Attend a meeting, call a sponsor, or find supportive friends and family. The holidays, rather than acting as a time for us to come together, can magnify the ways in which addiction has torn us from friends and family over the years. We have tips on how to navigate heading home for the holidays in early recovery, and some tips for family members and friends hosting someone in early recovery this holiday season. Get in touch with old friends–friends leading a healthy lifestyle and not your “party” friends.
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- When attending an event with substances, have a pre-planned way to get out if things become difficult.
- By planning ahead with these strategies, you’re setting yourself up for a more joyous and sober holiday experience.
- Whether you are gathering in person or virtually, your holiday traditions and routines may be facing major disruption.
- If you or a loved one is struggling with drugs or alcohol, call Recovery Centers of America at RECOVERY.
- Here are some additional tips for celebrating the holidays with a family member in recovery.
Practicing self-care and keeping personal objectives in focus adds an extra layer of protection against potential triggers. Moreover, maintaining a gratitude journal can celebrate progress in sobriety and reinforce a positive mindset throughout the holiday season. Avoiding triggering situations can significantly enhance your recovery journey.
Prepping for the Holidays in Treatment or Recovery – 2023 Edition
- On a broader level, the family of the person in recovery has directly and indirectly been affected by addiction and may share all of the desperation with none of the control.
- Find healing with our guide on selecting the best opiate addiction treatment program for recovery.
For those of us in early recovery, the holidays can remind us of past rifts and wrongs, but they also present new opportunities for mending broken relationships. Healthy boundaries and clear communication can help start the holiday season with a clean slate for forging future connections. reframing holidays in early recovery So whether or not your holidays are all the way happy, here’s to a holiday season that is healthy in recovery.
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Learning to survive the holidays without family is a way to learn how to stand on your own. 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.
Getting through the end-of-year holidays while maintaining recovery, especially for people newer to this life-changing process, is an important accomplishment—one worthy of celebration in its own right. Read Kali’s story, Alone on Christmas, for strategies on how to cope when spending the holidays alone. Headaches, sluggishness or low energy, lack of mental clarity, and sugar cravings can all come from being dehydrated. Your cup of herbal tea, non-caffeinated drinks, or the fruits and vegetables you eat can all count towards your water content too. Here at BTG we talk about the importance of eating good sources of protein for our neurotransmitter health or mood repairing and stabilizing forces. It can be tempting during the holiday to eat a bunch of junk food but it will do nothing for your mood or your cravings.
Some people in long-term recovery drink so-called “non-alcoholic” beer and wine. It should be noted, though, that these beverages generally do include small amounts of alcohol. For people in the early stages of recovery from alcohol addiction, these beverages should be avoided. This time each year can be stressful for anyone, but the holidays present a special challenge for people recovering from an addiction. Those in long-term recovery typically are adept at navigating the minefield of temptation at holiday social gatherings.
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This may be true even if you are surrounded by friends, neighbors, coworkers, or other people. These feelings of sadness and isolation can be purely emotional and not related to whether or not you are https://ecosoberhouse.com/ actually alone. If things don’t feel right, you might need to excuse yourself quickly. Have your own transportation, ride-share apps installed, or a supportive friend ready to pick you up.
You will want to find a healthy balance between things you do for self-care and things you do for others. There is no need to have money to give to be able to do things for other people during the holidays. Rather, there are plenty of opportunities to dedicate your time and talents.
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- As such, it’s important to be extra careful, whether you’re staying at home or attending events.
- You are sober, but treatment is not over, and you may not have effective relapse prevention strategies in place yet.
- While individuals cannot possibly prepare for every trigger they will encounter throughout the holidays, it can help to reflect and identify potential triggers ahead of time.
- Remember, each challenge faced and overcome further solidifies your commitment and strength in sobriety.
- Meetings offer a safe space to share experiences, learn coping strategies, and connect with others facing similar challenges.
These are the Sobriety people who can provide you with the emotional support you need to enjoy a stable recovery period. 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. After the excitement and anticipation of the holiday season is over, it’s common to feel sad, disappointed, or a bit down.
Creating new holiday traditions that do not involve alcohol can be beneficial for reinforcing your sobriety. Consider alternative ways to celebrate, such as hosting movie nights with non-alcoholic drinks, engaging in community service, or decorating together with loved ones. Engaging in self-care allows for recovery to take precedence, helping you stave off stress and emotional turmoil.