STAY STRONG
Stress and Addiction During the Era of COVID-19
How has stress affected addiction during the era of COVID-19?
Many people are struggling with stress during COVID-19.
Understandably, there are a myriad of challenges
and uncertainties that people are facing.
Will I contract the virus?
How safe is it to go out?
Will my loved ones get sick?
Can I even be with my family if they're sick?
Or if a loved one dies, what do I do?
What happens if I lose my job and I can't make ends meet?
How do I manage online schooling for my children?
This can be complicated by living in a crowded house
or apartment, and there's space
for anybody to do their work,
or if the children don't want to do the schooling online.
We have lost social connections.
What if I can't go to proms, or parties,
or graduations, or weddings?
All of these uncertainties
lead to a sense of fear and isolation.
The stress can surely result in anxiety and depression.
Some of these feelings can emerge
in anyone during challenging times,
but for people who have underlying psychiatric
and addiction problems, they are especially vulnerable.
What are symptoms of depression?
Depressive symptoms that you can look for
include decreased energy, not getting out of bed,
changes in eating and sleeping patterns,
sense of hopelessness, not motivated,
not enjoying anything anymore,
tearfulness all day, isolating from friends and family,
and even suicidal ideation.
What are symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety symptoms can be overwhelming as well
including fearfulness, excessive worrying,
compulsive cleaning, inability to stop your mind
from racing along.
"I can't stop worrying." "I can't relax."
"I can't concentrate," are thoughts that people might have.
What are drug and alcohol patterns to look for?
It is understandable if people seek out
drugs or alcohol to self-medicate
these disturbing and scary feelings.
People who already struggle with addiction
are vulnerable to increased cravings and relaps.
Some drugs and alcohol patterns to look for may include
starting to use drugs again after not using for many years;
using all day long;
trying new drugs to feel better, such as heroin
or sedatives or even alcohol just to calm down
or go to sleep, or using cocaine to get out of bed;
going to dangerous or unsafe places without masks
to pick up drugs; feeling out of control with drug use
and unable to stop; financial problems start to flow
from their drug use. This can surely create
tension with your family around the drug use
or if you're not even able to go to work, or school,
even if you're supposed to be working remotely;
increased guilt and shame from the drug or alcohol use
may result in further isolation.
How can addiction treatment make a difference?
The most important thing to know
is that you are not alone.
There's help for people with addiction
and co-occurring emotional symptoms.
Treatment can make a big difference.
We are thankful that, due to technology,
we have been able to continue treating patients
with virtual health through telephone and video visits.
People have access to many modalities of services
including counseling, individual group therapy,
medication management both for their addiction
as well as for their emotional problems.
These medications may include suboxone,
methanon, anti-depressants, medications for anxiety.
We have a wide array of clinicians
in our treatment settings, including social workers,
psychologists, psychiatrists, vocational counselors,
and even have integrated primary care in our programs.
We have found that patients who are already engaged
in treatment are doing so much better
than one would have imagined during the pandemic.
The access to virtual health
decreases their sense of isolation, and provides hope
and perspective about the road to recovery
during uncertain times.
So if you already have a treatment provider,
please reach out for continued care.
If you do not have a treatment provider,
please know that there are many treatment options
available from your home. Whether you seek help
from our vast consumer treatment services
that we provide at Montefiore Health System,
or through another provider, I encourage you to seek help.
Treatment makes a difference.