty Ford’s new virtual family program for adolescents is now available to them at no cost.

📺 WATCH: Awesome to see our friend, recovery advocate Chris Poulos, profiled on the national news: Formerly incarcerated man now leading prison reform.

📕 READ: The Canadian province of British Columbia has now decriminalized virtually all drugs. Is it investing in treatment and recovery just as dramatically?

📕 READ: Another sign that drinking less is more fashionable now — new, trendy words to define one’s style: are you familiar with the ‘damp’ TikTok trend?

📕 READ: The documentary, Anxious Nation, delves into the increased rates of anxiety among young people, and appeals for compassionate, science-based treatment and care. Dr. Lipi Roy reviews.

📕 READ: Virtual prescribing for opioid use disorder is now in limbo.

📺 WATCH: Our friends Jeff Johnston and Ryan Hampton go deep and personal in this great conversation about recovery in America — a new episode in Jeff’s excellent Living Undeterred podcast.

📕 READ: The nation’s largest Native American tribe plans to use a portion of its $98 million in opioid settlement funds to construct a 50-bed, 17,000-square-foot treatment facility in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The facility will provide no-cost treatment for Cherokee Nation citizens struggling with substance use.

📺 WATCH: Here’s another recent episode of Living Undeterred we really enjoyed and recommend, with artist William Stoehr: Creating A Narrative Through Art.

Artist William Stoehr

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Jeremiah Gardner is director of communications and public affairs for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

Jeremiah Gardner