When I was a mentor at a local homeless shelter for women, we watched video for a training. It emphasized that "The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it is connection". This message profoundly moved me because at the time my son was living on the streets as an addict. His addiction kept him separated and our "healthy boundaries" to protect the sanctuary of our home added more layers of separation. So I...we....all had to get creative to stay connected. I began to write him frequent Facebook messages about how I loved him, was thinking about him and hoped he was having a good day. When I saw him wondering around I picked him up and bought him a burger and reminded him that his room was waiting when he was ready. We talked of the future and brighter days ahead. I visited him in jail. I showed up at every one of his court dates...even when he didn't. We kept it positive.
The connections we made helped us weather that hell until we got to the other side. COVID, and other things such as addiction and the stress of life has a way of keeping us isolated and threatens our relationships that have been our sanctuaries for fun, self improvement, validation, and encouragement. This is a great time to get better at staying connected in spite of the obstacles. Our relationships are where we find home...and we will need them to keep going. Make a phone call. Forgive someone. Meet someone for coffee. Give a hug. Invite someone over. It's time to get creative so life doesn't take us downstream.
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