Rebecca Fabian, a TRU student that's overcome addiction, says the pandemic has been hard on her (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

ISOLATION DURING RECOVERY

People in recovery struggling with additional challenge of isolation

Apr 30, 2020 | 4:53 PM

KAMLOOPS — Rebecca Fabian has overcome addiction and is turning her life around. A student at TRU, Rebecca has aspirations to become a social worker. But the COVID-19 pandemic has put another hurdle in her path.

“This isolation is taking me back. I used in my addiction with my drug of choice in isolation,” she said. “I didn’t go anywhere, I would hide for days, weeks, using my drug of choice.”

CFJC Today featured Fabian in a story last fall about her recovery with the help of the Round Lake Treatment Centre in Armstrong, an Indigenous-based recovery centre. While she has overcome her addiction to crack cocaine, the isolation is tempting her to fall back into old habits.

“Because of all the feelings of being brought up, I have been having that ‘Stinkin’ Thinkin’ is what they call it. You see people using in the streets, and that fear and uncomfortableness that I’m feeling is having me thinking, ‘Oh well, one thing that I used to do is I used.’ I used to make myself feel better.”

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Rebecca has been reaching out to friends and family to talk with them virtually for support. She’s even leaned on friends and mentors at Round Lake.

Pam Jacobson, a clinical supervisor with ASK Wellness at Henry Leland House, says having to social distance takes away an important tool in recovery.

“Connection is the key for healing and recovery, and we can’t do that,” she said. “There are no AA groups or NA, Smart Recovery, so basically what there is is you have to do it virtually.”

With clients at the ASK Wellness-run Henry Leland House, staff are trying their best to keep people going through recovery.

“We do phone calls pretty much every day to all our people,” noted Jacobson. “I know they have access to Interior Health counsellors and psychiatrists online and Zoom. Pretty much we stay connected by just coming down [to Henry Leland House] and social distancing but just checking in.”

It’s more difficult for Rebecca, who’s finished her program. However, while she’s been tempted to use again, she just has to think about the damage her addiction caused to put her back on the right track.

“My family’s not going to want to have anything to do with me again,” said Fabian. “I have a very comfortable home now, food in the fridge, and I like my little home. I don’t want to lose that and I don’t want to lose my family again.”

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