Doctor Offers Tips to Avoid Relapse During Pandemic Stress

JOHN W. BRAZZELL, M.D., Volunteer Medical Consultant at Lifeline, Medical director at Kentucky Care, Paducah

Staying sober during a pandemic is especially challenging, according to Lifeline’s medical consultant, John W. Brazzell, M.D.

“The relapse rate is increasing,” he said, “because the anxiety level is through the roof.”

People suffering from addiction rely on frequent contact, sometimes daily contact, with their support group or sponsor to help them stay sober. That’s just the opposite of social distancing.

Add to that the stress of unemployment or other pandemic problems, and Dr. Brazzell said the COVID 19 virus is hurting us in more than physical ways.

“This is an exceedingly tough time for people with addiction disorders,” he said. “They’re struggling because we must encourage the very behavior – distance from others – that makes the addiction worse.”

Dr. Brazzell, medical director of Kentucky Care, sees 80 to 100 patients a year with addiction. While most normally visit once monthly, the visits have become more regular – sometimes weekly – during the pandemic.

Dr. Brazzell, a former emergency room physician, has been treating patients with addiction for more than three years. He said programs that include counseling, behavior modification and the 12-step process, such as Lifeline’s Celebrate Recovery, have been shown to result in a 70 percent reduction in overdose deaths and relapses.

He’s a strong believer in Lifeline’s faith-based approach. “I can’t stay sober alone, so I know what my patients are going through. I don’t lecture, I don’t judge. We have to get rid of the shame and the guilt, and give it to God.”

As a recovering alcoholic himself, Dr. Brazzell has some tips for those struggling to maintain sobriety:

Have as much contact with your support system or sponsor as you can by phone or virtual meetings.

Read, meditate andpray – a lot.

Go outside for fresh air and quiet time to “connect with a higher power” several times a day.