Alcoholics Anonymous is taking its meetings online to ensure its thousands of members can still "meet up" each week to provide one another with some much-needed support amid the stress of the coronavirus epidemic.
The organization announced on Thursday that many of its groups unable to hold their regular meetings were resorting to platforms like Google Hangouts and Zoom. Members can dial in for regular video chats to share how they are doing and to receive the motivation needed to stay sober.
Going online is a way for the AA to adapt to the spread of the coronavirus. The organization's General Service Office in New York City has already been forced to close, leaving thousands desperate to find an alternative option, according to TMZ.
Health officials are concerned that the anxiety surrounding the pandemic could lead to an increase in substance abuse.
"Oftentimes with stress, fear, and anxiety leads to self medication," said Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Executive Director Steve Chassman, according to CBS2. "We on Long Island here have seen lines down the block, people parking on the street for liquor stores."
Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds of the Family & Children’s Association found the situation unsettling.
"It would be ironic if we minimized transmission of coronavirus and forced everybody to self isolate, and the people who are most vulnerable end up dying of overdoses or suicides," he said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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