The holiday season is often one of celebration and joy, and many festivities and activities are centered on this time of year. For an individual who is recovering from an addiction, the holiday season can be particularly challenging.
Many parties and holiday events often have alcohol as a focal point of the celebration, and this season can also be emotionally triggering as you interact with friends or family members who may have been associated with your past addictive behaviors.
Whatever your particular situation may be, you may find yourself somewhat unmotivated to keep putting in the time and energy you have into maintaining your sobriety. While others are around you celebrating and having fun, you may feel like giving in, throwing in the towel, and giving up altogether.
This is an especially challenging situation to find yourself in, and there are many important aspects to consider before giving up on your recovery or falling into a pattern or behavior that may jeopardize your efforts, even temporarily.
Recovery is the Priority
Recovery is something that must be kept as a priority throughout your life, and it is crucial to understand that your life depends on it. Even a small wavering from the recovery road can be detrimental and set you far off the course from where you want to be.
While relapse can be something that is part of your journey and that you can certainly recover from, it makes it that much more difficult for you to maintain your sobriety efforts.
If you feel as though you are missing out on something during this holiday season that has not been fulfilled by your recovery and sobriety, be sure to discuss this with your therapist and treatment team.
Utilizing healthy coping skills may not initially create the same sense of gratification and “high” that you experienced when using drugs or alcohol, but the lifelong benefits you will reap are invaluable and priceless.
Staying connected to your support system can help you stay motivated and accountable during a particularly challenging time, and step by step, you can maintain your sobriety.
About the Author:
Crystal Karges is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.
As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work and nutrition private practice.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of addictions. These are not necessarily the views of Addiction Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Addiction Hope understand that addictions result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an addiction, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on April 10, 2019
Published on November 24, 2015, on AddictionHope.com