Who has not been affected by the coronavirus? Even for those of us who’ve been lucky enough that ourselves, our families, our friends, and our coworkers haven’t contracted it, or have been lucky enough not to have been laid off, we have all still been locked down and flooded with uncertainty. Addiction during COVID is a serious effect of the pandemic.
Adapting and coping with this ongoing and ever-changing pandemic has been challenging for the hardiest of us. But for the 20 million people in the United States who have a substance use disorder (SUD), the pandemic is triggering relapses and rising rates of overdoses that are alarming experts.
The negative impact of addiction during COVID is not only straining an already burdened healthcare system. The personal ramifications can ruin everything from your body to your bank account. You’re increasing your risk of contracting infections, destroying nerve cells, or worsening a mental condition. You’re also increasing your risk of motor vehicle accidents. And you are most likely paying more for life insurance for marijuana smokers or even being denied coverage.
Addiction During COVID: Numbers & Worries
The isolation of working from home, the additional responsibilities of having to homeschool children, and the lack of support systems that addicts can usually rely on have triggered a multitude of stressors that are driving addicts back to their dangerous drug and alcohol habits.
Drug Use Rising
A recent analysis of 500,000 urine drug tests by Millennium Health, a national laboratory service, showed a 32 percent increase for non prescribed fentanyl. Also, they showed a a 20 percent increase for methamphetamine, and a 10 percent increase for cocaine from mid-March through May.
Suspected overdoses also rose by 18 percent during that same time, according to a national tracking system run out of the University of Baltimore. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), over 40 states have also reported increases in opioid-related mortalities as well as ongoing concerns for those with SUD.
The numbers are so alarming that they’ve caught the attention of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Additionally, these organizations have provided increased flexibility for getting buprenorphine and methadone to patients with opioid use disorder.
Alcohol Use Rising
Alcohol is a common substance seen in addiction during COVID. Overconsumption of alcohol began early in the pandemic. Nielsen reported a 54 percent increase in sales the week ending March 21, and online sales skyrocketed 262 percent from the previous year. Alcohol sales have risen by more than 25 percent overall.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more people reportedly sought treatment for alcohol misuse in regions where the coronavirus has hit hardest. Additionally, the World Health Organization has warned that alcohol use during the pandemic may potentially exacerbate health conditions and risk-taking behaviors.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism claim that drinking alcohol does not prevent or treat coronavirus infection and may impair immune functions. While hand sanitizers containing 60-95 percent ethyl alcohol can help destroy the coronavirus on surfaces, they noted drinking alcohol offers no protection from the virus.
The NIAAA detailed those who misuse alcohol chronically are more likely to develop Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Also, they are more likely to need mechanical ventilation, and have a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit. Additionally, they have a higher risk of mortality from ARDS.
COVID’s Other Effects on SUDs
Providers who treat SUDs noted some of their patients didn’t seek treatment because they feared they would contract COVID-19. And if they did brave the outside world, they found facilities had limited services or weren’t even open.
Limited resources are also impacting the illegal world. Providers noted that if an SUD’s usual supplier runs out of inventory, the addict will turn to new dealers or unfamiliar drugs, which can have unforeseen consequences.
And isolation isn’t only triggering addiction, it’s also leading to more addict deaths. With no one nearby to call for help, an addict fatally overdoses instead of being resuscitated by emergency personnel.
The Pandemic + Addiction Equation
Everyone responds to stress in a different way. Some people release their stress through working out. Or, maybe you channel it into productive endeavors like renovating a part of their house. Some people turn to prayer.
But for those who’ve been affected by addiction during COVID, the consumption of drugs or alcohol is their coping mechanism. Thankfully, incidents of driving while drunk have decreased, but addictions are still used to try to deal with the stress.
It’s a learned coping behavior that becomes hardwired in the subconscious, which is what makes it so powerful. So when difficulties arise, an addict will revert back to this behavior. Addicts are more easily stressed than other people; they have a physiological hypersensitivity to stress due to the effects of the substance on their central nervous system.
