Because of the stay-at-home orders that are in place for the coronavirus, social distancing and self-quarantine have become the norm.

This lack of human contact, along with the financial problems and general uncertainty surrounding this pandemic are leading to high levels of coronavirus anxiety and stress that are wreaking havoc on many people’s mental health. If you are in recovery, you may be feeling especially vulnerable at this time.

How to Deal with Addiction Relapse During the Coronavirus

Staying sober during the coronavirus pandemic has proven challenging for many and, unfortunately, not everyone has been successful. If you have slipped-up on your sobriety, you are not alone, but what you do next matters. Follow these tips for dealing with relapse during quarantine to get your sobriety back on track.

Do Not Give Up

While relapse can leave you feeling defeated, it is often a part of the recovery journey. Many people in recovery will relapse at some point or another, but it doesn’t mean it is time to throw in the towel or that your sobriety journey is over. Now is the time to make a new commitment to your sobriety instead of giving up. Use any feelings of guilt or shame to motivate you to do better and get back on track.

Reflect

It you want to keep this from happening again, you need to focus on why this happened first. Take some time to self-reflect and take an honest look at what led you to relapse. Did you get complacent with your recovery? Was it really just because of the coronavirus or were other factors at play? Once you have a better idea of why this happened, you can take more actionable steps to keep it from happening again.

Do a Mental Health Check

Often, substance abuse problems are tied to poor mental health. Along with doing some self-reflection, you should also take the time to do your own mental health inventory. If you believe that your mental health was a big contributing factor to your relapse, it may be time be more active and focus on managing your mental health during the coronavirus better.

Connect

Now more than ever you need support, especially if you believe your relapse in social isolation was connected to feelings of loneliness or depression. While you are not able to meet with people face-to-face, you can lean on technology to help you stay connected. Reach out to your sponsor and closest loved ones immediately. These people could help you keep this slip-up from getting out of control. At Banyan Treatment Centers, we also have a rehab alumni program that connects people who have been successful in one of our many treatment programs. These people can not only be an added layer of support during this time of need but are people who have likely gone through something similar and understand what you are going through.

Get Active in Your Recovery

Just because your recovery meetings may have gone virtual doesn’t mean you should get complacent about your sobriety. It is easy to use the coronavirus as an excuse, but after a relapse during quarantine, it is time to get serious again. Attend more virtual meetings than you normal would. Reach out to your support systems regularly. Keep a healthy routine. Practice what your learned in your addiction rehab therapies. Now more than ever you need to not only make a conscious choice to be sober, but you need to follow through as well.

Get Treatment

If your relapse is starting to turn into more than just one slip-up, it is time to get back into treatment. Our stabilization programs are relapse recovery programs designed to help people like you get back on track in their sobriety. Returning to treatment can be intimidating already, but with the coronavirus pandemic you may feel stuck. At Banyan, we are following a strict coronavirus protocol to keep our patients and staff safe. Returning to a safe and controlled environment is also better for your sobriety than trying to continue to battle your cravings on your own.

At Banyan, we have rehab treatment centers across the country that are still open and ready to help you or your loved ones during this trying time. If you are in need, do not hesitate to reach out to us.

To get more information about our programs and facilities, call us at 888-280-4763.