If you are dreading the upcoming holiday or holiday season, being proactive can help. If you are in recovery, especially if you’re newly sober, this might be difficult to be around. In the United States, the Fourth of July is often a day of celebration, with fireworks, barbecues, and getting together with friends or family.

• You must acknowledge that you need treatment, over anything else, to heal and find your true self again.
• Learn to start new holiday traditions, rather than falling back on old habits.

Behavioral Addictions And The Holidays

The section below discusses this complex interplay of issues. While some people experience an uptick in social engagements around the holidays, others may feel especially isolated. You may find yourself missing loved ones you have lost or who live far away.

Happy Thanksgiving From Landmark Recovery!

Whether it’s no alcohol around you, needing to leave an event early, or avoiding specific topics of conversation, be specific and clear. If you become a ball of wretched energy during the holidays, perhaps your own expectations have become your downfall. If you come prepared to protect your sobriety, you should be able to outmaneuver addiction and avoid any potential relapses. From groceries for entertaining to gifts for family and friends. Other tried and true stress busters are https://ecosoberhouse.com/ taking a walk in nature, journaling, or sharing your feelings with a loved one. Remember, you have every right to decline these invitations or just stay for a short while.

Hatch a holiday escape plan, and plan to protect your sobriety

And if family dinners are always stressful affairs, then remember, that you don’t have to go… This holiday season, make sure that your recovery is on the top of your to-do list. Call The Dawn today to learn more about how we can help you stay sober, healthy, and ready for the new year. Despite your best efforts, you may experience a relapse over the holiday season. It can be incredibly difficult to be open about this, and you might feel disappointed, ashamed, or even hopeless about your recovery. As painful as it is, relapse is a fairly common aspect of recovery.

People new to recovery have many options for a fun, spooky Halloween. It’s increasingly common for someone to be diagnosed with a condition such as ADHD or autism as an adult. A diagnosis often brings relief, but it can also come with as many questions as answers. You can help people who are affected by alcoholism by making a donation to the Cleveland District Office. Sometimes, even well-meaning family won’t understand your boundaries.

• You may want to also reach out to trusted friends or family to talk to them and gain support.
• Recovered is not a medical, healthcare or therapeutic services provider and no medical,psychiatric, psychological or physical treatment or advice is being provided by Recovered.
• The holidays can be an incredibly stressful time for anyone, especially those struggling with a substance use disorder or mental health condition.
• It also gives you a way to occupy your hands, helping you side-step your alcohol cravings.

If you’re looking for resources and tools to help you stay on track in your recovery during the holidays, AddictionResource.net has got you covered. If you’ve had a slip, or have relapsed over the holidays, be kind to yourself. Consider looking for additional support during the holidays through a recovery support group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Set Boundaries for Events

If you’ve been sober a long time, you may already have a go-to answer when confronted about why you don’t drink alcohol. Still, it never hurts to jot down a few more polite responses in your playbook. Sometimes we get caught up in how we have always celebrated the holidays. If you or someone you care about is struggling with substance abuse, don’t wait to get help – hope and healing are available at Valley Hope 24/7. Grab a soda water with lime, a mocktail, a non-alcohol beer, a glass of fruit juice, or whatever you need to feel (and look) like you’re drinking while keeping your BAC on the ground floor.

Tips for a Merry, Sober, and Safe Holiday Season

Given that the pandemic has been connected to an increase in drinking and substance use sober holidays across the country, people may be using more heavily this season. Additionally, there has also been an abrupt increase in mental health issues and other life stressors that could lead some to self-medicate. Traveling may also be more pressured for some and may also be avoided by others. Finally, we are living in a heated political atmosphere and family events may elicit unwanted conversations and conflict about these topics.

Find Addiction Treatment During The Holidays

In reality, however, for many people it can be a difficult time, triggering feelings of depression and anxiety as well as powerful urges to escape, use substances, and/or act out. Clear boundaries eliminate false expectations from your loved ones and alleviate the pressure you may feel. Moreover, reinforcing limits allows your family and friends to offer the type of support you need in your recovery journey. Therefore, doing alcohol-free activities regularly increases the chances of relapse prevention.

Contact a treatment provider now, for free, for more information. If you can, though, consider going for a hike or another activity that allows you to surround yourself with the great outdoors. If you’re somewhere frigid, bundling up as tightly as you can and going for a walk — provided it’s safe — could still be a good way to clear your head. That could be a blessing in disguise; it’s possible that spending time alone or with new, likeminded people can be immensely beneficial.