Sazha Ramos And Rogan O'Donnell: How Recovery Houses Are Hit By The PandemicSazha Ramos And Rogan O'Donnell: How Recovery Houses Are Hit By The Pandemic
I Love Being Sober
Tim Westbrook talks with Sazha Ramos and Rogan O'Donnell about how Covid-19 has affected recovery houses, highlighting the tension between fear-driven decisions and staying in supportive sober living. They share practical self-care and community-focused strategies aimed at supporting sobriety during uncertain times.
52:22•19 Jan 2021
Covid, Fear and Sober Living: Is Recovery Housing Safer Than Going Home?
Episode Overview
- Staying in recovery housing during Covid can offer vital community, accountability and support that many lose when they return home.
- Fear fueled by constant news and social media can undermine sobriety; limiting exposure and focusing on reliable information may help.
- Self-care practices such as adequate sleep, meditation, yoga and gratitude are presented as daily essentials rather than luxuries.
- Online 12-step meetings provide new ways to stay connected, including access to meetings around the world at any time.
- Taking honest, open and willing responsibility for personal wellness is highlighted as a key protective factor against relapse.
“"Self-care is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Staying connected, getting enough sleep, yoga, meditation, breath work – that's the path."”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober when a pandemic shuts the world down? This episode of *I Love Being Sober* brings together three strong voices in recovery housing to talk frankly about Covid-19, fear, and the hard choices people face.
Host Tim Westbrook sits down with Sazha Ramos, a Navy veteran in recovery and founder of Recovery Organization Resources, and Rogan O'Donnell, who has more than 30 years of sobriety and has run recovery houses in New Jersey. Between them, they share front-line stories of Covid outbreaks in sober homes, residents leaving due to fear, and what often happens next: relapse.
As Rogan puts it, stimulus money, no job and no in-person meetings became "the perfect storm" for some men who decided, "I'm out of here.
I'll come back when the pandemic is over." You’ll hear contrasting examples from two houses Tim runs: one women’s home that chose to quarantine together, lean into prayer, gratitude and community, and stayed sober; and a men’s home where a few residents used Covid as a reason to leave and were drinking again the same day. The conversation keeps circling back to one key idea: "We need to take responsibility for our own wellness," as Sazha says.
The trio also question why recovery houses weren’t treated as essential services, even though they see life-or-death outcomes daily. They talk about Zoom meetings, the upside of global online fellowship, and the downside of constant news consumption and "toxic fear." To make it practical, Sazha and Rogan share their own morning routines, from kundalini yoga and meditation to daily gratitude, emphasising self‑care, sleep and spiritual practice as anchors for sobriety.
If you’re wondering whether staying in sober living is "safer" than going home in times like these, this candid chat might help you think through that choice and ask yourself: what really supports your recovery today?
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