4 Ways To Deal With Misuse During COVID-19

As much as I am exhausted from hearing and living in COVID-19 times, we must be aware some serious issues during this time.  We need to discuss and address misuse.  As I have said in previous blogs, perhaps my head was in the sand or perhaps I was being overly optimistic or even a combination of both, but I had hoped that substance use/misuse/abuse and dependence would have decreased with COVID-19.  No such luck.  I keep reading articles and hearing about how use of drugs and alcohol is up.  Relapses are up as are overdoses.  This is not just happening locally, but across the United States and in other countries too!  It makes absolute sense though.  As I have mentioned in previous blogs on addiction, people have never really had the goal to struggle with addition, rather use often begins when people seek ways to cope with stress, pain, and/or trauma.  You can read more about addictions in the 3 part blog series on addictions here.

So, what has been causing increased use of drugs and alcohol?  Simple answer is:  everything!  However, to clarify more, people are social distancing.  Just a side note, the term “social distancing” is a grossly inaccurate term for we should not be distancing ourselves socially but instead we should be distancing ourselves physically.  Anyway, with many people staying home and not being able to do their regular activities, such as working, watching and playing sports, having picnics, going out to dinner, etc; people are finding other ways to occupy their time. 

People are having virtual happy hours to connect with others.  It tends to be much cheaper to purchase drinks at a local store to drink at home than it is to buy them at a bar or restaurant, which makes “stocking up” on alcohol more affordable and practical.   Also, people are limiting their travel which limits their concerns about driving under the influence.  Many people are working from home which allows people to be more casual in a sense when working, which may include having a cocktail for lunch rather than the usual soda, coffee, or tea. 

Learning to live in the “new normal” is causing many feelings to emerge during COVID-19 such as fear, sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, depression to just name a few.  These are not feelings that most people enjoy or want to experience.  So, what do most of humans do when we are uncomfortable….we avoid discomfort, of course!  We have many ways of doing this such as self medicating and numbing ourselves and we do this in many ways including increased sleeping, shopping more, eating comfort foods, playing videogames, listening to music, pet therapy, AND consuming alcohol! 

Here are 4 ways to get help for yourself and/or your loved ones who are struggling with misuse during COVID-19:

1.     Admit that use of alcohol (or drugs, or sports betting, etc) has become problematic:  Perhaps you woke up with a hangover too many times or spent way too much on you most recent alcohol purchase.  Perhaps you find yourself drinking at lunch during the workday, especially if you are working at home right now.  Maybe it is just the start of a problem or it has progressed, but at least acknowledge the possibility that drinking has become problematic.

2.    Contact and participate in a support group:  Although we are social distancing, support groups are available currently online which permits more anonymity, not having to drive anywhere, and you can be in the comfort of your own home.  Some examples are Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), SMART Recovery, Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS), Al-Anon (for family and friends of those struggling with alcohol addiction), and ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics).

3.    Seek and participate in therapy:  Therapy is great for anyone and everyone!  Therapy can be a place to simply vent and process to a trusted and neutral person or deeper exploration and work can be done.  

4.    Practice self care:  Now more than ever we need to practice self care!  This is quite challenging but very much doable.  Trust me….if I can learn to do it, you can too!   As I have mentioned many times, I love to snuggle with my cats, listening to music, and if I am very lucky, get to the beach for “beach therapy”.   You can read more about self care here.

Misuse affects the entire family as does recovery. Contact us to schedule a time to meet and we can do it virtually or in person.  We care and are here to help you!  

The mental health therapists at our office offer counseling for a variety of issues including trauma using EMDR, depression, anxiety, grief, and couples counseling. We work with teens, adults, and couples. We also offer online counseling services which can be great for people with busy schedules or for people who live in parts of Pennsylvania with limited counseling options. You can check out our website to see the full list of counseling services that we offer. Or, Request An Appointment here.