How the pandemic may have changed AA and recovery culture

What does the future of recovery look like and how the pandemic is reshaping sobriety? Deni Carise of Recovery Centers of America, shares how recovery programs across the country have gone virtual, how these online services are beneficial to the recovery community, and some tips for people how may be struggling with sobreity right now.

Video Transcript

DENI CARISE: The pandemic is really reshaping sobriety in the sense that we've really learned that people can get the help they need online. They can get the treatment, but also the recovery support that they need.

I'm Dr. Deni Carise. I'm the Chief Science Officer at Recovery Centers of America. I'm also a person in long-term recovery. We started Recovery Centers of America in 2016. Our mission is to get them help quickly, get them quality help, get them help at a very affordable rate, and to help people start to live the life of their dreams, like many of us have been able to do.

With the pandemic, people in the recovery community and who are still struggling with drug and alcohol problems are really hard hit. They may be more likely to get COVID. And when they do get it, it's more likely a more difficult course, because they may not have proper nutrition. They may be immunocompromised.

Folks that were modest drinkers have really become heavy drinkers in the pandemic. Folks that had a small amount of recovery have been relapsing more frequently than we've seen in the past. And even people with longer term recovery have been struggling and relapsing.

Recovery Centers of America really had a lot of adapting to do. We had to transition all of our outpatient care into virtual care. We had to get people's trust in knowing that we could do that safely and effectively. We also had to get COVID testing together for a residential site. This has been a real revolution in the treatment industry, much of which should not go away when COVID ends.

One of the great experiences that we're coming out of COVID with is how many different ways people can get and stay in recovery. People that are worried about going to treatment or to a meeting, they don't want to see people they know, they can actually go and attend anonymously to see if they feel like they resonate with the people there.

Somebody who can't get to a meeting because a transportation can now be in treatment virtually. Somebody that's been part of a group for a while that has had a recurrence of their disorder, they can actually go to the next meeting virtually, so that if they're worried about coming back and telling people that they've had an increase in their drug or alcohol use, or they've used again after a period of sobriety, they can do this.

Recovery support groups, AA, they aren't just about quitting drinking. They're really guides to living and to living well. And one of the principles within that is to kind of take it one day at a time. One day at a time doesn't mean you don't plan for your future. It means that you really stay focused, though, on what you can do today. And that's actually been helpful, not just in continuing recovery, but in getting through the pandemic.

So if somebody is out there and they're struggling with their drug or alcohol use, I would really suggest that they log into a couple of online AA meetings. They can hear other people who used to struggle with their alcohol problems and no longer do. And they can see if they feel that's for them.

They can call 1-800-RECOVERY, which is the Recovery Centers of America line. We answer the phone 24/7, admit people 24 hours a day. If you think a family member is struggling and they're not willing to call, you can still call that number and get some help. Whatever you do, reach out somewhere to someone.