Coronavirus Pandemic

Addiction, recovery and the pandemic

How are people living with addiction or in recovery coping during the pandemic? And how is the covid-19 impacting the opioid crisis in Philadelphia?

Air Date: May 1, 2020 10:00 am

Volunteer Diamon Logan with Broad Street Ministry distributes food as part of a new initiative called Step Up to the Plate, outside City Hall in Philadelphia, Friday, April 17, 2020. The program aims to help those with food insecurity and is a partnership of Broad Street Ministry, Prevention Point Philadelphia, and Project HOME, with the City of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Guests: Jose Benitez, Marina Goldman, Robert Ashford

For people living with addiction or in recovery, the stress caused by the novel coronavirus, the stay-at-home orders, and the reduction in treatment options can make staying sober all the more difficult. Addiction experts worry that people will relapse and, as we’ve seen with alcohol sales spiking, that more people could develop substance use disorders. In this hour, we’ll talk about addiction and recovery during the pandemic with MARINA GOLDMAN, an addiction psychiatrist and ROBERT ASHFORD, co-founder and executive director of Unity Recovery, which provides daily online recovery meetings in addition to other services. We’ll also look at how COVID-19 is impacting the already devastating opioid crisis in Philadelphia. JOSE BENITEZ, executive director of Prevention Point, tells us how opioid users are coping in Kensington.

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