HOME ALONE
Saving Your Sobriety in a Time of Social Distancing
By Alexandra Guadagno While your favorite Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings may be closed because of social distancing, there is a world of resources available during the COVID-19 pandemic to help you stay sober.We’ve been social distancing for nearly two months now, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. For many individuals in recovery from opiates and other drugs, fear, anxiety, loneliness and mandatory stay-at-home orders can feel like a recipe for a relapse. Without the ability to attend in-person Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings for support in their recovery, people are relapsing at alarming rates. Even some sober living homes, where tenants are required to go to regular meetings, have not been holding meetings or making their residents attend during shelter-in-place orders. Without being provided an alternative to regular meetings, entire sober living houses have reportedly relapsed. Regularly attending meetings provides connection and accountability to others. How does someone — whether struggling or strong in their recovery — stay on track during all the loneliness and social upheaval of COVID-19 and quarantine?“A common truism in recovery culture is that ‘addiction is a disease of isolation,’ so it stands to reason that social distancing — in every possible way — is counter to most efforts to engage in a recovery community,” according to Peter Grinspoon, MD in a Harvard Health Blog.
