Isolated and afraid? Addicts in recovery have it especially hard — but online programs help them through coronavirus lockdown
In a world where doors are being shut, distancing yourself from loved ones is expected and isolation is being enforced, many people are struggling with the loss of human connection — but maybe none more than those in substance abuse recovery, during which receiving support from others is important for maintaining sobriety.
With the coronavirus quickly spreading throughout the country, stay-at-home orders are in force in 42 states.
“Alcoholism and drug addiction — it’s already a condition of isolation. You feel really alone in what you’re experiencing. And behind that is a lot of anxiety and depression a lot of the time. So now with social isolation being forced upon people, we’re perpetuating and throwing fuel on the fire of many of the experiences and feelings that people have. They’re even more alone than ever,” says Bahan McDermott, the director of admissions at Lionrock Recovery in California, which specializes in online rehab programs, offering face-to-face video conferencing with counselors and therapists. Lionrock has experienced a surge in patients since the start of the pandemic.
“In this time of social isolation and COVID-19, where we aren’t as connected to our positive coping strategies, many of us lean on alcohol and drugs as our current coping strategy. And for some that could be really risky because it’s not always easy to know where that tipping point is, where it goes from managing our emotions to having a problem managing the alcohol,” said Dr. Jen Hartstein, Yahoo News media contributor.
Because of social distancing guidelines, online counseling is being integrated into many services that have never ventured down this path before. The changes COVID-19 has wrought on society has altered the lives of millions of Americans who have been staying sober through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or similar programs that rely on regular meetings and in-person peer support. But McDermott cautions that substituting an online program for a face-to-face one isn’t as simple as setting up a Zoom conference. “There are a lot of programs out there that are now pivoting and trying to do things through video conferencing,” she says. “And it is far more complicated when it comes to client safety, client privacy, the efficacy of the actual treatment that goes on, the efficacy of the actual counseling.”
Hartstein underlines the point about safety and privacy: “There are some dangers in using online platforms, and we’ve heard about these, right? We know that there can be people that break into Zoom rooms, and there are people that are kind of accessing what’s supposed to be a private space. So we have to be careful about that.” Some meetings have been hacked, compromising the anonymity of the attendees, and in a few cases malicious intruders have pranked meetings with messages like “Alcohol is so good.” Questions have been raised about the practice as a result, but Hartstein and McDermott agree that there are a lot of benefits to being able to connect with patients right at home.
With the ability to connect online, “it gives increased access to people who might not have the same access. It keeps connection and flow going, and continuity of care is available in ways we haven’t been able to do before,” said Hartstein.
Accessible remotely, telehealth services can “eliminate a lot of the roadblocks and barriers that come up as a result of needing to drive to an actual physical location,” said McDermott. And of course, they can provide help in a time where nearly all traditional recovery centers and locations are closed.
Lionrock Recovery has “done substance abuse treatment through telemedicine, and that is all we will ever do. So we are not shifting gears as a result of the current circumstances,” says McDermott. “The only thing that we’re doing differently [with the rise of COVID-19 isolation related demands for help] is we’re growing and meeting the needs of the people who are coming to us.”
Hartstein points out that even before the advent of telemedicine and online counseling, AA members were encouraged to phone their sponsor when they needed help, “so this is kind of, in some ways, an extension of some of that connectivity. Just where now we can actually see our sponsor [virtually] instead of just calling them on the phone,” said Hartstein.
While some substance abuse recovery meetings and programs are struggling with making video conferencing work, the experience of Lionrock, which has over 500 clients, offers evidence of its potential, McDermott says.
Adapting to the virtual world efficiently, ethically and quickly are crucial at a time like this, when isolation and fear are so widespread. “There are a lot of people who are relapsing,” says McDermott. Since the start of COVID-19 and the orders to stay at home, alcohol sales have been skyrocketing to holiday-like trends. Compared to this same time last year, tequila, gin and premixed cocktails increased in sales by 75 percent, wine sales were up 66 percent and beer sales rose by 42 percent.
“There are a lot of people who are finding themselves experiencing a lot of the things that we’ve been talking about and turning to drugs or alcohol again and remembering that they, that there must be help out there,” she says. “Staying connected with your recovery community is a huge part of staying sober and staying on track.”
“Social isolation has been very challenging,” says McDermott, who recovered from substance abuse and has been sober for seven years herself. “There has been a roller coaster of emotions despite me viewing myself as a pretty stable person. I watched a lot of the news, and a lot of the news is just reporting on the statistics and the stuff that’s going on in the world, that’s scary stuff. And I had to double down on my efforts with staying connected with my support community.”
While it might be difficult to reach out during a time like this, when everything seems grim and isolation is at its peak, McDermott says, “There’s so much uncertainty, there’s so much anxiety, so some people are waiting to get help because they don’t have an answer as to what’s gonna happen in the future. We never have the answer to what’s going to happen in the future, whether it’s COVID-19 or whatever’s going on in our lives. So we can get help now. And I always tell people, there’s no time like the present to get help. You know, nothing changes if nothing changes.”
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