Photo courtesy of Sander van der Wel - Wikimedia Commons
HIDDEN PAIN Changes to everyday life brought on by the pandemic have increased despair and distress for Long Islanders recovering from substance abuse disorders and opioid addiction. BY ROBERT TRAVERSO
The pandemic changed everything he did on a day-to-day basis. “No gyms, no places of worship… You can’t go see friends or family… You can’t work on oneself or get a haircut or a shave… We were trying to help him find new things to do and healthy ways to cope, but everything we thought of was closed,” said Kathleen Alvino, a substance abuse counselor at Confide Counseling Center, a non-profit organization based in Rockville Centre, describing how Covid-19 has upended the life of one of her clients in recovery. “The only thing he could find to do was go to the grocery store… Well, the grocery stores sell alcohol, too, and that led him to relapse,” Alvino said. “He was forced to be alone at a time when he needed to be with others the most. There was basically nothing to do but be alone.”
The isolation and social-distancing measures put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus have had a profound effect on Long Islanders who struggle with substance use disorders (SUDs), experts say. The isolation has led to a resurgence in overdoses and substance abuse to cope with mental health issues and economic angst amid the pandemic. A July 2020 nationwide study found that 75,000 “deaths of despair” — caused by drug misuse, alcohol and suicide — can be attributed to the high levels of stress, isolation and unemployment brought by the coronavirus pandemic. “The pandemic made it easier for individuals to get alcohol and drugs and made it harder to access treatment,” Alvino said. Overdoses on Long Island rose from 2020 to 2021, and alcohol sales have risen across the country since the pandemic began.
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