How Do You Deal With Recovery During The Holidays?

December 6, 2021Life in Recovery, Relapse PreventionTyler Collins

It’s the most wonderful time of the year but for some people, the holidays can be a difficult time. When you are in recovery, it can be tough to stay sober.

How do you keep from falling off the recovery wagon during this merry-making season?

How do you deal with recovery during this time of year? Do you find yourself at odds with family members over your choices, or are they supportive?

It’s hard, but there are ways to maintain sobriety during this stressful time in your life. Here are some tips for dealing with recovery during the holidays to help make it easier on yourself and those around you.

1) Put Your Recovery First

During the holiday season, it is quite easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of things. A lot of times, you can find yourself caught up in the excitement of Christmas, or Hanukkah. Sometimes you might not even think about your recovery for days at a time because everything is going so well.

It’s not uncommon for people in recovery to stop attending 12-step meetings and therapy sessions during the holidays. You might be too busy with holiday stuff or you’re probably thinking that you’re doing fine.

But it’s important to remember that no matter how good things look right now, if you take away one thing from this article, make sure it’s this: Your recovery comes first no matter what. Recovery is an ongoing process and at this stage in your life, you have to make it a priority to make everything else work for the better.

2) Surround Yourself With Supportive People

Another critical component to making it through the holiday is surrounding yourself with supportive people. There is nothing more important than having support from those around you when things get tough, so make sure your loved ones are with you.

If possible, remove yourself from family drama. Being in conflict with loved ones is one of the most common triggers for relapse during the season. If you find yourself in the middle of a family situation that is too much to handle, find ways to escape it if possible, or at least be honest with your loved ones about how things are affecting you so they can help you better.

3) Practice Mindfulness

With the new year looming ahead, it’s not unusual to feel anxious around the holidays. How will you make it through another year in recovery? How do you stay sober for a full year when people around you are drinking and getting high? This anxiety can lead to depression, which is a big relapse trigger during this time of year.

So try your best not to stress about things that might happen in the future or even tomorrow. Just focus on being present and trying your best today. When you’re feeling anxious, pause and take deep breaths to calm yourself. Acknowledge your anxiety, but don’t let it consume you.

Another good way to center yourself is by practicing meditation or yoga to help yourself relax. It’ll be tough at first, especially when the holidays are all about being festive and happy  but once you get in tune with these practices, they can become an essential part of your routine.

4) Always Be Grateful

When you’re feeling down or that you are not enough, remind yourself of how far you’ve come. Just the fact that you are still breathing and living is a blessing. You have been given a second, a third, or fourth chance at life.

Take the time to count your blessings by writing down a daily gratitude journal. This can help you realize that your life is filled with many good things to be thankful for. You can practice this when you wake up and before you sleep at night.

5) Be Kind To Yourself

Taking care of your mental health is very important during this time of the year. Recovering from an addiction and staying sober is very difficult. Always make sure you are taking the time to treat yourself well by doing things that make your heart happy!

It’s okay to take a break and not to take on too much. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you cannot cook a holiday meal or if you want to spend more time alone. Recovery can make you go through a lot of changes, but you must always be kind to yourself throughout the process!

If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, help is available.

Contact Lighthouse Treatment Center today.