Beginning in early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic slowed the entire world. Millions were stuck at home, unable to attend work, see friends, or participate in many stress-relieving activities. Rates of depression, anxiety, and general feelings of unease skyrocketed as people became isolated from one another. With schools not offering in-person classes and thousands losing their jobs, to many it felt like life had been turned upside down, with no return to normal insight. The constant changes and unknowns created an extremely stressful and scary environment for so many. To deal with these changes, people turned to opioids. Many believe that using opioids can be safe or that one time can’t hurt them. However, the truth is whether it is a first time trying any type of drug, or it is a previous addiction once again becoming prevalent, use of narcotics can be fatal. The numbers of opioid related fatalities were already high at the start of 2020, but an increased use of narcotics led to even more deaths. By the end of 2020 alone, more than 30 states reported increases in opioid fatalities since the start of the pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic was the perfect mix of anxiety-inducing and unfortunate circumstances that could lead someone already struggling with substance use disorder to their downfall. The things that motivate people to keep living a clean and healthy life were all taken away. Michael Barnett, assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard, states that the pandemic itself was already “depressing and anxiety provoking”, but when you add the stressors of losing your job or limiting social interactions with your family and friends, it puts immense strain on a person’s psyche. Since dealing with stress is one of the top reasons people report using narcotics, it is obvious how such a high-pressure situation could lead a person who doesn’t have complete control of their addiction to start using again. On top of that, there were no longer in-person rehabilitation services to assist those suffering from opioid use disorder. Although many therapy, counseling, and support services attempted to offer online options, such a big change in routine could cause struggles for people. Additionally, there was increased fear and uncertainty around seeking medical treatment. People everywhere were scared to visit doctors, emergency rooms, or even pharmacies, in fear of catching the illness. Many suffering from substance use disorders were scared to seek out treatment and if they did, they were faced with closed treatment centers, cancellations of in-person recovery meetings, or difficulties in accessing their opioid use disorder medications. Isolation also created more dangerous environments for potential and active drug users. With constantly being left alone, there was lower chances of somebody being nearby to help if a person did overdose and needed medical attention. There was also increased temptations in many homes. People became more and more scared to leave their homes and as a result stopped discarding their unused prescriptions at drop boxes or pharmacies. This left extra unused prescriptions around homes that teenagers could be tempted by and eventually end using.
On the other hand, the pandemic, for some, was seen as an opportunity to get clean. The isolation enabled people in recovery to stay away from other drug users as well as social situations where narcotics could be present. There was less pressure on recovering addicts since they had more time to focus on recovery and were not constantly surrounded by temptations. Some people also appreciated the accessibility of online rehabilitation services. A few recovering addicts report feeling as if the pandemic gave them a new look on life and helped them to seek help. Given time to reflect on their choices, they made a positive change in their lives.
While you may think that the increased rates of depression and anxiety driving people to begin drug use or relapse was the only problem the pandemic brought, that isn’t true. With its worldwide, detrimental effects, the pandemic took away the attention from almost every other problem you would see in the media. Legislators, public health agencies, and everyday citizens began to forget about the problems of yesterday and only focus on the pandemic. Despite the opioid crisis not becoming any less deadly since 2020, the amount of awareness surrounding it has greatly declined. From funding of rehabilitation efforts to educational pursuits in schools, all attention has dwindled since the pandemic. To many, it feels like steps backward from the policy solutions that once seemed within reach.
The Covid-19 pandemic left addicts alone and in a dangerous cycle. Using more and more narcotics every day to battle the high stress situations the pandemic brought on created higher and higher tolerance levels for users. Higher tolerance means higher dosages, which leads to increased rates of overdoses. Along with that, addicts turned to other substances, such as alcohol, to combat having to use higher dosages. This led to addiction substance abuse issues. This dangerous cycle and addiction made it even harder people to seek help when isolation protocols became less strict following 2020.
The world is still finding its new “n0rmal” after the height of the pandemic. Every part of life was affected by it and the opioid epidemic was no different. While the rates of opioid related deaths have slightly decreased since the height of the pandemic in 2020, there were still so many steps taken backward that much work has to be done to get back to where we were pre Covid-19. Hopefully in the near future opioid related death rates will decrease and policy changes will become more of a main priority again.
FDA Insight: The Opioid Epidemic and COVID-19 Pandemic | FDA
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Sparked a Surge in Opioid Overdose Deaths | U.S. News (usnews.com)
I think some of the different outlooks as a result of Covid were heavily influenced by socio-economic factors as well. Someone who is relatively well-off, with a present support system, and time to focus on themselves, would probably be more likely to get clean. Others who were dealing with increased stress, financial burden, maybe without stable shelter, would probably be more likely to turn to drugs. Somewhat unrelated, but I also find it interesting that addiction centers were also shut down during Covid because I’ve always considered them to be a medical service. I still hear about opioids in the news, although it’s specifically about Fentanyl. A lot of people might not make that connection but it’s still part of the larger opioid crisis.
It really is scary how a pandemic created this perfect storm for systems to leave those addicted out to dry. I’ve seen addictions develop and increase in severity over the pandemic, and that’s just with my sister’s sugar addiction leading to health problems. I can only imagine what all that time alone and stressed did for people addicted to drugs. I imagine that support groups being limited to Zoom if not disbanding entirely also affects them greatly. I also know that it isn’t too hard to get a substantial amount. I was given pain killers with structural similarities to opioids when I broke my leg, and I didn’t even end up needing most of the bottle. I had a lot left over just by making sure I took the minimum amount and mostly using over-the-counter pain killers. I was able to dispose of the leftovers safely but it is disturbing how easily I just had a bottle of addictive pain killers I had no use for.