The Long Stretch: Practicing Sobriety During Covid-19 and Other Isolating Events

Over the course of the last year and a half, the world faced a threat no one could have seen coming. The start of 2020 was met with an abrasive attack on millions of people’s health and wellness. It was a pandemic that we expected to blow over sooner than later, but it didn’t.

When it reached the States, we had some wherewithal to prevent greater outbreaks from happening; however, cities remain grossly affected. Quarantines became widespread. Practicing social distancing, wearing face masks, and using loads of hand sanitizer became common practices. When this all started, there was a common worry from those in recovery — where will we congregate and find support?

Covid-19 and Isolating Events

Covid-19 was and is an isolating event, and as expressed by “health experts and economists who study pandemics,” the effects of urbanization and globalization have caused “epidemics of infectious disease [to] become a regular part of the global landscape,” as stated by the Wallstreet Journal. Just in the last two decades, we have seen multiple threats of infectious diseases, including: “SARS in 2002 and 2003, the swine flu (also known as H1N1) in 2009, MERS in 2012, Ebola in 2014 to 2016, Zika in 2015 and Dengue fever in 2016.”

Covid-19 weakens the immune system with symptoms including:

• Fever or chills
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Pressure in chest
• New confusion
• Inability to stay awake
• Changes in skin tone, including pale, gray, or blue-colored lips or nail beds

How Covid-19 Worsened Addiction Support

Isolating events, meaning times where you are forced into isolation, will continue bearing negative effects on those suffering from substance use disorder (SUD) and practicing sobriety.

The coping mechanisms, resources, and strategies for fighting addiction falter in these types of events. Methods for sustaining sobriety, such as 12-Step meetings, quickly transitioned from in-person to online, where the lack of community and support was felt for longtimers and newcomers alike.

There was even a time before the transition when meetings either stopped altogether, met less often, and reduced how many people were allowed to attend. Without a physical location in which 12-Step communities could congregate, many faced the threat of relapse.

In these times of potential relapse, where could these people go, and who could they turn to? Doctor’s offices remained closed to the broader general public or transitioned to become entirely remote operations. Consoling over the phone with a doctor, therapist, or sponsor seemed distant at best. Worse yet, seeking help from any other traditional form of support, such as close friends and family, became dangerous as spreading Covid-19 was a risk.

Covid-19 and Unhealthy Habits and Behaviors

The Covid-19 pandemic has instilled many changes in our daily lives. People all around the United States began working from home. The danger in the form of disease lurked around the corner if they were to come into the office.

However, this change in daily life created a motive for exacerbated free will in the way of new and confusing unhealthy habits and behaviors. Those working remotely began building both bad habits and behaviors for themselves. It was an opportunistic alteration of work culture. Drinking on the job was still taboo, but people felt more inclined than ever before to drink, whether it was morning or afternoon.

Without outdoor escapades, like going to the beach, traveling to national parks, going out at night, having fun at bars, or going to stadium games, drinking at home became the habitual substitute for finding a dopamine fix. With little repercussion, it solidified its commonplace in Covid-19 households.

A study conducted regarding drinking alcohol when working from home finds:

• More than 1 in 3 are likely to drink more alcohol in isolation
• 1 in 5 of stockpiled alcohol for self-isolation
• 38% say beer is their drink of choice during quarantine

No one expected to drink more or pick back up bad habits when the pandemic started. It happened as a way to let off steam when our lives took a drastic turn. We were not only isolated at home, but we also watched those around us become ill, some passing, and worried whether or not those sick would get healthy again.

As of July 2021, there have been approximately 189 million cases of Covid-19 around the world and 4.07 million deaths. That 2.1% death rate can include any number of family members, friends, coworkers, or other personal relationships. To us, that is a somber number. There is no doubt in our minds that this number reflected back on ourselves as we watched people close to us pass, driving us to break our sobriety.

If you broke your sobriety during the pandemic, it is okay. We know that everyone managing their addiction is on a unique journey towards sobriety. No one path is the same. The pandemic created unexpected limitations on your resources and strategies for combating addiction.

Coping Strategies During Covid-19 to Use in the Future

We acknowledge that Covid-19 is at its tail-end. Its impact has dwindled. The United States, as we see it, has fewer cases day by day of the disease. However, as we talked about previously, the rise of new diseases and other isolating events are ever-present threats to not just the general population but to us, the people recovering from addiction, those who are fighting for sobriety.
The effect of the pandemic has been significant. The challenges we faced were overwhelming.

