Addiction During The Pandemic
Nika’s Birthday, See You In Heaven © Nika De Carlo
For recovering or current addicts, a global pandemic like COVID-19 can create the perfect storm. Sequestering at home can conjure up feelings of isolation and depression. A family member or friend falling ill, losing a steady income, abandoning all sense of normalcy and routine, and less in-person addiction services being provided than ever, can all work together to create a recipe for relapse, or add fuel to a current abuse of substances. The opioid epidemic has been stealing lives from upstanding Americans for years, and the novel coronavirus has partnered up with it.
I Forgot You Loved Me, See You In Heaven © Nika De Carlo
As someone who has witnessed a relative struggling with addiction during COVID-19, I can easily attribute some of their suffering to the lack of resources available during this time. The closest rehabilitation center open to them is two hours away, and the centers close to them can only offer nine hours of online counseling per week. While this is significantly better than nothing, it cannot compare to the 24 hour intensive treatment that inpatient counseling can provide. Many rehab facilities have dialed back admissions or shut down altogether, in fear of spreading the virus through communal living practices.
First Anniversary, See You In Heaven © Nika De Carlo
Aside from a lack access to rehab, economic hardship can dramatically worsen substance abuse. Areas with the highest concentration of drug deaths also have heightened economic stress. As unemployment continues to spike, and addiction services continue to wane, conditions for getting and staying sober have become particularly difficult. On top of this, addicts are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, and often suffer more greatly from it when they do. There are a number of reasons for this, whether it be rapidly declining health, lungs affected by smoking, or an income affected by the expenses of drug use. Addicts are more likely to be in jail, where we have seen the virus spread at alarming rates. Deaths from overdose are more likely because people cannot see friends as easily. These are just a few of the reasons that addicts are suffering during this pandemic.
Do It For Us (Gordon) , See You In Heaven © Nika De Carlo
Nika De Carlo, a New York based photographer, documented her and her partner’s journey through opioid addiction in the series See You In Heaven. Both of them have since recovered, and De Carlo looks back on her close relationship with substance abuse through an intimate series of portraits. “I chose to photograph ourselves together as an attempt to cope, to better understand the heart of the disease, and most importantly, to realize the power it had on us,” writes De Carlo when explaining the project. By taking pictures of their experiences, De Carlo allowed herself to gain a perspective that many addicts struggle to see; by accessing these moments from an outsider’s perspective, De Carlo describes that a sense of control was given back to her and her narrative. See You in Heaven documents an intimate struggle that many people face today; life remains on pause, but the reality of addiction continues at high speed.
Once More, See You In Heaven © Nika De Carlo
The opioid epidemic rages on, feeding off of the novel coronavirus as it does. Healthcare professionals are doing everything that they can, creating online resources, and scheduling group meetings through video chat. Those suffering from COVID-19 and rampant drug addiction have many of the same predispositions that put them at greater risk, such as income inequality, lack of health insurance, poor access to healthcare, and homelessness. In a stretch of time commonly described as ‘uncertain,’ there is one thing that remains clear: drastic changes must be made to secure the health of all Americans,
You can see more of Nika De Carlo’s work here.
