Never Alone: Staying Supported During Difficult Times

With all that's going on in the world, you may feel lonely or isolated right now, but this too shall pass. Many people in the world have entered a new reality in the past few weeks. For some people, this means staying locked inside their homes. But you are never alone in recovery.

Coronavirus isn’t the only thing that can make a person in recovery feel isolated. People with chronic or dangerous illnesses like cancer or autoimmune disorders may not be well enough to leave the house. Anytime a person is in a hospital for an extended period of time, they might feel lonely or disconnected from their support in recovery. Nobody plans on getting sick (or staying home to prevent getting sick). But knowing that there are options available to help you stay on track is important.

Keeping in Touch With Your Network

Being lonely doesn’t mean that you’re actually alone. In recovery, people support each other through the good times and the bad. But if you’re forced to stay alone in a setting for any period of time, you can begin to feel your addiction creeping up on you.

A few ways to keep in touch with your network:

Text regularly and ask others to check in with you, too, if you are struggling. A burden shared is a burden lessened.
Ask your sponsor to set aside a certain time every day to talk to you.
Consider creating your own online meetings using video and audio chat. There is an array of software programs you can try to use to accomplish this.
Send emails to friends or meet up with them on Facebook.
Check with 12-step groups such as AA or NA to find out about online meetings that you can take part in.

Keeping Focused on Recovery

In addition to keeping in touch with your network, you can also do simple things to help yourself focus on your recovery. Here are a few great ideas to get you started:

Work on 12-step work or other assignments. (If you don’t currently have any “homework”, ask your sponsor or therapist for some.)
Read recovery literature. The AA Big Book has a lot of great information and inspiration in it, for starters. NA also has the Basic Text with information and stories to sift through. If you’re not sure what topic fits, try just flipping through one of these books and starting at the beginning of whichever chapter you land in.
Keep a gratitude list. Gratitude can help give you perspective about what’s really going in your life. Try to think of five things daily that you’re grateful for. (This can even be a slice of cake you snuck for breakfast or ten minutes alone with your dog.)
Care about others. Check-in with people who may also be feeling isolated and let them know you care.
Acknowledge your feelings. This too shall pass, but keeping track of your emotions, and also writing about them, can help them have less of a hold over you.
Reach out to your recovery friends or sponsor when you need help – don’t wait. Sometimes you just need a friendly voice of another person in recovery to help you feel more grounded.

Getting Help for Addiction

Addiction affects people from every walk of life, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Help and recovery are available. We offer a safe, peaceful place to begin to reclaim your life from a substance use disorder. Reaching out may be difficult, but it’s the first step to a new way of life. Contact us at US (949) 279-1376 • MX (612) 153-5726 to learn more about our programs and how we can help.