The holidays may bring different challenges, depending on where you are in your addiction recovery journey. Fortunately, these strategies can help you stay focused on recovery and avoid triggering situations. The holidays are often wrought with a mix of emotions under the best of circumstance. For example, the traditions and rituals that you celebrate with your loved ones may bring to mind those who are no longer with you, which is bittersweet.
Protecting Sobriety With a Relapse Prevention Plan
Any support you’ve got https://ecosoberhouse.com/success-story/ in place comes in very handy this time of year. Objective third parties are often fantastic at helping us “see around corners.” If you’re using a counselor, therapist, Al-Anon sponsor, etc., now is a good time to talk with them about your plan for the holidays. Watching other people spend time with their families can be difficult when you do not have your family to be with. You may be alone by necessity, because you are unable to travel, or because your family is not available. Furthermore, you may be alone due to the loss of family members or because of your recovery needs. Even if being without your family is a choice made for your well-being, spending the holidays without family can still be difficult.
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One of the best ways to flip your perspective on its head is to be of service. Well, during the holidays, we’ll be surrounded by these opportunities! Help out where possible, and use the tools that have helped you stay grateful in the past. If you’re going out of town, is there an Alcathon in your area going on that you can slip away to?
Educate Yourself about Addiction
- Before any holiday gathering, reflect on your sobriety journey.
- Include stress relieving spiritual practices don’t have to take up much time, but can help us remember our humanity and our interconnectedness during what can be a frenzied time.
- These acts of kindness will also bring benefits to you in your recovery.
If you’re in inpatient treatment over the holidays, it’s easy to reframing holidays in early recovery feel lonely, or like you’re missing out on festivities. First and foremost, it’s important to remember the reasons why you’re attending treatment in the first place. One of these reasons likely includes becoming healthier for your family, friends and loved ones. While it can be difficult to be in treatment during the holidays, know that the hard work you’re doing now can bring you to a better future. The holidays may come with expectations, such as shopping, travel, cooking, and multiple social gatherings.
- Recognizing these triggers is the first step in managing them effectively.
- The thought of attending additional social commitments and family gatherings may bring about feelings of distress and overwhelm.
- You are encouraged to report negative side effects of drugs to the FDA.
A trigger can be visual, such as watching someone drink alcohol. Triggers can also be completely independent of substance use, such as experiencing relational conflict with a partner. However, one thing that all triggers have in common is that they trigger emotional distress, which can lead to an emotional relapse. • Remember to also take care of yourself this time of year. You may want to attend your own meeting to stay connected with other families with similar experiences.
It may help to ask a loved one how they will feel if others are drinking alcohol and explore ways to have an alcohol-free event. If a loved one says they don’t feel comfortable coming to a gathering with alcohol, that can be honored. When families are engaged in the process of recovery, the outcomes improve significantly.
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