Isolating the isolated: Implications of COVID-19 quarantine measures on in-patient detoxification treatment for substance use disorders

Abstract

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Addictive behaviors and craving during the COVID-19 pandemic of people who have recovered from substance use disorder

“…To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to examine craving and addictive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in people who recovered from SUD. Consistent with recent studies conducted during the pandemic in the general population, which describe stressors during this period contributing to increased substance use, risk of misuse, 3 and an increase in demand for admission to detoxification centers and addiction treatment services in Israel, 2 the findings of the present study show an increase in addictive substance use and addictive behaviors in people who recovered from SUD. Although these individuals did not have a relapse during this period, some of them appear to have replaced drug use with other addictive behaviors, as reported in other studies on people recovering from one addiction being at increased risk of developing another.…”

“…On March 14, a general lockdown was imposed on non-essential business, and a stay-at-home order was issued to the entire population. 1,2 This challenging situation has affected the daily lives of individuals worldwide, and stressors caused by the pandemic may contribute to increased substance use and misuse risk in the general population. 3 These risks include increased use of alcohol, 4,5 smoking of tobacco, 5 and other addictive behaviors, such as use of the Internet, in particular for the consumption of pornography and video gaming.…”

“…10 During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for admission to detoxification centers and addiction treatment services increased in Israel. 2 Because recent studies examined addictive behaviors only in the general population or in people who are currently in treatment at rehabilitation centers, little is known about the addictive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic of people who recovered from SUD years ago.…”

Impacts of COVID-19 on residential treatment programs for substance use disorder

“…The declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020 represents a watershed moment for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers in the United States (U.S.), as well as in other countries. Faced with mounting uncertainty, providers have made radical changes to service delivery (Rogers et al, 2020;Rosca et al, 2020;Samuels et al, 2020;Wood et al, 2020). Innovation is necessary as existing health care protocols for disaster preparedness, developed for human-made and weather-related disasters such as terrorist attacks and hurricanes, are inadequate for a global pandemic (Mareiniss, 2020;Pecchia et al, 2020).…”

COVID-19 and the health of people who use drugs: What is and what could be?

“…Services are adapting through operational changes to provide personal protections to both clients and staff, including through the provision of personal protective equipment, physical distancing protocols, and alterations in the timing and triaging of service delivery ( Dunlop et al, 2020 , EMCDDA, 2020b ). The capacity of services to deliver is contingent on protecting staff safety, with exposures to COVID-19 resulting in considerable disruption, as illustrated by a case study in this special issue ( Rosca, Shapira, & Neumark, 2020 ). This case study traces the disruptive effects and practical challenges linked to staff members becoming exposed to COVID-19, including the handling of ethically charged decisions about how to respond in relation to the imposing of quarantine and hospitalisation measures.…”