Recovering Online: Finding and Maintaining Sobriety During COVID-19

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - September 22 is the first-ever National Online Recovery Day, which recognizes the importance of telehealth treatment and online recovery support programs for the over 22 million people living in recovery and the 20 million people struggling with substance use disorders.

National Online Recovery Day was created to bring widespread awareness to the tens of millions of people suffering from SUDs that effective online services and support systems are accessible, flexible and private. Online recovery services remove many of the barriers that have prevented people struggling with SUDs from seeking treatment, including shame and stigma in their communities and access to treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that telehealth services are not only widely accepted by the public, but offer distinct advantages when compared to in-person services – namely, providing the highest level of accessibility and privacy. In fact, according to a recent Lionrock survey, 52% of respondents said they would stick with online support services even when social distancing restrictions are relaxed.

Ashley Loeb Blassingame, a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and co-founder of Lionrock Recovery joined NewsChannel 7 at 4 on Wednesday to discuss the importance of telehealth and online recovery support programs.

She said to honor National Online Recovery Day on Sept. 22, Lionrock is hosting a sober influencer panel live on Facebook at 4 p.m. Central Time. The panel features motivational speaker Gabby Bernstein, actor Danny Trejo and actress/television personality Jodie Sweeten. They’ll discuss how to stay clean and get connected. You can join the conversation by going to https://www.facebook.com/LionrockRecovery.

For more information on National Online Recovery Day, head to https://www.nationalonlinerecoveryday.com/

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