If you’re in addiction recovery, it is critically important for you to practice social distancing during the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. As you are just recovering from substance abuse, your body’s immune system might still be compromised. This means that you may not be strong enough to fight off disease or sickness naturally, making your risk higher than normal.
According to experts, social distancing is a means to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. When you practice social distancing, not only are you protecting yourself from getting sick, you are also protecting other people around you from getting infected in case you are sick. So, how can you practice social distancing? Here are a few recommendations to keep in mind.
Avoid going out unless absolutely necessary
Many states, cities, and countries have issued lockdowns, quarantine, and stay at home orders. Schools, non-essential businesses, and public activities have been canceled. People are only being allowed to leave the house for essential activities like buying food and other basic needs.
If you are in an area where a stay at home order is in place, avoid going out of the house unless absolutely necessary. Ask your employer if you can work remotely from home. It is also recommended to stock up on essentials like food, medicines, and household items so you can avoid going out.
Maintain 6 feet physical distance with other people
If you must go out of the house during the stay at home period, make sure to maintain physical distance with other people. The Covid-19 virus is said to be spread through respiratory droplets when a person infected coughs or sneezes. If people are too close to one another, the possibility of the virus being spread is higher.
The recommended distance that you should keep is 6 feet or 2 meters. This means that if you are lining up in the supermarket queue or the ATM, you have to distance yourself from other people. Avoid going to crowded places in the meantime.
Avoid touching surfaces and your face when in public places
According to several reports, the Covid-19 virus could remain stable on surfaces for several hours. What this means is that even if you have not interacted with any person, you can get the virus if you touch a contaminated surface. It is then very important to avoid touching any surface in public with your hands. Avoid touching your face at all times as you can get infected if you touch your nose, mouth, or eyes. Open doors with your arm or elbow as these parts of your body are less likely to come in contact with your face.
If you are bringing in items from outside including groceries and deliveries, use disinfecting wipes to sanitize the surface of these items before storing them. It is also advisable to immediately wash your clothes and take a bath after going outside.
Wash hands regularly
Washing your hands should be a regular practice. Soap and water will be able to kill the virus.
When washing your hands, make sure to soap them for at least 20 seconds.
Clean the inside of your fingers, top of your hands, and your wrists while washing.
Stay connected virtually
For many people in the recovery community, fellowship is very important. The feelings of isolation and being alone can lead people to drink, take drugs, and relapse.
Even if you cannot attend in-person recovery meetings anymore, you can participate in virtual meetings being hosted by different organizations. Alcoholics Anonymous has a dedicated page on its website listing different virtual meetings people in recovery can join in.
Strengthen your immune system
It is very important for you to strengthen your immune system especially if you are just recovering from substance abuse. It is very important that you avoid drinking alcohol or taking drugs. These substances will only lower your body’s ability to recover from sickness. If you keep yourself healthy, you’re more likely to fight off the virus and not spread it to other people.
If you’re sick, practice self-quarantine
With thousands of people infected all over the world, there might be a chance that you will be infected as well. When you start to feel Covid-19 symptoms such as fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, you have to self-quarantine, meaning you should not be going outside anymore. If you live with other people, you have to isolate yourself in a separate room and minimize contact with your caregiver.
If you feel that you are experiencing emergency warning signs, contact 911 immediately.
If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, help is available.
Contact Anaheim Lighthouse today.
