Nobody could have expected how quickly the COVID-19 situation blew out of control.
One of the measures that have been taken to reduce the spread of the disease is making sure that people stay away from each other. This has resulted in people socially distancing, isolating, and flat-out quarantining themselves.
While this might be an admirable thing to do in regard to (regarding) the spread of the disease, this can present a number of (several) issues – especially for people who are struggling with their recovery after going through rehab. In this article, we’ll talk about how you can hope to stay sober during the COVID-19 quarantine.
Why Quarantine Is a Risk
When you’re in recovery, it’s important to stay busy and connected. You want to fill up your time as much as possible with activities that are socially, mentally, and emotionally fulfilling. Basically, you want to make sure that you fill all the same voids that you were filling with drugs.
Unfortunately, being thrown into quarantine can toss a wrench in someone’s recovery plan. Suddenly you might not be able to go to A.A. or N.A. meetings. You might be laid off and find yourself with too much free time. Maybe you aren’t able to connect with your new, sober friends or your support group.
There are a lot of reasons that quarantine could lead to some serious risks. Here’s what you can do to minimize the risk.
Reducing Risks and Staying Sober in Quarantine
These are some tips that might help you stay sober during the quarantine.
- Stay connected. And not just with social media. Take at least 15-20 minutes out of your day to connect with a friend or family member over the phone or with video chat. This will help make sure that you feel emotionally fulfilled and socially connected. Without these two things, you may be more prone to drinking alcohol or using drugs.
- Practice your hobbies. Many people who have been working for a long time have a hard time re-engaging with their hobbies. Make sure to try out an old hobby, or find a new one. Pick up a paintbrush, write a poem or a story, make a sculpture, break out the old card collection – anything is better than thinking about drugs or alcohol!
- Watch your stress. You’d figure that having time off work would make you less stressed out, but some people find the notion of having unfilled free time to be equally stressful and can lead to addiction. This is a good time to ask yourself why you’re uncomfortable having nothing to do. Take up meditating, get to know yourself, and learn to enjoy your own company.
- Don’t catch the fear. At this point, everyone’s doing what they can. Being scared will not help the problem, and in your fear, you become more likely to turn to drugs or alcohol. Turn off the news. Focus on solutions instead of problems. Again, pick up meditation. “Modern society tells everyone to panic because things are out of control. A Christian would tell you to relax because everything’s out of your control.”
Conclusion
Without a doubt, we were living through the craziest time in the 20th century – but we don’t need to let that scare us. Follow these tips, and you’ll be able to pull through your quarantine sober and with grace – and you can avoid having to go to detox after quarantine’s over.
