Fewer distractions good for addiction recovery
A ‘‘silver lining’’ of the coronavirus lockdown has been the chance to focus on recovery from addiction without distractions, the residents of a Marlborough treatment centre say.
The St Marks Addiction Residential Treatment Centre in Blenheim already operated as an isolated bubble before New Zealand went into lockdown, but the absence of outside distractions has led to ‘‘significant leaps’’ in residents’ progress.
Restrictions imposed by social distancing measures meant the programme size had reduced and the centre stopped allowing new admissions, resulting in a smaller, more tight-knit group.
One resident said the extra one-on-one treatment had greatly helped their recovery. ‘‘Being isolated with a great group of people who genuinely care about each other has helped me feel comfortable to talk and behave in ways I wouldn’t normally.’’
Another resident had been due to graduate from the programme during the lockdown, but appreciated the extra time at the centre.
‘‘I’ve been able to stay here and carry on working on my issues and further cementing my recovery rather than moving on sooner,’’ the resident said.
St Marks manager Paul Hanton said the reduced resident numbers coupled with the lack of contact with the outside world had given residents the opportunity to really focus on their recovery.
‘‘Because we’ve had no visitors and no outside trips, the work we’ve done with them has been astounding,’’ he said.
‘‘Some of these people have made significant leaps in their recovery. Every cloud’s got a silver lining, and for us it’s been the opportunity to work with a slightly smaller group than usual and work at a real intense-depth level.’’
The centre had reduced its regular programme numbers (usually 20 residents) to allow for single occupancy in all rooms with an extra room for isolation.
Hanton said: ‘‘We’ve encouraged them [residents] to think of exercise indoors and on the grounds instead of going out.
‘‘You have to adapt, which is all good life skills for them. When they leave here, they’ve got more skills.’’