While it may be difficult, or even forbidden by your local health authorities to venture out of your home and seek treatment during the COVID-19 epidemic, that doesn’t mean that you’ve been abandoned by all sources of support, guidance, and strength. Virtually no one defeats addiction on their own, and even with lock-downs and social distancing in effect all around the globe, there are ways to access counseling, peer support, and even inpatient addiction treatment in the current climate. Timing is often vitally important in the battle against substance abuse and addiction, and if you’re truly ready to stop using, you need to be aware of the help that’s often just a phone call, email, or streaming-video session away.
1) Online Peer Addiction Recovery Support Meetings
Humans are social creatures, and it is impossible for most of us to thrive in isolation. One of the biggest challenges people are encountering in the current climate is the lack of connection that has become the new normal. Even though online peer-support meetings can’t offer the same level of connection as the genuine article, they are a crucially important resource in these trying times. Accessing the fellowship, support, and guidance of others in the recovery community is a lifeline that can determine success or failure in treatment.
At Tabula Rasa Retreat we know how important these interactions can be for our clients and alumni in these trying times. That’s why we have doubled up on our weekly Ibogaine Recovery Movement (IRM) meetings, and are currently conducting these online support sessions twice weekly. We’ve also committed to having staff available to provide information and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so feel free to get in touch if you need to talk! You can use this link to learn more about our programs, and therapists Rodrigo Teixeira and Binod Aryal who have a combined thirty years of experience in the field and a passion for guiding people down the path to recovery. We are currently offering a free introductory session for anyone who’d like to explore treatment, so if you’re at a loss for how to deal with addiction during quarantine, don’t hesitate to seek us out. We’d also recommend finding 12-Step or SMART Recovery online meetings that work with your schedule and needs.
2) Check-In With Local Or National Health Authorities
It is definitely worthwhile to get in touch with the medical authorities in your area, whether to find out what services are available, to communicate your needs, or to stay up to date on any changes in policy or service which will effect your life. For Americans, SAMHSA offers a resource list, while the British NHS also has a resource page which might help. Subscribing to a mailing list, or regularly checking in with local authorities will let you know where to turn in a crisis, as well as keeping you up to date on any changes in your ability to access the resources you need.
3) Holistic Health Mustn’t Be Neglected
While it may not directly relate to your addiction, quarantine and social distancing will offer you a lot of time to address your general physical and mental health. Time at home offers a fantastic opportunity to explore mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or whatever other activities that contribute to your own personal growth and mental health needs. Staying active and sticking to a healthy diet are essential, both for your immune system, your sense of well-being, and your mental health. Whether mindfulness and meditation apps, committing to a Youtube yoga routine, taking online classes, or woodshedding with an instrument, focusing for an hour or two a day on building up your physical health and maintaining your mental equilibrium will help your immune system fight the virus, while also keeping the demons of addiction at bay.
4) Your Phone And Your Time
It sometimes slips our minds in the age of Instagram, Animal Crossing, and online shopping that our phones are tools for communicating with others. But keeping in touch is especially important in trying times, and staying connected to others will help you maintain a connection with your own best self. Don’t hesitate to call, Skype, or Zoom when you feel like you need support, and stay connected to others who draw strength from you. Counselors, treatment professionals, peers, and supportive family members and friends are just a click or a call away. Remembering that we’re all going through this struggle together makes it easier to face each day.
It’s also important to remember that you have been given the gift of time and to put it to good use. If you follow the 12 Steps, now is a great time to go through them again. If you don’t, time in lock-down can be used for self-exploration. We’d recommend keeping a journal and exploring your relationships, both with substances of abuse, yourself, and others. If you are contemplating seeking treatment for addiction, the time you have now can be used for exploring and setting your intentions, finding the treatment options that best suit your needs, and developing a plan for pre- and after-care. Being ready for treatment will put you in a position to succeed, which is one of the reasons we’ve partnered with Anders Beatty of Ibogaine Counselling Services.
5) Some Addiction Treatment Centers Are Keeping Their Doors Open!
Battling against addiction is our mission, our passion, and our raison d’etre. And it has inspired us to pull out all the stops, and do everything possible to continue providing inpatient treatment for those who need it. The day you decide that you’re ready to overcome your addiction is the day you need to get started on the journey to recovery. At Tabula Rasa Retreat we’ve established protocols and guidelines for safely offering ibogaine therapy in the midst of this global health crisis, and we’re confident that our commitment and constant attention to client safety can work for those who are ready to take the leap today. Your addiction is putting you at a far greater risk to adverse outcomes if you contract COVID-19, and while it won’t be easy to gain sobriety in the midst of this crisis, it never was going to be easy, was it? If you’d like to explore ibogaine therapy, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!
For further information visit www.tabularasaretreat.com or call PT +351 965 751 649 UK +44 7961 355 530