Some people are on self-quarantine, some on official quarantine, and others just recommended quarantine, but all of us are being affected by the Covid-19 virus or the Coronavirus. AA meetings, NA meetings, outpatient rehabs, inpatient rehabs, and pretty much all community groups and events have been canceled or postponed. Many of us addicts and alcoholics in recovery rely on these meetings and rehabs to stay clean and sober.
We all have increased stress from being out of work, economy falling, people getting sick, and being stuck at home. Add to this no meetings, rehabs, or therapy, many people in recovery have an increased risk of relapsing.
It’s essential to continue a positive recovery program during this chaotic time. There are many positive things we can do to keep our sobriety healthy during this time.
Here Are 12 Ways Stay Sober During The Covid-19 Pandemic:
1. Attend Online Zoom Meetings
The majority of AA, NA, HA, CA, and Al-Anon meetings around the country especially in New York, New Jersey, Pennslyvania, California, Washington, and Oregon have been canceled. Many of these meetings have gone online using the Zoom app.
This is a great way to connect with others and still get a meeting in. You can do this by downloading the Zoom app on your phone or computer. I attended my homegroup online last week as well as meetings in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Arkansas using this Zoom app. To find meetings and more instruction on downloading the app use these resources below ↓↓↓↓
**When using the Zoom app make sure you put your microphone on mute until you want to speak. If you don’t it will screw up the meeting for everyone else with background noise.**
This is the perfect time to call your sponsor or your sponsees to have a nice long convo and clear your head. The great part about this is, it not only helps the sponsee but it helps the sponsor just as much. Many people I talk to always say “I have a sponsor, but I don’t call as much as I should”.Well, now we have the time to take advantage of it.
3. Call/Text/Reach Out To 3 People A Day In Recovery
Many people in recovery (myself included) have dozens if not hundreds of numbers in my phone of people in recovery. 95% of those numbers I put in my phone once and never looked at it again.This is the perfect time to call or text someone you haven’t talked to in years or check up on someone you met a few months ago. A simple call or text can do wonders if you’re struggling and you never know if the other person may be struggling.
Social media can be a huge mental drain, especially political arguments like people arguing about President Trump’s tan line. Use social media for positive during this and send a message to someone you know in recovery.
4. Read The Big Book/Recovery Literature
If you’re like me you probably have stacks of recovery-related material on your shelf. I have 12 recovery and AA-related books and probably 20 pamphlets from random rehabs and meetings. The majority of those are collecting dust. I always tell myself “I’ll start reading that tonight”then I get busy or forget. Now without being at work, I have nothing but time. It’s the best time to sit down and read the AA big book or other recovery stuff.
5. Work On The 12-Steps
The 12-steps are the meat and potatoes of programs like AA, NA, or Al-Anon. Most people will tell you that they really found recovery and found peace of mind when they started going through and completed the 12-steps. The 12-steps are not to be rushed through they should be gone through thoroughly and honestly. Now with some free time call your sponsor and get moving on the steps.
Some of the steps like steps 4 and 8 require some writing and every step requires some deep internal reflection. This time can be used wisely by going through the steps for the first time with your sponsor or maybe going through them again if you’ve already done them.
6. Practice/Start Meditating
Meditation is a huge part of keeping ourselves in a good place mentally and spiritually. I learned how to meditate almost out of force. When I was in Solitary confinement in prison I started to lose my mind and go insane. My father sent me information on meditating. I was desperate to get some relief so I tried, it was life-saving. Now I try to meditate at least 4 times a week.
Meditating had been shown to increase telomere length in our brain which is directly related to Dementia, Alzheimer’s, and aging. It has also been shown to increase the size of our brain region directly related to memory. Most importantly for us in recovery meditation has been shown to help with patience, less anger, and lower levels of stress.For sources and more studies showing the benefits of meditation click here.
7. Exercise
Exercising is an important part of overall health for many people. Lots of addicts and alcoholics in recovery rely on exercise to keep their mental and physical health in tip-top shape. With the Coronavirus shutting down all gyms we need to adapt and work out when and where we can. Use your house and get a home workout in. There are millions of hours of free workouts on youtube.
