Staying Clean and Sober in The Everyday World

The upcoming “Holiday Season” presents a volatile situation for the addict in recovery.  Many times the combination is deadly to the recovery process and many relapses occur during this time of year.  Over the next few weeks we will focus heavily on relapse prevention.  The reasons are many that the holidays are dangerous for a recovering addict.  Today I will state a few of the reasons that recovering addicts dread the holidays.

Many recovering addicts have isolated or been isolated by their families.  As a result they are facing the holidays alone.  A recovering addict does not have to be alone for the holidays.  Many 12 Step groups schedule an extra meeting for that day.  Make plans to attend.  the 12 Step is to reach out to others.  there are many organizations that host holiday meals for the homeless.  Arrange to help with these meals.  Most “Celebrate Recovery” meetings host a holiday meal as well.  These are Christian 12 Step groups which are focused on recovery from a variety of addictions.   Find a meeting of Celebrate Recovery here .

Make special plans for your self and another, call your sponsor, visit the elderly who are also alone at this time of year.  There are a ton of ideas you can do to keep from being alone over the holidays.

Another thing that you will want to consider is holiday parties.  There will be a lot of them and you may even need to attend the one held by your company.  Make plans to arrive late and leave early.  Keep hold of your glass.  If you are not sure whether or not there will be non alcoholic drinks available then bring your own.  You do not have to explain your actions to anyone.  Take someone with you who is also going to stay sober during the occasion.  Be sure to avoid the parties that are thrown by your using friends.   Those who really care about you will not invite you anyway.

The funny thing about these 3 holidays coming up is that they are progressive  in nature.  Thanksgiving is hard, Christmas is harder and lonelier,  and New Years is the worst.  There are more parties with drugs and alcohol the closer you get to the New Year.  For me, even as a child New Years Day was one of the loneliest days in the world.

Stay tuned here and we will get into some specific techniques you can use to help you stay strong in the coming weeks and avoid relapse.  Your recovery does not have to fall apart this holiday season.  A recovering addict can maintain sobriety during the holidays with just a few simple plans.  Planning your holidays around your recovery is an absolute must especially for those who do not have much recovery time.  If you are having problems TALK to someone.   Stop the volatile situation before it stops you.

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