How to Manage Withdrawal Amidst the Pandemic
As of today, a significant part of the nation is shut down amid demands for social distancing during the pandemic. This continued call for isolation is causing a number of recovering individuals with drug addiction to face long periods without vital support services for treatment and recuperation.
When deaths from drug overdose are ascending in numerous states, addiction consultants can’t help but worry. The stress that these forced adjustments in a recently isolated United States will upset these individuals’ delicate healing methods.
Drug addiction is old news in our current society. However, you may be wondering, how does the existing pandemic fuel drug addiction and withdrawal?
Drug Addiction
Addiction is characterized as a chronic relapsing issue. It is indicated by uncontrollable drug cravings, continuous drug intake regardless of harmful effects, and enduring changes in the brain. It is viewed as both a mental illness and a complicated brain disorder. Addiction is the most extreme type of full-range drug use disorders. It is a clinical sickness brought about by continued abuse of a substance.
During heavy pressure on the healthcare system, America stays in an overdose emergency. More than 2,000,000 American citizens use opioids and 1/2 million use meth weekly. While COVID-19 has an unbalanced effect on different vulnerable communities, individuals with drug addictions are confronting unique difficulties in light of COVID-19.
Out of these difficulties, individuals who use drugs are bound to be isolated from conventional news sources. They will not likely hear data regarding best practices and risks during the pandemic. In short, individuals who are already at risk are made much more vulnerable during a pandemic.
Individuals with drug addiction are likewise bound to have a compromised immune system and have decreased access to vital medication. This would be a significant risk during a pandemic since a weak immune system makes them susceptible to acquiring the disease.
If your health or the health of someone you know is compromised, it is for the best to carry out initial testing at home. You can purchase a COVID-19 at-home testing kit here: https://www.mybiosource.com/covid-19-igm-igg-kits.
Drug Withdrawal
Drugs are brain sedatives that work to put your brain in a euphoric state. Withdrawal happens when you quit using drugs because your brain will be removed from its recurrent state. Once this occurs, your brain will rebound by creating a flood of adrenaline, which causes withdrawal symptoms.
For individuals with severe drug dependency disorders, withdrawal can be fatal. That’s why the drug market closure, treatment limits, and isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak are triggering warning signals, according to addiction specialists.
As organizations shut down and healthcare services are limited, the American Society of Addiction Medicine quickly laid out its medical guidelines for drug withdrawal. These guidelines are expected to guide providers and help raise awareness for people who are currently at risk.
As the social limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic unfurl, the potential for risks related to drug use may escalate. Some individuals may wind up resorting to substance use to adapt to stress, negativity, anxiety, and rapidly changing conditions.
In this trying time, what can you do to prevent yourself from sinking back to the abyss of drug addiction?
Consult Your Doctor
Drug withdrawal may become frustrating due to its symptoms that are hard to manage. Your doctor can assist you in managing the symptoms you are experiencing. Contact your doctor and acquire prescription medications, personalized recommendations, and other advice to help you counter withdrawal in the pandemic.
Eat Well
Healthy eating can decrease common withdrawal symptoms like erratic mood swings. Attempt to encourage a proper diet as part of the continuous treatment plan and withdrawal countermeasures. A poor diet can add to escalated cravings and the danger of relapse during the pandemic. A diverse diet filled with good proteins and carbohydrates, fresh vegetables and fruits, essential fats, and water can help reduce withdrawal symptoms.
Keep Your Body Healthy
During both withdrawal and addiction, the body can encounter various nutritional inadequacies. Taking a supplement or multivitamin in lacking areas can aid in easing the symptoms and even recovery. Be as healthy as you can while recovering in the pandemic. Check with your doctor on whether taking a multivitamin supplement can help, especially if the individual experiencing withdrawal is having a hard time eating.
Stress Management and Distraction Strategies
Cravings can be frustratingly erratic. They are, at times, triggered by specific reminders or circumstances, which may feel incredibly overwhelming. Figuring out how to manage cravings is critical to ensure that you will stay in good health, especially during this pandemic.
When managing withdrawal symptoms, there is a high chance that you won’t be capable of concentrating on one task for long. Moreover, your memory probably won’t be working too well, so try to consider simple activities like:
- Watching TV or movies
- Reading entertainment magazines
- Taking short naps
- Taking hot baths
- Meditating
Talk to People You Trust
Reach out to a counselor, therapist, family member, or loved one regularly. Talking is also considered a type of therapy. It can help you externalize difficulties, thoughts, and emotions, which becomes worse when suppressed. Reaching out to family, friends, and loved ones would do you good during this time of isolation in a pandemic.
Takeaway
During tough times like a worldwide pandemic, established arrangements should be altered to serve compromised individuals best and reduce potential risks. People with drug addiction and their health providers need a clear direction on how to remain safe during such occasions. However, if these protocols are not laid out, you must take the proper measures not to fall into withdrawal, or, in the worst case, suffer from it and its symptoms.
