Guest post by Abigail Strubel, MA, LCSW
The addiction self-help groups Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous have a name for the holiday season: “The Big Three”—Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. These holidays often are associated with increased alcohol consumption among non-addicts, as well as increased risk of relapse for people in recovery.
Not only is alcohol often served as part of celebratory meals, or used to create traditional holiday treats like fruitcake and eggnog, but the holidays themselves can cause stress or increase feelings of loneliness or disappointment. These feelings can become significant relapse “triggers”—factors that might lead to a return to substance abuse.
So how can a recovering addict stay sober during the holiday season? By maintaining a relapse prevention plan—simple steps you can take and tips to remember that will help prevent your triggers from increasing your desire to use again.
The First Step
The first step in creating a relapse prevention plan is remembering incidents or situations that have led you to use in the past. Do you easily feel overwhelmed by holiday shopping, cooking or travel? Think ahead and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to take care of everything you set out to do, such as buying and wrapping presents, or making travel plans. Take shortcuts, such as buying some desserts instead of baking everything. Maintain good self-care and practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing.
Home for the Holidays
If visiting with your family has sometimes led to conflict or fights in the past, make sure you stay in contact with your sober support system—friends, fellow AA or NA members, a sponsor, or a therapist or counselor you can call if you feel stressed and tempted to drink or use. People in recovery who travel to visit family members may wish to look up a local AA or NA meeting to attend during their visit.
Financial Stress
Between shopping for gifts, traveling and entertaining guests, the holidays can be expensive. Create a budget and stick to it so that stress over finances will not trigger cravings to use.
Contact Us
If the holiday season has put your recovery into jeopardy, contact the Mount Sinai Health System for support and treatment options.