Recovery During a Pandemic: How to Overcome Addiction during the Coronavirus Crisis
A pandemic can disrupt almost every aspect of daily life, and unfortunately, this includes your recovery from addiction. Addiction affects people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and walks of life; if you’re in recovery from addiction and haven’t yet built up the strength to deal with a crisis, you’re at risk of relapsing in the face of disaster. However, it’s possible to maintain your sobriety during a pandemic even while helping others recover as well. This guide explains the best ways to handle a crisis while still being sober.
Denial
When you’re experiencing denial, you might think that addiction isn’t something that could happen to you. You may think of addicts as other people—other people who aren’t as smart or thoughtful or disciplined as you are. But addiction is not only for certain types of people. It can affect anyone, and it can destroy anyone who allows it to take hold. You have everything at stake if you engage in risky behaviour (i.e., activities like excessive drinking or binge eating). So remember: It takes one time—just one time —to get addicted. And once you become addicted, your life will never be the same again.
Get Educated
One of the biggest problems with addiction is that most people don’t fully understand it. Unfortunately, lack of understanding can lead to stigma, which in turn can create obstacles when recovering from an addiction. If you think you or someone you love is suffering from an addiction, there are many places you can go for help and support. Taking action before things get worse could make all of the difference in overcoming your problem.
That’s why it’s important to educate yourself about addiction and recovery. Understanding what addiction is, how it works, and how people recover can help you or your loved one better manage your symptoms. You may even learn some simple lifestyle changes that will help keep you from falling back into old habits. In some cases, self-education can be more effective than a formal treatment programme. Remember that knowledge is power, so getting informed can be an important step on your road to recovery!
Understand
The biggest risk factor for developing drug or alcohol addiction is how early you begin using. If you start abusing drugs and alcohol before you turn 15, your chances of becoming addicted are about 20 times greater than if you wait until at least age 21. Knowing these facts can help make it easier to understand how addiction develops and why it’s so tough to overcome.
Create an Action Plan
You can’t predict when or where an epidemic will strike, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for it. If you have an addiction, your plan should include treatment options in different geographic areas, including at-home options. In addition to making sure you always have enough medications on hand, consider keeping other necessities on hand like painkillers and nutritional supplements if you know how these conditions will impact your recovery and well-being.
Know What You Are Looking For
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of your options and make mistakes when trying to determine which treatment facility will be best for you. And with so many options available, it can be tricky to decide where you want to go and what type of therapy will work best for you. Think about how often you’ve heard someone say It’s hard because I’m an addict. If that’s how addicts describe themselves, then we should look at addiction as something addicts suffer from rather than who they are as people. When trying to find addiction recovery centres near you, do some research on what types of services they offer their patients and which ones might be most beneficial for your situation. Some things may sound great on paper but just not work for your situation.
Recovering in a Community
When you’re battling addiction, having support is crucial. Without it, even finding your way into rehab can be impossible; after all, most treatment centres aren’t allowed to take you in if you still use. While everyone has their methods for beating addiction, joining an online or local community is one of the best ways to stay on track as you fight your demons—and build new friendships along the way.
Moving Forward
For those that are currently in recovery, staying on track when you don’t have a strong support network is difficult. Recovery is easier with people around you who understand how vulnerable you feel. If your social network is solid, it may be beneficial to spend time with people you know will keep you on track. If it’s not, reach out online and find like-minded individuals who can provide support and can help provide positive reinforcement for your efforts in sobriety. Staying sober while all around you seem to fall ill will be difficult—so try to get some extra help where you can. Just remember, as bad as things seem now, they do get better!
Recover from Your Addiction at Freeman House Recovery
Freeman House Recovery is a treatment centre that specialises in addiction recovery in all its forms. When you choose us, you can be sure that we will help you overcome your addictions and move towards living an active, happy life with your loved ones. We specialise in treating people who are suffering from addiction and associated mental health issues.
What you Need to Know about Freeman House Recovery
Freeman House Recovery is a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Hartebeespoort in Gauteng, South Africa. The rehab centre has proven highly effective in helping individuals start on their path to long-term recovery. In short, if you’re looking for help with drug or alcohol addiction (or other forms of addiction for that matter), look no further than Freeman House Recovery – located at 7 Cloister Street, Meerhof, Hartbeespoort, 0216, South Africa, The team at Freeman House Recovery is available five days a week to answer your questions about themselves and their services as well as provide help finding solutions tailored specifically to your needs.
