Addiction & the Covid Connection: How Addiction has increased amidst the Pandemic.
In the past year, I’ve seen my caseload and that of other colleagues jump significantly amidst this pandemic. Is it a coincidence? I don’t think so. Unfortunately, the pandemic has brought about the perfect storm for addiction: isolation, secrecy, and a desire for escapism.
Addiction thrives in isolation and secrecy. New clients have reported how the physical isolation from friends, family members, and co-workers has only added to that sense of loneliness. In addition, those who were in the initial stages of addiction recovery but had yet to develop a strong connection or community of mentors, sponsors, 12 Step Groups or others avenues of help found themselves suffering in silence.
Relapse is a Part of Recovery: The Reality of Addiction Treatment
Clients and loved ones come into therapy wanting to end their compulsive, addictive behaviors but few recognize the realization of what it encompasses. People will swear to never go back to their “drug of choice” and I will acknowledge their steadfast commitment while giving them an understanding that recovery should be likened to a marathon and not a sprint.
People enter addiction recovery after years of engaging in their destructive behaviors and I let everyone know that it’s going to take patience and understanding for true recovery to take hold.
The Name Change of Asian-Americans: Why Asians “Americanize” their names.
As first-generation Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, my parents shared a funny story of how my brothers and I acquired our “American” names. When we arrived in Seattle as toddlers, my parents went to the one white couple they knew and asked them what would be nice names for us here in the U.S.
Without much hesitation, they responded, “Let’s go with Sam, Ken, and Fred!” So in the blink of an eye, our Chinese names were replaced with Sam, Ken, and Fred. We didn’t have any say in the matter as our parents thought this would be the best way to help us assimilate easier into this country.
