Self-isolation relapse fear for all people in recovery
AS CORONAVIRUS becomes the central preoccupation of governments around the world, I wouldn’t blame some of you for thinking two weeks of “self-isolation” might not be such a bad thing.
Sure, you might lose out on some shifts and things might be tight financially for a while, but the idea of staying at home on the couch till this pandemic blows over must have crossed some of your minds?
For most people, a few weeks in “self-isolation” is not that serious.
Sure, it might get boring, but it’s hardly life-threatening, especially in the age of social-media.
However, not all people fare well when they spend too much time alone and today I want to talk about one specific group of which I am a part.
Many people with alcohol and addiction problems begin drinking and using, in part, to deal with social and emotional isolation.
The drinking and using then leaves us even more isolated, which we treat with more booze and substances.
Finally, having accepted we had a problem and asked for help, we suddenly realised how isolated we really were.
Part of recovery for many of us is about guarding against isolation, because when we are isolated we often become vulnerable to relapse.
A feature of addiction is that we, as addicts or alcoholics, can gradually forget the magnitude of our condition.
Over time, the idea of drinking or using becomes more than a passing thought, but a real possibility.
If the UK Government announces a strict quarantine at some point, which I think is likely, the recovery community has to be ready.
A quarantine would mean little to no 12-step meetings.
It would also mean reduced revenue from donations to cover rents and other running costs.
In my experience, going more than a week without the fellowship of other people in recovery can have a negative impact on my well-being.
Two weeks, and my old thinking and behaviour can begin to creep in again, subtly.
What meetings provide people in recovery with is a safe place to share honestly about what we are thinking and how we feel.
A place where we feel supported and are reminded that we are not alone.
For newcomers, this is especially important.
Without the example of others who have overcome it, it can be very difficult to conceptualise what sobriety even looks like, let alone achieve it for a sustained period.
Given Scotland is in the grip of a drug-crisis which, so far at least, has proven far more deadly than any recent viral pandemic, it is extremely important that recovery groups, on which thousands depend every day, have plans firmly in place, in the event that “self-isolation” becomes no longer a matter of choice, but necessity.