MAUMEE, Ohio — News that comedian John Mulaney checked into rehab after a relapse has led to an outpouring of support from fans on social media. But for many who have struggled to stay sober during the pandemic, they relate to his experience on a much deeper level.
Logan Finchum had just passed a major milestone in March: one year sober.
"2019 was one of the best years of my life. I had a really good program, I had a lot of time in recovery sober, clean," Finchum explained.
Then, things started shutting down. He was laid off from his job and found himself at home, where staying safe from the pandemic led to dangerous old habits.
"I went from being out and about every day working, going to meetings, hanging out with my sober community that I built, going to the gym... All of that, within a month it just completely turned upside down," Finchum said.
He's not alone.
JD Krenk, who uses his experiences in recovery as the Ohio Detox Center's Discharge Coordinator, says this story is one that's become more frequent as people remain isolated.
"There's definitely been a rise in cases of people relapsing, people struggling because they lost their job, because they didn't know what to do, they were stressed out and they end up turning back to using," Krenk said.
Finchum has been getting into comedy while in inpatient recovery and sees himself in Mulaney's experiences. He hopes his story will encourage others to seek treatment if they start slipping.
"It's really cool to see somebody with that big of a platform reach out of help publicly like that because a lot of people are afraid to ask for help," Finchum said.
It gives Finchum something in common with someone whose comedy is helping him on his own journey to sobriety.