Addiction Recovery Weekly Roundup – April 1st Week

1. Coronavirus crisis could help trigger relapse among those fighting addiction

The social distancing and isolation of the coronavirus pandemic may put people struggling with addiction at risk for relapse, an expert says.

Feeling stressed, isolated and scared may drive them back to substance abuse, said Dr. Lawrence Brown Jr., CEO of the nonprofit START Treatment & Recovery Centers, New York’s largest independent drug treatment agency..(usnews.com)

2.Recover study reports positive outcomes, high opioid abstinence

Efforts to combat the opioid epidemic have primarily focused on the promotion of overdose-reversing medications. However, little is known about the long-term outcomes of pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder (OUD). In this 24-month observational study, researchers sought to capture 12-month outcomes from individuals who had previously participated in a buprenorphine extended-release subcutaneous injection (BUP-XR) trial. (psychiatryadvisor.com)

3.Biology of addiction

People with addiction lose control over their actions. They crave and seek out drugs, alcohol, or other substances no matter what the cost—even at the risk of damaging friendships, hurting family, or losing jobs. (newsinhealth.nih.gov)

4. Addiction is ‘a disease of isolation’ — so pandemic puts recovery at risk

Before the coronavirus became a pandemic, Emma went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting every week in the Boston area and to another support group at her methadone clinic. She said she felt safe, secure and never judged. (khn.org)

5.Oxycodone: how long does it stay in the system?

Oxycodone is a highly addictive opioid medication that can treat short- and long-term pain. How long it stays in a person’s system depends on several factors. (medicalnewstoday.com)