Staying Connected | COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have found it difficult to stay connected with their behavioral health services and substance abuse treatment programs. For those who struggle with substance abuse, it is more important than ever during this stressful time to remain connected with your treatments, group meetings, and support system. Everyone is experiencing increased levels of stress during these trying times, so for those people struggling with addiction on top of the additional stress, support is crucial.

Social media is full of posts regarding using alcohol or drugs to cope with the stress being brought on by the social isolation and government restrictions occurring during the pandemic. Many people are joking about it, accepting it as an expected coping mechanism. For addicts, this can validate their need for increasing their substance use. For those in recovery, this brings an unprecedented level of stress that can potentially lead to relapsing.

Addiction counselors, like those at Aspire Counseling Services, know that addiction thrives in isolation and dies with community support. So how does someone in recovery deal with their addiction when they are being told to socially keep their distance from others? Aspire counseling services is ensuring that their clients can still meet in-person and are not limited to online meetings or telehealth appointments unless that is something they desire. The key is, you must avoid isolating yourself from any support, and make the connections you need to maintain your mental health and cope with the additional stress.

Many people have a real fear of meeting in-person right now due to the potential of contracting COVID-19. That is a legitimate fear and should not be taken lightly by anyone. However, there are ways to mitigate your risks without completely isolating yourself. You can still connect through video or phone appointments, and there are many group meetings being held through video chat programs. For some people, however, telehealth appointments may be too impersonal, and they may need the close personal contact they feel at face-to-face group meetings.

Aspire Counseling Services offers their clients a choice of meeting online, or meeting in-person. Safety steps are in place to ensure that everyone is controlling their risk during in-person counseling sessions and group meetings. The safety of our clients and staff is the highest priority for Aspire Counseling Services, so all COVID-19 regulations and guidelines are followed during all appointments and meetings. We want to ensure our clients that their behavioral health and addiction treatment is safe and available to them in whatever form they need, in-person or online.

Routine is another key to overcoming addiction, so be sure to keep up the routines you established before the COVID-19 pandemic. This may mean you need to adapt some activities that are not possible right now, such as jogging and exercising outdoors if your local gym is closed. Keep to your daily schedule and keep yourself busy and engaged.

Be sure to connect with your support team of family and friends, whether you meet for parking lot picnics talking through your rolled down windows or go jogging together in the park on opposite sides of the path. Don’t let fear keep you from connecting with your support team! You can set-up online group chat sessions or at least make phone calls regularly to stay in touch if you aren’t comfortable with in-person contact yet.

You have made progress in your struggle against addiction, and it is important that you continue that progress by staying connected during this continuing pandemic. Aspire Counseling Services offers options to keep you safe while still ensuring you receive the needed behavioral health services you need. Addiction and substance abuse treatment must continue to keep you on track with your recovery, so call Aspire today to stay connected.