Sippin’ on Sizzurp: Hip Hop Culture, Lean, and Media Representations of Opioid Use among Minoritized Communities in the South
Chairperson: Daryl Shorter, MD, Associate Professor, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, Medical Director, Addictions and Recovery Services at the Menninger Clinic, Program Director, BCM Addiction Psychiatry fellowship
Presenters: Adith Ram, BA, medical student, Baylor College of Medicine; and Michelle Durham, MD, MPH, FAPA, Senior Fellow for Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health, Meadow Mental Health Policy Institute
Recognizing geographical differences in substance use is a critical part of addiction psychiatry practice, particularly since drug use trends and patterns evolve over time and substances may migrate from one region to another. Substance use and substance use disorders (SUD) in the southern United States, oftentimes overlooked in political and academic discourse, represents an important area of focus due to its impact upon overdose mortality, higher regional rates of HIV and Hepatitis B/C infection, and other negative outcomes. As such, examination of substance use in the South through continuing education in cultural competency and humility can assist with the dismantling of social and structural determinants of mental health and allows addictions treatment providers to better treat members of diverse communities across the US. Lean, also known as “sizzurp” or “purple drank,” is an opioid drink formulation commonly consumed in Southern urban centers. In this film and media workshop, images from popular hip hop videos alongside an episode from the Netflix original series, “Mo,” which follows the story of a young Palestinian man living in Houston, Texas who becomes addicted to “lean,” will be shown to illustrate the nuances of opioid use among racially minoritized persons living in the South. Imagery from hip hop videos which present lean as an essentially harmless “party” drug will be contrasted with Mo’s experience with lean initiation and opioid withdrawal. Participants will be asked to consider how psychoeducation, assessment, and treatment of OUD might be offered in clinical settings in the South and beyond.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the characteristics of lean: how it is made, pharmacology, epidemiology, and impact upon communities in the South.
- Recognize and critically examine images of lean use in hip hop videos/culture and media, contrasting with images of opioid use in society writ large.
- Develop skills for the provision of psychoeducation regarding lean as well as the assessment and treatment of lean use disorder.
