Protect Recovery from Addiction during the Holiday Season

group of people standing facing a Christmas tree

Protect Recovery from Addiction during the Holiday Season

The holiday season kicks off this week with Thanksgiving. It is the time of year that many long for as food and drinks are the norm. For people who are in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol the holidays often come with plenty of triggers and pressure. Family, stress, and holiday work parties have all acted as triggers that have led many who were in recovery down the slippery slope of relapse.

The holidays are a time that recovering addicts need to take extreme caution. While the holiday season can quickly get hectic the addict or alcoholic in recovery needs to make sure they find time to keep their recovery a priority.

It is important for recovering addicts and alcoholics to try to keep their daily routine as far as the actions they take for recovery are concerned. Some may say that it is good for an addict in recovery to take even more action to protect their sobriety during the holiday season. Like an insurance policy.

Addicts need to remember that their sobriety is fragile and one wrong move can result in a potentially fatal relapse. The pressure of a company holiday party and the stress of being around family are enough to make anyone crack.

Going to Twelve Step meetings, sober social events and working with others who are in recovery are all healthy ways to help an individual safely get through the holiday season. It may even be necessary to skip a family or work-event if it is creating too much anxiety or stress.

The holiday season is supposed to be a fun and safe time that is enjoyed by all. Be sure to protect your sobriety by taking the necessary actions to prevent relapse.

Thanksgiving Eve = Party Time!

grayscale image of people at a bar

Thanksgiving Eve = Party Time!

For many Thanksgiving is a time of reunion. Around the country, Thanksgiving eve marks the biggest party night of the year. Nearly every bar will be filled with people who haven’t seen each other for a period of time. Thanksgiving eve is the beginning of the holiday season and celebrations which means lots of alcohol flowing.

The National Institutes of Health states that nearly 11 million people who drink are under the age of 21. In addition, the National Institutes of Health states that individual’s between the ages of 18-24 are most apt to participate in binge drinking. Nearly 5,000 underage drinkers die every year from alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents.

Research demonstrates that children of parents who keep alcohol in their homes and share it with their children are at greater risk for developing alcohol addiction later in life. In general, the holiday season provides people with the opportunity to overindulge in alcohol.

People who suffer from alcohol abuse love opportunities, such as holidays, that allow them to drink freely without the worry of being judged. Alcoholics typically like to drink with others who drink as they do. The holiday season often exposes a person’s alcoholic behavior. It is not a coincidence that addiction treatment centers are most crowded upon the completion of the holiday season.