HARTFORD, Conn. _ The number of deaths from drug overdose in Connecticut increased more than 20% in the first five months of 2020, and experts blame stress and the isolation from the coronavirus pandemic for the jump.
There were 531 overdose deaths in Connecticut from January through May, compared with 435 during the same period last year, according to the state Department of Public Health, an increase of 22%. At that rate, the state is on track to surpass last year's record total of 1,200 overdose deaths.
Among them was Drew Funk, a 25-year-old, promising musician who lost his job at a New Haven brew pub as the state shut down in March. Up until then, Funk's family was confident he had been winning his long-running battle against addiction.
"Life was canceled and he was put into isolation, and for somebody that struggles, that is one of the scariest, darkest places to be," said his mother, Kristen Deitz, who was first to hear the news. "The only thing to run to is that old friend.
"He was doing so good. A year earlier, I could have expected the call. That Tuesday at 3:55 p.m., it was the last thing I ever in the world expected."
Addiction service workers suspect the pandemic is at least partly to blame for the increase in deaths. With social distancing rules in place, those struggling with addiction have been cut off from a number of treatment options, including in-person meetings and support services.
Beyond access to services, the pandemic has had far-reaching effects, from increasing stress to disrupting coping mechanisms and creating economic hardships.
"A lot of my clients have lost loved ones or somebody that's been close to them," said Jacqueline McDermott-Selman, a substance abuse counselor in Windsor. "Or there's not knowing where your next meal's going to come from, fear of being evicted. ... I have plenty of clients who were doing good _ changing their environments or employment or what have you _ relapse. And the fear of going back to where they've been has greatly increased."
At least five of her former patients have died of overdoses since March, and many more than usual are relapsing or teetering on the edge, McDermott-Selman said.
People who decided to seek help for the first time during the pandemic also faced an uphill climb without the benefit of physical and social support.
Kevin Shuler is one of about 15 emergency department recovery coaches who respond to area hospitals when someone is in crisis due to substance use disorder. In March, when the hospitals took necessary precautions against the coronavirus, coaches were left struggling to forge connections over the phone rather than meet with potential clients in person.
The first few times Shuler, who's two years sober, tried to counsel addicts that way, he thought he must sound like a telemarketer.
"Most important is just to be tangible evidence and living proof that recovery is possible, and I've been in that exact position multiple times _ I've been in the bed in the hospital many times filled with hopelessness, fear and, you know, volatile emotions," said Shuler, who now works with Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery. "Not having that up close and personal interaction with someone definitely made it really difficult to fortify that connection."
