Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/27/820806440/opioid-addiction-is-a-disease-of-isolation-so-pandemic-puts-recovery-at-risk
Social distancing has meant increased isolation for everyone, and that has come at an especially high cost for those trying to recover from addiction, since isolation contributes to depression and anxiety, both of which are considered underlying causes for drug use.
To make matters worse, many treatment options for addiction are shutting down. These include inpatient and outpatient facilities, as well as halfway houses. This is because they are unable to currently meet physical distancing guidelines. Telehealth is a possible alternative, but it isn't always covered by insurance.
In addition to that drug users who have lost their homes may have trouble adhering to social distancing guidelines, and they also might be more susceptible to COVID 19, due to weakened immune systems.
Questions:
1. How do you think opioid treatment should be handled in the wake of coronavirus?
4 comments:
Hmm this is slightly a harder problem to tackle since rehab and talking with people is the best way to fix the issue; however, using programs such as zoom could alleviate the issue. Having video conferences with people who are dealing with a similar situation and having them talk about their experiences can help. Also if people speak with a therapist they can schedule one on one meetings as well. There are also hotlines available 24/7 for people to access such as the suicide prevention hotline if people are quarantined at home all by themselves and do not feel okay. But as usual, it is always best to open up to a trusted adult, family member, or friend to help one move on from being an addict.
From an economic standpoint, there's sadly not much organizations can do to help alleviate the affects of the virus on drug users. It's hard to say, but funding must be directed towards the fight against the virus, and only then we can focus our attention on people in recovery. For maximum effect, attention must be focused on one area, else there's a risk to glaze over minute, yet crucial aspects of the virus. While zoom and hotlines can help in the meantime, it is not the same as being in-person. There's nothing that can replace the genuineness of human interaction. What one can do, however, is to let a trusted individual of their status and whether or not he or she would need help in the future, if the drug situation worsens that is.
Ironically, it's become a lot easier for a lot of pharmacies to refill prescriptions by mail to have a no-contact delivery. If somewhat has an addictive opiate prescription, it can be sent right to their door. Part of the problem is a lot of people with a dangerous prescription still need that medicine for some condition, even if it replaces one problem with another, so cutting supply isn't an option. There is the possibility of a helpline for people at risk for addiction, but that would have to be called voluntarily, and there's only so much support that can be given remotely. In terms of a possible solution, it would be helpful if pharmaceutical companies found less addictive alternatives to opiates, but part of what makes opium so pleasurable is that it relieves pain Really Well.
I had never even considered this issue before seeing your blog post, but now after reading that and your article, I can't believe I hadn't realized this might be an issue before. This is only really tangentially relevant, but I have seen many tiktoks of people saying stuff like "I will not get through this quarantine sober" or "I only really have alcohol in my fridge right now." And those people didn't seem to be in a particularly dangerous situation akin to addiction. (I'm not sure however, tiktok people only let you see what they want you to see) So I imagine that a recovering alcoholic, addict, or drug user would be in a particularly precarious situation, even if the thing they are addicted to is not in their house. As Nat mentioned above, opiate users can easily have no-contact prescription delivery, and supermarkets have been deemed essential businesses so alcohol isn't that hard to acquire either. However, the larger issue is the fact that there is less social support that addict support groups provided. The quarantine can also make it less common for people to go outside, and less sunlight leads to lower serotonin, which can exacerbate depression, which might lead to relapse into addiction as a coping mechanism.
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