Has Covid-19 Changed Addiction And Recovery Forever?

3 predictions for employers

Everyone knows that addictions deepened during Covid-19. Online alcohol sales jumped 243% according to Nielsen and cigarette smoking made a comeback. Drug overdoses increased as people felt stressed and isolated and their treatment programs were disrupted. 

While “return to normal” with vaccines available gives people reason to feel optimistic, the term is an oversimplification for workers with addictions. There is no vaccine for addiction, and employers need to recognize this.
 

As the first digital clinic to treat multiple addictions, Quit Genius is in a unique place to reflect on what the last year has taught us about the workplace and substance use. Since, how we work and live our lives has changed forever since the pandemic, I predict these three shifts in addiction, mental health and treatment in the workplace following Covid-19:

1. Covid-19 Sheds Light on America’s Mental Health and Substance Use Challenge, With Greater Focus On Resilience and Self-Care

Covid-19 unmasked the issues so many people face with addiction and mental illness. The CDC found that 40% of adults reported struggling with a mental health illness or substance use, and according to a recent survey our company conducted, more than 1 in 4 remote workers reported going to work impaired by drugs or alcohol this year. 

The increase in substance use and addiction has unfortunately been accompanied by rising suicide rates and overdoses related to substance abuse, according to the World Happiness Report. Young adults in particular (18-24) saw a significant increase in having seriously considered suicide, a trend that was even higher in minority racial groups. 

All of this points to the need for employers and payers to offer treatment solutions that treat the underlying clinical symptoms, while also focusing on resilience and self-care strategies to manage substance use for the long-term. Employers must make the necessary investments in the total health and well-being of their employees and this includes looking at mental health and addiction challenges.

2. Treatment for Mental Health and Addiction Will Stay Virtual

Covid-19 has increased consumers’ appetite for virtual care, a trend that will stay even after the pandemic.  A recent survey found that 44% of Americans will switch to a provider that offers a virtual-only or hybrid care model when accessing behavioral health care. Interestingly, the survey found that preference for virtual care is highest for behavioral health ahead of routine, acute and specialty care. 

There is unfortunately still a stigma that surrounds those with substance use disorder and mental illness. Studies have found that virtual care can increase a patient's willingness to seek treatment for stigmatized medical conditions so long as they can remain anonymous and treatment is kept confidential. Virtual care will also play an important role in continuing to treat rural populations where access to providers is limited and hospitals have closed.

3. Stigma Surrounding Addiction Will Slowly Change, Driven by Employer Communications

The negative stigma surrounding addiction is a public health issue that contributes to the fact that more than 92% of people with an addiction are not receiving evidence-based care. While general perceptions around addiction may still be narrow-minded or biased, we are seeing employers realize they need to step up to improve employee access to both in-person and digital addiction treatment programs. So, while the stigma surrounding addiction hasn’t been eliminated or reduced as much as we’d like, it is at least being confronted and addressed by employers, and we believe this will make a big difference.

Employers, supported by digital health vendors, are changing their messaging and communications by reinforcing that addiction is a chronic disease, not a moral failing, and promoting the availability of EAPs and specialty addiction vendors. We expect this trend to continue.

Even as the pandemic becomes part of our past, mental health and addiction issues will remain. Employers need to be proactive to help their employees battling addiction and offer programs that focus on resilience, self-care and total well-being, and provide easy access to both virtual and in-person options for treatment with the understanding that addiction is a chronic disease.

Dr. Yusuf Sherwani is the CEO of Quit Genius. Visit www.quitgenius.com Connect Dr. Yusuf Sherwani Follow @QuitGenius