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quick mini-thread re: substance use/abuse in 2020 bc i’m feeling the need:
this year has been the darkest in a lot of people’s recent memory. even those of us who are lucky to still have money to survive, other resources to take care of ourselves &/or loved ones have (1/)
this year has been the darkest in a lot of people’s recent memory. even those of us who are lucky to still have money to survive, other resources to take care of ourselves &/or loved ones have (1/)
experienced & seen & learned things we couldn’t have ever fathomed, for ourselves, our communities, or the world. regardless how much of a toll the virus has taken on things like your basic income or healthcare or ability to keep on keeping on, we have exp’d a global trauma(2/)
& the thing abt trauma is that it doesn’t go away. we can pretend it goes dormant. we can cover it up w/ smth else - & as often - we can ignore it. we can nose-down try to drive thru it. or just hope that w/e coping methods we use are on the healthier end (3/)
i say this completely w/o judgment: in my experience most ppl are woefully ill-prepared to deal w/ a single, big traumatic event, let alone a drawn out one for months. you know what that means? we just go harder however we know how. & some of us are also dealing (4/)
w/ a lack of options from our typical coping styles. maybe you’ve always enjoyed a shot or a cocktail but also got energy & renewal from going out to dinner or the movies. the point is, you can adapt but the vast majority of us don’t have access to 100% of what we used to do (5/)
& you know what happens when we don’t have a deep well of (positive) coping abilities AND THEN some are taken from us? more trauma. layer on the isolation of going thru smth unfamiliar & feeling alone. feeling guilty even. you think folx overdosing rn *want* to go to the ER? (6/)
now, envision this example. you’ve always been an overachiever, or at least an achiever. yr a problem-silver. you didn’t lose yr job or anything so you’ve also got “nothing (comparatively) to complain about.” you’re “okay.” lonely, bereft, grieving. “but okay.” (7/)
you’re lonelier than ever & you have limited options. you don’t think you’ve got the right to complain, given what everyone’s going thru. you convince yourself that this is just part of it, for you, the pandemic experience. & maybe you notice you’re over reliant on some stuff(8/)
there’s too many of us in general who play olympics when it comes to our suffering& decide accordingly if we should (or even if we get to) seek help given how “easy” we might have it. please. i’m begging you. ignore that. it’s unhealthy no matter what’s going on. but esp now.(9/)
the very fact that u think u might need help is all the reason u need & u deserve it as much as any of the rest of us. if u feel like yr struggling under the weight of smth that’s a bit too heavy, pls don’t keep tryna carry it yrself. it’s ok. get help. you deserve it. (10/end)
