Impact of COVID-19 on Addiction Treatment

COVID-19 dramatically shifted individual’s mental health and well-being for the worse. Not only was there an increased demand...

Sep 05, 2024 by Arista Recovery Staff


COVID-19 dramatically shifted individual’s mental health and well-being for the worse. Not only was there an increased demand for mental health services in the US but there was also a significant rise in drug abuse across the country.

Unfortunately, not only did COVID-19 addiction rates rise, but addiction treatment was negatively impacted by the pandemic. From recovering addicts facing more difficulty receiving in-person care to patients experiencing challenges integrating back into everyday life after receiving treatment, COVID-19 significantly impacted addiction treatment for the worse. Keep reading to learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on addiction.

At Arista Recovery, we are a leading addiction recovery center that’s helped many patients safely overcome addiction and achieve long-term sobriety. With a range of addiction treatment programs available, we’re here to help you every step of the way to safely and effectively recover and regain control over your life for the better. Ready to start your road to recovery? Contact us today!

Top 5 Ways COVID-19 Impacted Addiction Treatment

COVID-19 without question impacted the entire world. From closing down schools to shifting many jobs remotely, COVID-19 impacted virtually all areas of our lives. This includes addiction treatment and how recovering addicts receive professional care. Keep reading to learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on addiction.

  1. Challenges Seeking In-Person Care

First, one of the most obvious challenges of how COVID-19 impacted addiction treatment is the shift to in-person care. The pandemic inevitably shut down much of the world and impacted addiction treatment in its wake. Therefore, the pandemic limited the ability of recovering addicts to get the in-person care they need to be able to most effectively support their recovery journey.

  1. Increased Push to Telehealth Services

Similar to the above point, the difficulty in meeting in person because of the pandemic resulted in a shift towards dramatically more telehealth services. While telehealth services can be effective for some patients, for patients struggling with severe drug addiction/ individuals who are just starting their addiction recovery journey, receiving only telehealth services is likely not the best course of action to achieve long-term sobriety.

  1. Increased Stress and Anxiety

Next, COVID-19 caused a lot of stress and anxiety for virtually everyone, including individuals struggling with addiction and looking to achieve sobriety. This increased stress and tension can not only make it more difficult for you to heal along your recovery journey, but it can also make it more difficult for people contemplating starting their addiction recovery journey. This is because some drug addicts may choose to abuse drugs more to cope with the increased stress caused by the pandemic.

  1. Challenges Integrating Post-Treatment

For patients who did receive addiction treatment in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, this can also make it challenging to integrate yourself from treatment back into everyday life. This is because everyday life was also significantly impacted by the pandemic. From many jobs shifting to remote work to limited social gatherings, this can make it difficult for a recovering addict to reintegrate back into everyday life.

  1. Increased Economic Strain

Many workers experienced either a shift to remote work or were laid off during the pandemic. Therefore, many people experienced not only uncertainty but likely increased economic strain from COVID-19. This economic strain could make people feel less financially stable to seek treatment and be able to put their jobs on hold to receive essential addiction treatment to get better.

Despite COVID-19 negatively impacting the ability to seek addiction treatment, now that the world has slowly gone back to normal since the pandemic, there’s been no better time to seek professional addiction treatment if you are struggling with addiction. Addiction treatment will not only help you safely detox, but you’ll learn healthy coping strategies to maintain long-term sobriety.

Top-Rated Addiction Treatment Center

COVID-19 negatively impacted all of our lives for the worse, including the addiction recovery treatment process. From increased mental stress and strain from the pandemic to increased challenges seeking in-person care, these changes inevitably show the negative impact COVID-19 had on addiction treatment. However, these challenges should not stop you from overcoming your addiction.
At Arista Recovery, we are a leading recovery center that is committed to helping as many individuals as possible safely and effectively overcome addiction. Our team is here to help you every step of the way to achieve life-long sobriety. Contact us today to learn more about how you can break free of addiction at our inpatient drug rehab.

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