I went out and bought a treadmill last week because I knew we might be stuck at home for a while and I’m so glad I did. If you don’t have any exercise equipment at your house there is tons of stuff you can do just using your body weight.
Depending on where you live in the world the weather might be very nice out. Doing exercise outside can be great for our lungs and our mind. The combination of fresh air, being outdoors, and exercise can be the exact mood boost we need. A simple walk around your street or hike through the park is a great way to clear your head and stay in shape. My dog is sick of walking, hahaha. I never thought my dog would not want to go for a walk but with me home all day she is getting 3 walks a day.
This is a great time to get that old bike out of the garage and pump the tires up. You can play catch, tag, kickball, or basketball with your kids. This gets everyone outside, exercise for everyone, and some great quality family time.
9. Clean/Organize
We all have that one room, drawer, or maybe even the whole house that needs a good cleaning. Cleaning is a good way to keep our minds active and busy. It is proven that people feel better and get more accomplished with a clean work area and home. (source). Use this time home to get your home office, garage, attic, basement, or whole house clean and organized. We always feel better when everything is clean.
10. Pray/Prayer
Praying is a huge part of 12-step programs. I always thought prayer was a religious thing and that I had to pray to God.You can pray to whoever or whatever you choose. Prayer is a spiritual process.It can be a religious thing but doesn’t have to be. If you have a hard time believing in God, you can pray to:
The Universe
Mother Nature
Your Deceased Relatives/Friends
The Stars
The Sun
Anyone or anything you choose
“Prayer is when you speak to God, meditating is when you listen to God.” – LKM
I always had a hard time praying until I realized there is no right or wrong way to do it. I started with the serenity prayer and simply talk to my higher power like I’m talking to a friend. If you have never prayed before start with a simple short prayer that you like.
11. Make a Gratitude List
Gratitude lists are one of the best ways to change your mood. If you are having a bad day or even a bad week, start writing all the things that you’re thankful for. More than likely by the time you get done with your list you will be in a better mood. Gratitude lists are a big part of many recovery programs.
“You can’t be angry and grateful at the same time” – Tony Robbins
It’s very easy to look at all the negatives during a time like this with chaos, death, and sickness going around the globe. But when we sit back and think about it there is a ton of stuff to be thankful for. Here are a few things from my gratitude list:
My Family and I are Healthy
My Sobriety
My Awesome Support System
My dog/ All Animals – (Except mosquitos…I don’t like mosquitos buzzing in my ear)
The Internet – (imagine if we were on quarantine 40 years ago)
Youtube – endless entertainment, videos, music
Pollution Levels Are Way Down
Nature
Medicines/Vaccines -(the death rate for Covid is 1-3%. It could be a lot worse. The 1919 Spanish influenza infected 1/3 of the globe and killed more than 50 million people. Close to a million people in the US lost their lives due to the H1N1 outbreak of 1918.
Transportation– I am blessed, spoiled, and lucky to live in the US in 2020 with cars, trucks, Uber, Lyft, Taxi, Busses, railroads, planes, boats.
Thankful for all the doctors, nurses, truckers, police officers, firefighters, military personnel, and first responders working tirelessly to help people.
Even after just reading my list I feel better thinking about how lucky I really am and how lucky we all are to be on quarantine in 2020 and not 1920. If this was 1920 I would have to write this article out and go to the printing press and bring it to everyone’s house by horse, hahaha.
12. Spend Quality Time With Family (pets are family)
Last and certainly not least is spending some good quality time with your family. You may be stuck at home with your parents, wife/husband, kids or whoever. Instead of getting on each other’s nerves, enjoy the time with them. Life is short anything can happen. Enjoy their company. Play some games, video games or board games, watch a movie, or go for a hike. Quality time with family can keep you and your sobriety in a good positive place.
Kyle Ruggeri, CARC (Certified Addiction Recovery Coach) is a recovering addict/alcoholic. Kyle created Soberdogs Recovery as a way to get accurate and first-hand information about addiction and recovery out to the world. Kyle has been in recovery for over 5 years.
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