The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our physical, emotional, and mental well-being in many different ways. Some people became sick physically, while others were affected socially and psychologically. Experiencing loss, being isolated from others, and having to adjust to a new way of life caused anxiety and stress that left many people struggling to find a way to cope. Some people coped by watching hours of Netflix. Others spent days video calling friends and loved ones. Some people tried to cope by drinking large amounts of alcohol, excessively consuming prescription pills, or using illicit drugs. Because of this, the COVID-19 virus has had an impact on addiction rates in Massachusetts.
COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus discovered in Wuhan, China in 2019. The disease, which is very contagious and can spread quickly, most often causes respiratory symptoms that can feel like a cold, the flu, or pneumonia. Even though most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, some people become severely ill. People with underlying medical conditions have an increased risk of becoming severely ill.
When people contract COVID-19, they can experience a wide variety of symptoms, including:
Currently, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from COVID-19. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been:
Unfortunately, the effects of COVID-19 have not been limited to physical illness.
The COVID-19 virus caused just as much mental, social, and emotional stress as it did physical harm. In May 2020, just months after the virus started to spread, reports showed that stress and anxiety levels had risen exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This unforeseen increase in stress and anxiety led to a number of mental, social, and emotional effects such as:
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as a state of well-being that allows individuals to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and contribute to their community. In addition to causing physical harm, the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with individuals’ ability to cope with everyday life. As a result, many people tried to self-medicate themselves with drugs, alcohol, and prescription pills.
Unfortunately, all of these effects can lead to self-medication.
Self-medication happens when individuals try to treat their challenges by relying on substances that can temporarily help them feel better. Most people self-medicate by using:
Even though the situations and events that trigger self-medication can vary, most people self-medicate because they’re experiencing physical, emotional, or psychological pain. Specifically, many people use drugs and alcohol to:
Sadly, the more people self-medicate, the more likely they are to develop an addiction, which can increase the number of people overdosing on drugs and alcohol.
Massachusetts has the 15th highest rate of drug use in the United States. Many people believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased overdoses in the state. Opioids like fentanyl have made up a large portion of the state’s drug use. In fact, fentanyl has become the state’s primary cause of opioid overdose and death.
In 2020, months after the pandemic began, more than 2,000 people living in the state died from an opioid overdose. In addition, statistics from the state’s government show that:
Similarly, data from Massachusetts General Hospital shows that there was a significant increase in the proportion of stimulant overdose deaths in Massachusetts.
Other research shows that overdose deaths increased in almost every state during the first 8 months of 2020. The overdose death rate in Massachusetts increased by 2.9 percent.
Here at Meta, we’re proud to call Massachusetts home. That’s why we’re more than happy to do our part to help combat the state’s drug and alcohol crisis. We’ve designed our flexible outpatient treatment programs to help real people experience real recovery. Contact us today if you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or may be at risk for overdose.
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