The holidays are a time of year most of us look forward to but people with addiction often don’t feel the same way. Dealing with substance use disorder during the festivities is much more challenging during the holidays than at any other time of year. This is mainly because it is a time of celebration and the coming together of family and friends. For someone with addiction illness, the holidays represent stress, making it hard for them to cope with.
How to Avoid Relapse this Holiday
Here are some tips to help you avoid relapse during the festive season:
- Know what your stressors are. When you know the situations, circumstances or events that trigger your substance abuse, you can start to avoid them.
- Keep away from enabling people and places where substance use is openly encouraged
- Take a trusted friend or relative with you who knows of your struggles as a plus one
- Remove yourself from any situation that may lead to you using as soon as possible
- Be open about your addiction so that people don’t pressurize you into joining in
- Don’t be ashamed to talk to someone else about how you feel about the holidays
- Try not to retreat into isolation rather than face potentially stressful social situations
- Be relaxed and be yourself. There is no need to be the life and soul of the party
These tips can help you have a more enjoyable festive season. Also, remember that if you can get through the holidays and maintain your sobriety, you can get through anything and stay on track in future.
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Casa Recovery is a leading addiction recovery center in San Juan Capistrano, CA. We offer customized treatment programs that are tailored to your personal needs. Together we can find the best route to your successful recovery from addiction. Contact Casa Recovery today to find out more.