A huge part of the disease of addiction is isolation. So, what does that mean for the recovery community during a pandemic?
I have a personal and professional fear on this topic…
In my personal life, as an individual in recovery, I attend numerous twelve-step meetings, as well as support groups and I depend on my network and the fellowship it provides. A huge part of my life and my process is centered on being with “my people”. Feeling understood and supported and not judged is instrumental in my successful recovery. And although the recovery community has come together to create meeting spaces using virtual platforms, I still feel like I am missing this vital part of my recovery. It just isn’t the same. I sit and share vulnerably to a computer screen surrounded by an empty room. And typically, in a meeting space I can sense the other people’s energy, I can see their heads shaking in agreement. And the lack of that causes me to feel less relieved. When I first started taking part in the virtual meetings, I was overwhelmed with an anxiety that I have not felt since I started attending meetings over seven years ago. How is it that I have attended meetings for years and yet I was petrified to see the same people in the “same” environment…
Now enters the professional fear…
I fear that the social, and physical isolation will fuel the current epidemic. That the lack of connections to the outside world will drive those who are currently using to continue. And that it may cause a relapse for those who have been in sustained recovery. And on top of that, the drugs that are out on the streets are terrifying… The increase of fentanyl makes this such a dangerous time.
So, my job as a recovery coach is to help arm individuals with information, resources and tools to combat the disease of addiction. Usually I provide information for numerous support groups and fellowships. So now I have switched over to providing information on the numerous virtual resources, like I should, right? Except I know, very personally, all about the fear and anxiety associated with doing this for the first time… I know how scary it is to walk into a meeting for the first time. And I also know how uncomfortable the virtual option can be as well. I can only hope that arming these individuals with information and options in a positive way will be appealing. And I continue to contact our individuals frequently to be supportive and encouraging.
Support groups, although very helpful, are not the only support service or resource at our disposal. It’s imperative that I explore and practice many different approaches to engage with our community members. Our team has been consistently running social media campaigns, we are holding open video office hours on a weekly basis, we have a recovery coach on call seven days a week, and we continue to brainstorm more ways to engage. We put great emphasis on reaching every individual from every walk of life in our community. We understand that, as Johann Hari put it best, “the opposite of addiction is connection.”
