• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Addiction Treatment Forum

Addiction Treatment Forum

Addiction Treatment Forum reports on substance use news of interest to opioid treatment programs and patients in medication-assisted treatment.

  • Newsletter
  • Addiction Resources
  • Rx Methadone & Safety
  • Patient Brochures
  • Events
  • Related Websites

The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Made The Opioid Epidemic Even Worse

March 31, 2020 by ATForum

Deaths from drug overdoses are likely to increase during the coronavirus outbreak because of disruption to recovery routines and access to treatment, according to counselors and people whose rehabilitation depends on daily care.

Lockdowns and social distancing have forced doctors, social services, and support groups to shut down, reduce hours, or move online — leaving people who use drugs and those in recovery to face greater risks with less support.

The coronavirus emergency has also presented new problems for people being treated for opioid use disorder — the medical term for opioid addiction — at methadone clinics. In order to collect their daily doses, patients typically have to go in person, which has made social distancing impossible for some. Service providers in New York, which is now the epicenter of the US coronavirus outbreak, say they don’t have the resources to handle delivery for all of the patients who are likely to become ill and require quarantine.

Patients have long feared what would happen if their treatment became unavailable.

“This is stuff that in recovery folks that are on methadone talk about — ‘Oh my gosh, what if there was an apocalypse ha ha ha ha and we couldn’t get our doses?’” said Leslie Beckham, who has been in treatment programs on and off for six years, and now attends a clinic in New London, Connecticut. “It’s kind of a running joke a little bit, but now it’s serious.”

Source: Buzzfeed

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/otilliasteadman/coronavirus-opioids-overdoses

Filed Under: 3-20, News Updates

Primary Sidebar

Upcoming Events

AATOD
April 10-14, 2021
Las Vegas, NV
https://www.eventscribe.com/2021/AATOD/

The Americam Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) 51th Annual Medical-Scientific Conference
Thursday, April 22, 2021 to Saturday, April 24, 2021
Virtual
https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/meetings-events/2021/04/americam-society-addiction-medicine-asam-51th-annual-medical-scientific-conference

APA 2021 Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 1, 2021 to Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Los Angeles, California
https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/meetings-events/2021/05/apa-2021-annual-meeting

View More Upcoming Events…

ATForum.com

  • Newsletter
  • News Updates
  • Addiction Resources
  • Rx Methadone & Safety
  • Patient Education Brochures
  • Events
  • Related Websites

Addiction Resources

  • Addiction and Recovery
  • Addiction Treatment Forum
  • Books and Booklets of Interest
  • Drug Screening and Testing
  • Evidence-Based Addiction Medicine
  • Government
  • Health Care Reform
  • Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment
  • Mental Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Online Continuing Education Free Training Modules

Footer

Addiction Treatment Forum is produced by an independent medical communications agency. Commercial advertising is not accepted.
Published by Clinco Communications, Inc.
About Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Follow Us

This educational resource is supported by Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.

Sign up for News!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Clinco Communications, Inc., 1808 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL, 60004, http://www.atforum.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

© 2021 Addiction Treatment Forum · All Rights Reserved