‘We were already in an epidemic’: How coronavirus has impacted addiction recovery in SC
When Donald Shepherd found out he’d gotten a job in Myrtle Beach doing construction, he couldn’t help but be excited for his future.
Living homeless in the area for several months trying to focus on staying sober, he thought this would be his chance to rebuild his life, get his own place and maybe bring his kids down from New York for a vacation.
But then coronavirus hit the area, and the job was gone, and soon after, so was his sobriety.
“It was devastating,” Shepherd said, about finding out the job site was closing. “It led me to bury myself in drugs and alcohol.”
Those leading addiction recovery efforts in Horry County and South Carolina report increases in relapses since COVID-19 restrictions were put into place, and they worry about the long-term impact as associated stress and anxiety pushes more people toward substance abuse issues.
Sara Goldsby, director of the S.C. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, said her department recognized immediately that social distancing guidelines would have a major impact on the recovery community, which is driven by support and connection.
Since March 9, suspected overdose reversals have increased 39 percent statewide, according to Goldsby.
Narcan administrations have increased about 32 percent March-May 2020 — from 237 interventions to 312 — compared to that same time period in 2019 in Horry County, according to data compiled by Horry County. Narcan is an opioid overdose reversal treatment.
“Isolation and disconnection leads to higher levels of anxiety and the history of human shows we turn toward substances to make ourselves feel better,” Goldsby said, expressing concern for the long-term ramifications. “People who may have never crossed that threshold may cross it now due to the confounding situation.”
Despite the frustration, she noted that hope still does exist, and she’s proud of how flexible the recovery community has been, pointing out how quickly support services were able to transition to a virtual world.
Lou Slover, administrator of Faces and Voices of Recovery Grand Strand, said they’ve been hosting multiple online support group meetings per week since mid-March, and they’ve been very well attended, but they’re starting to transition now back toward in-person meetings held outside.
Goldsby also lauded the increased use of telehealth for treatment and therapy services, which she has heard has increased attendance by eliminating common barriers, including transportation and child care issues.
Telehealth for addiction treatment is not typically approved for reimbursement by Medicaid and private insurers, but that’s changed for the duration of the pandemic. By policy, that change will reverse once the emergency is declared over, but Goldsby said she believes there will a strong push to try to maintain that access due to its success.
DAODAS also recently helped launch a support line for people in need of mental health or substance abuse services that can be reached 24/7 at 1-844-724-6737.
Recovery residences
Another area of the recovery community that’s been significantly impacted by the pandemic are recovery residences, shared living spaces for people suffering from addiction to focus on their sobriety.
Many of these homes, which are unregulated and largely unfunded by the government, chose to stop accepting new residents during the past few months to follow social distancing guidelines and mitigate the risk of spreading the virus.
“We were already in an epidemic,” Mike Todd, head of the South Carolina Alliance for Recovery Residences, said, expressing concern for how this will impact those trying to find a place to recover.
One such residence that didn’t stop taking residents in Horry County is the Recovery Ranch, which nearly doubled its population during the past few months.
As many as 60 residents, a mix of people who have suffered from addiction, mental illness or both, have lived at one time among 70 animals on the 39-acre property in the Loris area, according to Christa Reynolds, who runs the ranch with her husband.
Reynolds said the decision on whether to keep accepting new residents was a struggle, and some current residents expressed concerns, but it came down to doing what they believed was right.
She noted that they have new people isolate for a few days and encourage social distancing and increased hand washing, though they can’t leave out hand sanitizer because residents might drink it for its alcohol content.
Derrick MacGregor, who has been living at the ranch about eight months, said he was initially vocal about not wanting to invite the increased possibility of spreading COVID-19, but he quickly realized that people were in desperate need.
“Sometimes you just have to suck it up and help save someone’s life,” he said.
Shepherd is one of those people that benefited from that decision, and he’s been living at the ranch about two weeks.
“Sobriety is a 24-hour job,” he said. “This is teaching me it’s possible.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 9:20 AM.
