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Little Rock addiction recovery center sees spike in admissions amid COVID-19 pandemic

At Serenity Park Recovery Center in Little Rock, phone and website traffic are both up over 50 percent.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Many of us may be feeling lonely and apprehensive right now as we continue to social distance. 

For people struggling with addiction, those feelings can be magnified. At Serenity Park Recovery Center in Little Rock, they are watching their numbers grow. 

Tucker Martin, the director of market development, said they've had to increase their staff in their admissions department to handle the volume of inquiries. 

The Treatment Coordinator Scott Passafiume said they want Arkansans to know there's no better time than now to ask for help.

"We help each other recover, we don't recover on our own," he said. 

Passafiume described recovery as a "we" program. 

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This missing puzzle piece is why he said isolation can be dangerous for those fighting substance abuse. 

"We stay in our addiction, we end up using too much of the substance, we stay in self-pity," Passafiume said. 

These heightened feelings of desperation causing more people to reach out, according to Martin. 

"We've had a huge surge in inquiries," he said. 

Phone and website traffic at Serenity Park Recovery Center both are up over 50 percent, but Martin said that's not the only spike taking place. 

"Quite frankly, the level of commitment that we're seeing from people who are in treatment is a little bit higher right now," he said. 

Treatment that Martin said has roughly stayed the same as it was before COVID-19. 

"The big change is the fact that we've eliminated on and off-campus participation in face to face recovery groups," he said. 

These meetings now being held on Zoom, with no outside visitors allowed and regular health screenings are the only things altered in this therapy environment, according to Passafiume. 

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"We still do everything just like we did before and then once we bring them in, they're clients like everybody else," he said. 

Martin said the staff wants Arkansans to know it may seem dark now, but hope is possible for the future. 

"There's light at the end of that tunnel and part of the process is reaching out and seeking help," he said. 

If you want to reach out for help, you can call their number at 501-313-0066 or go to their website

Phones are answered 24 hours a day.

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