If you or someone you love is in recovery and are worried about getting through the holidays, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. We have put together a list of tips and resources to help people in recovery from a substance use disorder get through the holidays. Knowing that you will be without family during the holidays, you will need to make a plan to successfully navigate the holiday season to prevent both loneliness and being alone. Filling your days with meaningful, rewarding activities that involve being around other people will help you avoid both. Engagement with treatment resources is crucial for preventing relapse throughout the holidays. If an individual is unable to attend meetings regularly, consider attending virtual support meetings or keeping regular contact with a mentor.
Sacrificing for others is the fastest way to take our focus off ourselves and shift it to the world around us. Being a part of the bigger story is where we find purpose and hope which shifts https://ecosoberhouse.com/ our gaze away from the self-centered fear of our addiction. Anticipation, on the other hand, is living with a loose grip and being willing to accept the gift that is the moment at hand.
Staying Healthy
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. It is most important to find the right balance for your individual needs during the holiday season.
- Assuming holidays or certain family traditions have to be the way they have always been, can derail success.
- Making your friends a part of your holiday plans will help you avoid being alone or lonely at this time of the year.
- Here lies the rub; our response to everyday irritations may be making us sick.
- Sometimes, recovery involves taking a break from certain people and situations so as to really focus on oneself and avoid bad influences.
- Getting through the holidays can be tough, but remember you are not alone.
These data suggest that most people know someone who is abstaining from alcohol and other drugs. In addition, chemical addiction is more prevalent than many may think. Crafting your holiday relapse prevention plan will help you anticipate your every move, so you can stay away from the substances that once caused you irreparable harm. 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. Even something as simple as practicing kindness fits the spirit of the season while helping you to feel more connected to others.
What is Sexual Sobriety and Why Is It Important
Rather, there are plenty of opportunities to dedicate your time and talents. By serving other people selflessly, you also give yourself the reframing holidays in early recovery gift of not being lonely. The rewards of simple acts of kindness will go further than you think to help brighten other people’s lives.
Please click here to learn more about starting a Family & Friends meeting. If relapse does, occur, don’t delay acting out of shame or guilt. There is still an opportunity to build on the progress you’ve made. Stay in touch with your key supports, such as counselors, sponsors, mentors, or recovering peers. We also enforce a tiered review process in which at least three individuals — two or more being licensed clinical experts — review, edit, and approve each piece of content before it is published.