So it’s no surprise that drug use often increases during economic downturns.
Addiction During COVID – When Will It End?
It’s also easier to cope with a problem if it has a tangible time period. Many felt dealing with the quarantine was doable. It was initially thought to be lasting for only a few weeks or even a few months. Like everyone else, many addicts were resilient and resourceful during that time.
But the pandemic continues to march on. Without a definite end date and with the ever-changing social-distancing mandates, resilience and resourcefulness has become harder to maintain.
And just as the pandemic cuts across all demographics, so does the challenge to cope with it. For example, actress Kristen Bell announced that her actor-husband Dax Shepard had relapsed after 16 years of sobriety.
Bell noted, “Look, everybody’s up against their own demons. Sometimes it’s anxiety and depression; sometimes it’s substance abuse.”
Shepard shared that his issues with prescription pain medication started again due to problems with his hand and shoulder. He admitted he was lying to people in his life while taking excessive amounts of painkillers he had been prescribed.
But the couple has expressed hope. Shepard had the courage to admit he’s having difficulties, and his transparency about the ups and downs and battling addiction has garnered praise from his fans.
How to Get Help for Addiction During COVID
So what is this celebrity couple doing for help, and how can other addicts follow suit?
“We have a plan,” Bell details. “If he has to take medication, for any reason, I have to administer it. But he was like, ‘So, we need a stronger plan. I don’t want to risk this family and I did, so let’s put new things in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.’ We’re going back to therapy.”
Despite the lack of in-person connection these days, therapy is still an avenue, among additional options, to help you find healthy ways to cope with the pandemic. Addiction during the pandemic does not have to control your life any longer.
Connect with a Counselor
Counseling can help you stay focused on recovery. For example, counseling in Southeastern Connecticut through Wisdom Within Counseling offers holistic, creative substance and alcohol counseling to help you learn healthy ways to cope and to have fun without drugs.
Whether you prefer in-person, phone, or video, Wisdom Within offers traditional talk counseling and specializes in using out-of-the-box methods such as yoga, music, outdoors, movement, and walk-and-talk therapies to teach emotional expression and self-confidence skills.
The holistic approach takes into account the mind, the body, and the spirit to help you find coping strategies. So if your substance and alcohol counseling uncovers marital issues or anxiety issues, it could also be beneficial to seek marriage counseling in Mystic, Connecticut or anxiety counseling in East Lyme, Ct.
Connect with Social Media
In an effort to piece together innovative treatment approaches, providers across the country are creating online support groups.
And while some groups have initiated in-person sessions — even though it’s behind masks and sitting six feet apart — groups like Narcotics Anonymous are meeting over the internet. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also has a list and links to a number of mutual support groups.
And you can find sober Facebook groups, and use and follow Instagram hashtags promoting sober living, including #soberlife, #cleanandsober, #soberliving, and #AArecovery.
Connect with Yourself
A few other tips to serve you well include:
- Maintain as much of a routine as you can to help you better manage your time and be active. Having tasks to focus on will keep you busy and give you a sense of accomplishment when you complete them.
- Get proper exercise and nutrition, which will also help you get proper sleep. All three provide a good foundation to help offset temptation from feeling tired, irritable, or anxious.
- Reach out to your own network of friends and loved ones. If you’re not able to see them in-person, keep up with them virtually, from a listening party featuring new music to enjoying brunch and chit-chat “together.”
Taking an active role while under stress is a well-known stabilizing strategy. So take advantage of all of the avenues available to you.
While we have so little control over when we’ll be able to return to “normal” after COVID-19, we can take control over how we decide to take care of ourselves while coping through this unprecedented time.
Karen Condor writes and researches for the life insurance comparison site, QuickQuote.com. She studied communications and has successfully participated in marriage counseling and anxiety counseling.