Taking the necessary precautions, such as social distancing and limiting our time in public spaces, helped reduce cases of Covid-19. These precautions, however, isolated us. Coping with addiction in isolation is incredibly difficult. It was different from any trial we faced before with addiction. How, then, did we cope with addiction during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Real Recovery Sober Living’s facilities were built on the idea of embracing recovery communities with others who are traversing the same struggles as you. Before the pandemic, we amassed in large groups to celebrate our sobriety together — going to the beach, hosting barbecues, hitting up the pool — during the midst of the pandemic, we only had our private meetings and each other. Lucky for us, we knew meetings to be strategic resources for our sobriety — to instill a sober camaraderie between us.

To have coped with addiction during the pandemic means to have adapted to the struggle. As distant online 12-Step program meetings were, they became solutions to our isolation. They became an oasis within the neverending moments of isolation.

Healthy ways to cope with stress, addiction, and isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic and other isolating events include:

• Regular exercise
• Being well-rested
• Being mindful of triggers and cravings
• Attending therapy appointments through telemedicine
• Practicing meditation
• Attending online 12-Step meetings
• Connecting with family or friends through online means

Stress can be overwhelming. If it becomes too much, make sure to contact your healthcare provider. Know when your daily schedule deviates from your plan. Coping includes taking steps towards leading a healthier life overall, focused on all dimensions of wellness.

Coping Strategies and Resources During Isolation

The Covid-19 pandemic has and will most likely not be the only isolating event you experience in your lifetime. Although we cannot predict the future, more than likely, life-changing events like Covid-19 will happen again. Being aware of and employing the resources to ready yourself for similar circumstances is essential to circumvent rare acts of relapse. What are these strategies and resources?

In this section, we will list a few resources based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for dealing with stress related to Covid-19:

• Coronavirus Resources for Rentersexternal icon (click here)
• US Department of Labor Coronavirus Resources (click here)

Covid-19 is the bull in a Chinaware shop. Although it is important to talk about, what other isolating events occurred due to the virus? Here are a few:

• Experiencing homelessness
• Imprisonment
• Social exilement
• Divorce
• The loss of a loved one
• Fear of future pandemics

Being prepared for any of the situations above and how you will deal with the inevitable adjustment to your strategy in retaining sobriety is a worthwhile cause. For the list above, we find it essential to state a few strategies specific to each point, including:

• Regarding homelessness and addiction: National helplines exist for the benefit of those who are experiencing homelessness, including the Public Service Announcements for National Runaway Safeline, the Homelessness Resource Center, the National Runaway Safeline, and the Locate a Health Center search engine.
• Regarding facing or leaving imprisonment: View the Reentry Resource for Individuals, Providers, Communities, and States, created by SAMHSA for the benefit of those reentering society and wanting to succeed following incarceration.

• Regarding social exilement: Those that are the black sheep or are cast out by their family can experience depression, anxiety, or any other combination of mental disorder or distress, thus use resources like SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator or Anxiety & Depression Association of America’s Find a Therapist Directory tool.

• Regarding divorce: Ensuring you are giving your child the best life possible after separating from your long-term partner is doable when following the step-by-step guidance of Families Change: Guide to Separation & Divorce’s handbook.

• Regarding the loss of a loved one: Online resources for better understanding grief includes Mental Health America’s (MHA) article on Bereavement and Grief, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) article on Coping with Grief: Life After Loss, and American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) article on Understanding Grief and Loss.

• Regarding future pandemics: Kaiser Permanente published a great article, Managing Addiction During the Covid-19 Pandemic, that teaches tips and how-tos for finding help.

Isolation can be detrimental to both your mental and physical well-being. More so, if you suffered, or are worried about suffering from substance use disorder during the Covid-19 pandemic, do not be afraid to seek out help. Addiction is no simple matter, and often, it takes a comprehensive program for you to rid yourself of it. Surround yourself with various support systems, including loved ones, medical professionals, a 12-Step group, and peers in sober living.

Make a change for the better and take yourself out of isolation. The early stages of recovery are when you are most susceptible to relapse. However, relapse can be prevented or managed within a healthy environment. Removing yourself from isolation, and surrounding yourself with a community that also wants to treat their addiction, will present you with an optimistic outlook for the future. You are not alone. Real Recovery Sober Living offers you a hand; call us today at (727) 290-9156.