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March 22, 2020 - 2:30 PM
If the thought of self-isolation for 14 days or longer feels daunting, for people who need to maintain sobriety and remain in contact with sponsors and meetings, it can be even more isolating.
Tamara Raine, a Vancouver resident who has been sober for 660 days, says she is encouraged by efforts to move those services online, she says the situation creates special needs for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.
"I have definitely felt triggered to drink during this time. Jokes about stocking up on alcohol are not funny to me and actually feel extremely hurtful," she said. "I know what it is like to drink at home alone for days on end and it is not what I would classify as 'fun.'"
Alcoholics Anonymous has temporarily suspended many of their meetings across Canada.
"A lot of meetings have moved to video calls which allows people to still feel part of a community," Raine said. She is part of many different Facebook sobriety groups, and uses resources from In The Rooms, a free online recovery tool that offers 130 weekly online meetings for those recovering from addiction and related issues.
On their COVID-19 resources page, they state: "We know that recovery relies on communication and connection, and we don’t want anyone to lose that, even as social distancing and self-isolation become the best practices to prevent spreading the virus."
Meetings for multiple recovery groups, such as AA, Narcotics Anonymous and Women In Recovery, occur frequently throughout the day.
AA also hosts daily online meetings at 7 p.m PST, seven days a week from its own site.
Instagram pages promoting sobriety offer resources online, and in some cases, support through direct messaging.
Sobriety apps such as I Am Sober, SoberTool and Sober Grid also help motivate addicts with daily pledges, milestone tracking and information about withdrawal and what to expect.
Raine also suggests The Temper, an online recovery company which provides articles and resources geared towards addicts.
For coping outside of online resources, Raine suggests meditation, drinking flavoured soda water, talking to friends and listening to recovery focused podcasts such as Seltzer Squad and Home.
For those whose sobriety, like her own, is being testing during the pandemic, Raine suggests self-reflection.
"I find it important to remember how you felt after drinking/using a substance," she said. "Did you feel happy? Or were you depressed? Sick? Lacking of energy? It's never worth it."
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