Jan 31, 2023, 19:16 by Molly McGrath

On January 31st, ASAM sent a letter to provide comments on proposed modifications to 42 CFR Part 2 ("Part 2").

Jan 31, 2023, 10:00 by ASAM Weekly Editors

A patient recently said to me, “At this point in my life, recovery is not only how I live, it’s who I am.” Although I realize – and have helped him understand – that recurrences can occur in the course of the chronic disease that is addiction, I was able to celebrate with him that he is now “right where he needs to be.”

Jan 27, 2023, 15:55 by Molly McGrath

Jan 26, 2023, 13:05 by ASAM Weekly Editors

According to results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 1 in 3 adults in America had either a substance use disorder (SUD) or any mental illness (AMI) in the past year, almost half of all young adults had either a SUD or AMI, and for many with either (SUD or AMI) the COVID pandemic was a global stressor (NSDUH). Not often captured by NSDUH surveys, incarcerated individuals represent a broad population at high risk for opioid use disorder (OUD) and opioid-overdose deaths.

Jan 24, 2023, 09:05 by ASAM Weekly Editor's

Pain and addiction have a close relationship. For example, research has shown that three days of opioids prescribed for acute postoperative pain can increase the chances of chronic opioid use.

Jan 24, 2023, 08:49 by ASAM Weekly Editors

Recent years in addiction medicine have been transformative, and this year was exceptional. The opioid crisis and the COVID pandemic, being front-of-mind for many, created a sense of awareness in Washington D.C. that we must continue to capitolize on (spelling pun intended) (NPR, NBC).

Jan 16, 2023, 02:07 by Bob Davis

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) recently secured partnerships with several EMR systems to integrate its CONTINUUM software, which serves as the “decision engine” for The ASAM Criteria®.

Jan 12, 2023, 12:48 by ASAM Weekly Editors

Defining and diagnosing addiction has evolved over the years with cravings becoming a core component in the conceptualization. As we move forward, machine learning is enabling scientists to identify stable brain patterns that can function as a neuromarker for cravings (food and drugs) and potentially be used in diagnosis and treatment response.

Jan 6, 2023, 11:33 by Molly McGrath

On January 6th, the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine (MISAM) sent a letter to the leadership of the Health Alliance Plan of Michigan urging that they revise their coverage policy to add a specialty pharmacy benefit for injectable medications for addiction treatment (MAT). Currently, the plan only offers coverage for injectable medications through a system of buy and bill.

Jan 3, 2023, 15:55 by ASAM Weekly Editors

To borrow from a conceptualization about human behavior — a good way to predict future news is to look at past news. This week we present to you the most read news publications of 2022.

Dec 27, 2022, 07:00 by ASAM Weekly Editors

Treatments for alcohol withdrawal continue to resonate, particularly updates with benzodiazepine-sparing protocols (JAMA Network Open). Research is identifying cannabis as a possible risk factor for dementia (American Journal of Psychiatry) and concern continues to grow around psychotic disorders and potency (The Lancet Psychiatry).

Dec 23, 2022, 09:30 by Molly McGrath

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) today commended Congress for including several key provisions in its end-of-year legislative package that will strengthen the nation’s addiction treatment infrastructure.

Dec 20, 2022, 10:45 by Molly McGrath

On December 19th, ASAM and other organizations signed a letter spearheaded by the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School that urged the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to clear policy barriers for sustainable implementation of contingency management (CM) interventions.

Dec 20, 2022, 02:00 by ASAM Weekly Editors

Dec 13, 2022, 19:00 by ASAM Weekly Editors

Dec 13, 2022, 14:31 by Molly McGrath

Dec 12, 2022, 10:36 by ASAM Weekly Editors

Dec 8, 2022, 10:28 by Molly McGrath

Nov 29, 2022, 09:24 by ASAM Weekly Editors

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, recently advocated for broadening access to methadone treatment for OUD (STAT News). While some politicians or trade groups may frame this as radical, such leading-expert opinion is based on scientific evidence and an appreciation for a rapidly evolving addiction crisis.

Nov 23, 2022, 09:15 by Bob Davis

On November 22nd, the Oregon Society of Addiction Medicine (ORSAM) wrote a comment letter to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services expressing support for proposed changes to the Mental Health Parity Rules. The rule changes build upon landmark parity legislation that was signed into law in 2021.