Maintaining Recovery During the Holidays and Preventing Relapse
Holidays can bring anxiety and stress as well, especially for those who are in the early recovery stages.
Holidays bring joy and merriment. This sentence is valid for a majority of the population. Yet, holidays can bring anxiety and stress as well, especially for those who are in the early recovery stages.
A person with a previous substance use disorder or addiction to alcohol will find many triggers around them during the festivities. Holidays affect recovering individuals the most since there’s no restriction to drinking and partying during this time. Maintaining sobriety and preventing relapse is the hardest in the holiday season. However, there’re ways to maintain recovery in this time. The following tips will help if you strictly stick to them.
Prioritize Self-Care
You and your health should always be your first concern. It’s obvious that you know already most or all of the triggers that provoke you to get high or drunk. Therefore, only you can keep yourself away from those. Talk to family members and relatives too if you think you need their cooperation to help you through these challenging times.
Holidays can give rise to anger, anxiety, and depression. Look out for your mental health. Stay hydrated, get enough sleep, and don’t miss out on the fun parts of the festivals. Take care of your needs, and ask for help when necessary. Remember, the journey of recovery will be hard, but you should be your greatest ally in this. So, be well-acquainted with self-care.Plan Ahead
Planning helps you stick to the rules. The holidays are approaching. There’ll be toasting with wine, varieties of eggnogs, old drinking buddies, and every possible trigger surrounding you.
Planning includes finding escape routes beforehand for events where you would drink inevitably in the past. If you are to go to such a party, take a friend with you who is also maintaining sobriety. You can also drive yourself so that you have to remain sober to be back by yourself.
Don’t let the triggers get to you. Plan what excuses you’re going to give if you don’t plan to explain to someone about your recovery. You can always ask for alternatives; if someone offers you a drink, you can politely tell them you’re comfortable with soda.
Keep your holiday relapse prevention plans ready. Don’t wait for the events to start. Planning advanced has its perks. Outpatient recovery schemes for addiction and substance abuse mean that the patient has to be accountable for his actions. Since you’re the one responsible here, you need to set some rules.
Remind yourself again and again that you cannot give in to weakness.Add New Activities
There must be certain events where you’d drink a lot or get high in the past. If you’re new to recovery, these places or activities might be stressful for you to attend. It’s better to avoid these events if you’re only a few months into the recovery. You can plan other activities to replace these with such as:
Doing voluntary work
Staying home and watching movies or reading books
Hang out with friends and relatives who plan to stay sober
There should be a dozen more activities to do rather than going to a party that has the probability to trigger a relapse.Stay Close to Support Networks
Do you often go to support group meetings or plan to go? The AA, NA, or Smart Recovery meetings might be more useful than ever during the holidays. They can be your escape routes from triggers. Find nearby support group meetings and attend more often in this season. The holiday triggers might give rise to anger, loneliness, guiltiness, and tides of emotions in you. Having your sponsor with you and a support network close will help greatly in this case.
Consider taking your support group friend/friends with you to events. They can hold you accountable. Even staying connected to one or more of them through a phone call or a group chat will do wonders. Find a friend, family, or a relative who understands and can help you. They can help you stay away from probable triggers.Be Honest and Say ‘No’
This is a crucial point. There will always be some of your relatives and friends who remind you of old times. Some might not know about you trying to have a sober holiday. Some will insist that you toast with wine to keep up with the traditions. You need to be honest if you want these to not happen.
Tell your friends and family that some of their actions might affect your recovery. Let them know when you need to be alone or leave a party. Learn to say no. Don’t let peer pressure mess with your recovery process.
Final Words
If you want a smooth recovery, stick to these tips. Also, follow the holidays and recovery worksheet (if any) given by your sponsor or support group. Relapses can happen, and it’s only natural, but try your best to maintain your recovery during the holidays. Above all, take care of yourself.
While we all get our share of ups and downs in life, our team at Next Level Recovery Associates will help you face and overcome those issues head-on. By providing emotional support and knowledge; enlighten you to have a better perspective on life. We will not only hold your hand throughout the recovery process but also prepare you for long-term recovery. Our unique approach to helping individuals heal stands out with our passion and expertise.
Do you or a loved one need help with recovery and coaching treatments? Contact us today for a free consultation, and it might be one of the best decisions you ever made. Our passion and expertise make our services go over the next level and help YOU get better at life.