WCC and community navigate addiction recovery through pandemic, quarantine, and shutdowns

Editor’s Note: This story deals with the sensitive topics of addiction and recovery. The Voice recognizes that large swaths of society discriminate against people in recovery. In response to these concerns, this story was edited on Feb. 21, 2024 to remove personal information about an individual that was not material to the story. 

By Xailia Claunch
Editor

The isolation brought on by months of shutdowns and quarantines has been hard on nearly everyone, but for some, like the community of people in addiction recovery, it can be a matter of life and death.

In Washtenaw County, meetings are still being held, addiction treatment programs are still running, and the recovery community is working to support one another. Here at WCC, the Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) hasn’t missed a beat.

Support at WCC

“We haven’t missed a meeting since the pandemic started,” said Teresa Herzog, program coordinator for the CRP.

The student-led group still meets every Wednesday, and just added a Sunday meeting due to growing demand.

Herzog’s role is to provide structure and support for the program.

“We have quite a few new folks that came around this fall. We always have people checking us out and coming to a few meetings,” Herzog said. “I added a meeting because I have a list of people who have been wanting to come to a meeting, but they’re essential workers, they work at the time of our meeting.

The connection over Zoom is different. It isn’t ideal, but the alternative is isolation. And isolation for most people isn’t healthy. For people in recovery, it can truly be a matter of life and death,” said Herzog.

Recovery under quarantine

Alex Stubbs, a 28-year-old political science major at WCC, is transferring to U of M this winter to finish his undergraduate degree. He has been a member of the CRP for over a year and is currently the president of the program.

When the pandemic hit, it hit the recovery community hard.

“It was a difficult transition for everyone because everyone hates Zoom. It’s really not ideal, but it’s much better than the alternative, which is nothing. We are simultaneously grateful but also frustrated. It’s not the same as normal life and being co present with another person. It was challenging to appreciate but also something we were grateful for,” said Stubbs.

But Stubbs stayed motivated, “stacking credits” in his room on his Chromebook.

“I continued taking summer classes. I was pretty motivated. I continued attending CRP virtually.”

Stubbs did his best to maintain structure and discipline in his life during quarantine, something that made his time in prison pass faster. He started exercising, quit smoking, and went for walks often.

He and Herzog even organized a few socially distanced activities for the recovery program over the summer, like canoeing and pilates in the park. But as COVID-19 cases rose, and the weather grew colder, those stopped.

Stubbs is transferring to the University of Michigan this winter. He is now attending their CRP meetings, and WCC’s recovery program will have two new co-presidents.

Stubbs says his success is largely thanks to not just the recovery community at large, but CRP as well.

Herzog and Stubbs emphasize that though CRP’s main goal is to support students in addiction recovery, meetings are open to allies of recovery, people with behavioral addictions, trauma, or other things they may be trying to overcome.

“We feel like it’s important to be inclusive,” said Stubbs.

Outside of WCC, the recovery community at large continues on throughout the pandemic.

Melvin Parson is the founder of We The People Opportunity Farm in Ypsilanti, an organization that supports and provides employment for men and women who were formerly incarcerated through farming and community engagement.

Parson is also in addiction recovery. He remembers the exact date he joined the program: May 8, 2004.

Parson still attends meetings via Zoom.

“They’re different in the way that everything else in society is different now. There’s not this human connection,” said Parson. “In AA, there’s a sense of desperation because we know what’s at stake. That desperation makes us seek that connection with each other through this virtual experience that we’re having with each other.”

Though meetings are smaller now, Parson says that there are more and more virtual meetings available.

“There used to be one meeting that used to have over 100 people at the meeting. It takes place over Zoom now, and there aren’t over 100 people anymore. But there are more meetings popping up now that you can join.”

Parson hasn’t found quarantine to be too different due to the nature of his work.

“I was fortunate where the work that I do was considered essential, and it was outdoors. I didn’t really feel the effects earlier this year.”

But still, like most people, Parson has had to do a little extra self-care during the pandemic.

“I’ve had to really pay attention to my mental health, though. I’ve been able to do that. I do meetings on Zoom. I stay connected to my son and grandson over Zoom. I walk my dog three times a day. I clean one room of my home every day. I try to stay away from the television as much as I can. Staying away from the news is a big one.”

To people starting their recovery right now, Parson advises, “Get a sponsor, call your sponsor, and make meetings. Get connected.”

Stubbs is helping to support others in their recovery, and he talks to them over the phone.

Growing sympathy for addiction leading to better support

Stubbs is hopeful that the stigma around addiction is beginning to fade a bit.

“I think since the opioid epidemic there has been this wave of sympathy. A disproportionate number of opioid addicts are white, suburban, and middle class. There wasn’t the same sympathy given to people who were addicted to crack cocaine in the ’80s and ’90s. The politicians back then had little sympathy, and nowadays, their kids are the ones addicted to opioids.”

Because of this, even though the way the criminal justice system treats addicts isn’t ideal, it is getting better.

“I think there are better efforts these days, like to have more lenient sentences for people who go to treatment. It’s a giant umbrella of issues relating to the criminal justice system, public health, and treatment strategies. It’s not just about treatment, it’s about harm reduction.

Having said that, had I not been forced into recovery, I might not have gotten better at that point.”

Where can I find help?

Students interested in attending CRP can email Herzog at therzog@wccnet.edu for the link.

Herzog notes that CRP is intended for people who have already begun their recovery journey.

“I wouldn’t suggest that people email me if they need treatment, but if they want resources, they can email me, if they want to join a meeting, they can email me, if they have questions about resources in our community, I am very useful in that regard,” said Herzog.

Another good resource for support is the Huron Valley Area Intergroup, Inc.

“Just like others, people in recovery do well with having connections and support,” Herzog said.

“Everything that people in recovery need, we all need.”

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