Georgia substance abuse hotline sees increased calls for help amid COVID-19 pandemic
ATLANTA - The calls for help to the Cares Warm Line have been nonstop for the past month.
"The numbers are up almost 50 percent on a daily shift," said Jeff Breedlove, the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse's chief of policy and communications .
On the line are folks battling, or recovering, from substance abuse.
"They're more serious, more intense," Breedlove explained.
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The reason for those more-intense phone calls, according to the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, is COVID-19.
"Most people are calling about their concerns with isolation, their concerns about the disease itself, the anxiety about losing jobs, and having loved one impacted by this disease," Breedlove said.
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He told FOX 5 isolation is the number one factor behind new cases of addiction and relapse.
Breedlove said it's mostly women calling out for help.
"These specially trained peers, they know how to listen and point people in the right direction," he said.
The council also pointed out that this rise in cases is just a preview of what's ahead.
"The deeper we go into COVID-19 and the coronavirus, once we flatten that number, that curve we talk about - we know historically that's when we start to see the real spikes in new cases of addiction and relapse," he said.
COVID-19 outbreak is impacting Georgia
Along with the hotline, the council hosts a virtual all recovery meeting multiple times throughout the week.
So far, they've had about 1,200 people join more than 30 meetings.
"We are not gonna let COVID-19 get in the way over recovery, that's just not gonna happen," Breedlove said.
If you or someone you know is battling addiction, you can call the Cares Warm Line at 844-326-5400.
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