Getting and staying clean while the COVID-19 crisis is happening may sound scary, but help is still available. Recovery, like life, has its ups and downs. But unlike people who don’t have recovery, there are plenty of resources to help you stay calm and carry on with your goals. You may feel lonely or scared, but you’re not alone. Making sure that you know where to turn for help during the coronavirus crisis will help keep you centered and focused on your ultimate goal: staying sober and safe in recovery.
Stay Close to Your Network & Sponsor
First and foremost, your personal recovery comes first. You may feel you need to be a support network to family and friends. That’s fine, but you can’t help them if you’re not getting the support you need to stay on your recovery path.
Staying sober is much easier with a strong support network. Just because you are staying home doesn’t mean that network ceases to exist. You can update others and socialize throughout the day using text messages and chats. Don’t forget that during these times, your sponsor and your friends probably need extra support too.
Many 12-step members are having impromptu meetings online with their friends, sponsor and other recovery peers. It’s relatively easy to set this up and a great idea to use it to check in with each other on a daily basis. You’ll need a computer or device such as a phone or Ipad. Not all conference and webcam software operate in the same way, so make sure you have tested the software with your equipment before you decide to host a session.
Getting to Meetings Online
In California, like many places, people are staying at home. Because of this, 12-step meetings have begun to adapt to the changes and offer a virtual experience instead.
AA also has hosted online meetings for years to reach people who suffer from a disability or chronic illness. So there are a lot of online and nontraditional 12-step meeting formats available. California meetings have been moving to video chat, so, first of all, contact your local 12-step hotline to learn more about how to participate or visit their local website. You can find your local AA information by searching here, or NA meetings here. Also, ask your therapist or other support groups how you can gather online.
There are also meetings 12-step meetings that meet online for various reasons, but the focus is on recovery no matter who you are and where you live. Here is some more information scheduled for online AA meetings. If you need an alternative format, there are also email and forum-based “meetings” here as well as phone-based meetings available here.
Staying in touch and in recovery mode is something you’ll want to work on doing on a daily basis. Isolation is always dangerous when you’re in recovery, and right now you’re going to need to rely on others and trust recovery to help you get through the tough time. You WILL and you CAN if you continue to follow suggestions and be open to the process.
Recovery is Possible
Addiction doesn’t care if you’re homebound or surrounded by dozens of people. But now is a better time than ever to take the steps needed to reclaim your life.
Recovery is possible no matter what or how much you used or drank. Treatment centers and therapy centers are taking precautions to help you stay safe and still get the help you need. We’re here for you and know you’re worth it!
To learn more about what services are available and how we can help, please contact us at 949-245-9812 to learn more about how we can help you.
