Are you struggling with staying sober during the times of the COVID-19?
Addiction is a disease of isolation. The addict’s mind separates itself from anything positive or good. One of the major reasons that addicts use is to shut off the voices in their head that tell them they are losers, or failures. The addict has suffered trauma, that creates the voices to be intensified. Due to COVID-19 and the stay at home orders that have been put in place have isolated the addict from the tools that they were taught in order to stay sober.
The addict was taught tools to apply in their lives, such as fellowshipping with other addicts in recovery. The addict was taught the importance of helping other addicts who are struggling with staying sober. The addict was taught to apply daily disciplines in order to create structure and balance in their life. Due to COVID-19 and the stay at home order these tools have either been taken away or have been rocked out of place.
The addict has been placed back in the same place that they were when they first got clean and sober. It is like they are brand new again. The normal person has the ability to adjust to what changes occur in their lives. The addict is not always good with change. The addict tends to respond from emotion. COVID-19 has created fear and the addict is responding from that place with no drugs to use and needing to learn to apply the tools in a different way.
COVID-19 has taken away the ability for addicts to meet in person in their regular recovery community meetings. COVID-19 has taken away the ability for addicts to be of service to other addicts in the way of in person meetings. COVID-19 has taken away the ability to apply a daily way of living that helps the addict strive for a Spiritual way of living. The addict is left in a place of OH MY GOD what do I do?
We know that it is a dangerous place for the addict to be left with their thoughts and feelings, with everything being “taken” away from them. Yes, COVID-19 has taken away things from the addict that they are used to. We know that this is only a perception of what is going on. Things have changed, but let’s begin to shift the perspective to a new way of living in order to learn and grow.
The 12-step community mobilized itself so quickly and established meetings on zoom in order for its members to stay connected with one another. There have been meetings created 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for the addict to get connected. There have been meetings ranging from 2 people to 1000 members. In the 12-step community they have weekend long conferences, which have been moved to the zoom world. In some of these meetings you can share and ask for help or use the chat in order to ask for help. You can visit a meeting in a different state or country. Go on an adventure and find your tribe.
Within the 12-step community they are actively involved in meeting new people, sharing their experience, strength and hope, which has been taken away due to COVID-19. The addict is taught to get out of self and help others. Due to stay at home orders how is the addict going to be able to help others? There are lots of Facebook recovery groups that have been created where new people ask for help. They are looking for meetings. They have relapsed and are asking for help. In zoom meetings, groups are asking for volunteers to read, lead meetings, share, phone list for newcomers. Grab a phone list and call everyone on it asking how there day is doing.
Addicts thrive on the fellowship and it creates a bond that they have lacked in life. Zoom meetings open up 30 minutes early and generally stay open for one another to connect with one another. Meetings offer phone lists in order for the fellowship to say connected. We challenge you to grab a phone list and call 7 addicts you have never met a day every day for 5 days, asking about their lives. Take a risk and get to know someone you don’t know. It is suggested that women stick with women and men stick with men.
COVID-19 may have taken away your way of knowing how to stay clean and sober. The addict can look at it from a place of fear or the addict can change its perspective and look at it from a place of solution. We have provided some solutions to beat the isolation that the addict mind has created. The main problem of the addict centers in its mind. COVID-19 may have created changes but the question is, what are you going to do to create positive change in your life?