RMA 154 — Ole Miss, Presley Gerber, Methadone at the Pharmacy

Season 7 · Episode 154

Two Ole Miss students were found dead with packaged kratom at both scenes and nothing confirmed by toxicology. Presley Gerber, Cindy Crawford's 27-year-old son, died of a suspected overdose hours after checking into a Santa Monica rehab. And MOTAA 2.0 — the bipartisan methadone bill — would let addiction physicians prescribe methadone and put it on pharmacy shelves in the 80% of US counties with no opioid treatment program. Mike and Nat try a new format this week, each building a separate outline and pitching stories cold. Then the lighter half: coffee raves, Brad Pitt drinking again after seven years sober, Elton John's non-alcoholic wine at 36 years, and a Lower East Side sober bar ranked ninth in North America.

RITN: Elton John hits 36 years sober six months after launching his own 0% wine, and a James Beard winner puts a zero-proof mole negroni on the menu at one of North America's best bars. Sobriety stopped being the consolation prize.

WIW: Over 100 people gathered above Ocean Beach in San Francisco to scream at the Pacific. Judged on volume, length, and style. The winner hit 121.9 decibels. First prize was a small megaphone. Attendees brought freshly cut fruit.

• Ole Miss student deaths and kratom — https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ole-miss-student-deaths-kratom-rcna599305
• Students identified — https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/24/us/ole-miss-student-deaths-wwk
• Presley Gerber death investigated as overdose — https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/presley-gerber-son-cindy-crawford-dies-27-rcna598952
• MOTAA 2.0 methadone bill (Markey/Paul) — https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sens-markey-paul-reintroduce-legislation-to-modernize-rules-for-treating-opioid-use-disorder
• ASAM on methadone access — https://www.asam.org/advocacy/national-advocacy/methadonetxoud
• The case against MOTAA 2.0 — https://filtermag.org/motaa-2-0-methadone-reform/
• Elton John and sober celebrity brands — https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/13-celebrities-opened-sobriety-203000987.html
• NYC sober bar scene — https://millennialmagazine.com/2026/06/01/sober-curious/
• Coffee raves and soft clubbing — https://grass.camp/en-US/blog/soft-clubbing-coffee-rave-run-rave-trend-2026
• 'Scream at the Sea' Competition Crowns a Winner — https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/scream-at-the-sea-competition-crowns-a-winner/

ole miss kratom, presley gerber, cindy crawford son, 7-oh, methadone pharmacy, MOTAA 2.0, opioid treatment, addiction recovery, sobriety, brad pitt sober, sober bars nyc, alcohol use disorder, recovery podcast

Recovery in the Middle Ages is a podcast about finding lasting sobriety later in life. Mike and Nat are two middle-aged suburban dads covering addiction recovery news, 12 Step and alternative recovery paths, alcohol use disorder, and the research behind it all.

This podcast does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.

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Note: the first italic paragraph is new. It's what makes an episode page about Presley Gerber also turn up for "recovery podcast" and "sobriety later in life" — the traffic that actually subscribes. Put it on every episode from here on.