‘Isolation is a huge trigger for people’: A substance abuse clinician on the pandemic’s hidden challenges
"Meetings are getting shut down and people can't go out and connect to their recovery community."
Coronavirus is affecting everyday life — even for those who have not been infected. We are sharing stories of its impact on local people. To share your own, please submit this form or email us at [email protected]. This story was told by Amy Gaboury, a clinician at a substance use facility in Massachusetts, and has been transcribed and edited from a conversation with Kristi Palma.
My name is Amy. I’m a full-time clinician at a substance use facility in Massachusetts. We work with a very at-risk population — not only for infectious diseases but also suicide and overdose. People, of course, talk about everybody who is on the front lines fighting, which I give them so many props for doing that. But I feel like some of the other health care populations are kind of not as talked about.
So far, we haven’t had anybody coming in for admission who has had a temperature. But we have had a couple of people in the facility that, during their stay there — because some of them can be there for up to a month — develop a cough and respiratory symptoms. We just isolate them in their own room, bring meals to them, bring any clinical work to them, and kind of just monitor them. And, thankfully, the two that we’ve had seem to be just cold symptoms. But we have to treat it like it is [COVID-19]. But our nurses don’t have the proper PPE, because even hospitals can’t get it.
I have two small kids at home. It stinks going out to work every day not knowing if you’re going to come into contact with someone who has it and bring it home. But we’re essential workers for a reason.
We’re trying to get them through medically detoxing off whatever substance they come in using. I work with them on developing what they want to do after they detox — if they’re planning on going home, if they want to go on to further care. We’re trying to help people get placement in long-term residential facilities. It’s hard right now because most places aren’t taking people in. People who aren’t able to get placed are getting frustrated and leaving treatment. Right now, at this point, I’m just encouraging people to stay in treatment.
I’ve seen a couple of articles about how the overdose rates are probably going to end up going up during this, which I definitely agree with because meetings are getting shut down and people can’t go out and connect to their recovery community. Usually we have meetings, AA and NA meetings, that come into our facility. We haven’t had that because we’re not allowing any visitors.
We’re being told to self-isolate, and isolation is a huge trigger for people. We’re being told to social distance and not be in groups of people and that’s really what drives a lot of the recovery community: meetings and gatherings and being around other people. It’s just tough. I know a lot of the recovery community is doing online meetings, but it’s not really the same. You could sit at home drunk or high and no one is going to know, but if you walk into a meeting like that, people are going to surround you and support you and help you.
If someone is trying to get into a detox, just keep calling for a bed because things change so quickly. We’ll be completely full and then, five minutes later, someone will decide to leave and that will open a bed. If you know somebody who is struggling or who has struggled in the past, just reach out to them and make sure they are all right. The Marsi Road app lists all the detoxes in the state, all the admissions phone numbers to call, usually it lists how many beds are available.
Reach out to any support you have. Don’t try to do it alone.
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