This might include hosting a sober holiday gathering, volunteering at a local charity, or organizing reframing holidays in early recovery a fun, substance-free activity with loved ones. These new traditions can reinforce your commitment to recovery while helping you enjoy the season in a healthier way. Not every family is brimming with joy during the holidays. Disconnections within the family setting are commonplace, but that doesn’t mean you, at this vulnerable time in your life, need to step into the fray. When conflicts arise, you may choose to dismiss yourself from the group until the trouble passes.
Helpful Tips for Celebrating the Holidays in Early Recovery
Let Little Creek Recovery Center guide you down the right path to recovery, personal growth, and long-term sobriety. Sarah Allen Benton, M.S., LMHC., LPC, is a licensed mental health counselor and author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic. When a parent struggles with porn addiction or sex addiction, this can have a negative impact on children and the family as a whole. Remember, even if your loved one is upset, they will benefit much more from your recovery than you relapsing because you wanted to please them in the moment. Find ways to simplify or eliminate travel plans and keep visits relatively short (or not at all).
Finding My True Self: Travis’s Journey from Addiction to Authenticity
Positive thoughts and positive self-esteem can help you get through the difficult moments during your recovery. It is most important to find the right balance for your individual needs during the holiday season. The biggest gift that you can give to yourself and your loved ones is that of sobriety. The simple idea of going holiday shopping can be stressful on its own.
Check-In with Loved Ones
In a series of 8 videos, you’ll learn the BASIC principles of health boundaries and the 5 steps to discovering and communicating your own boundaries. Partners of sex or porn addicts often report struggles with establishing boundaries. If you are new in recovery, you are likely creating new routines and daily habits for yourself. During this time, try to stick to as many of these new behaviors as you can. For example, we easily throw good sleep habits out the window when we are vacationing.
The ghosts of Christmas and holidays past may also haunt those in early sobriety and bring their substance use and “good ol’ days” to the forefront of their minds. Those with SUDs also have a far greater chance, statistically, of having first-degree relatives with addiction issues. So although this time of year can bring families together, substance use may also be part of the fabric of a family culture during celebratory events. Those showing up to social events sober can unintentionally hold a mirror up to those around them and lead to resistance and judgment.
Recovery Support During the Holidays
- And if you are not in recovery, but you are at an office party and someone declines an offer of an alcoholic beverage, please accept that as the most reasonable choice in the world and move on.
- Those showing up to social events sober can unintentionally hold a mirror up to those around them and lead to resistance and judgment.
- For others, the season can highlight loneliness, especially for those separated from loved ones or rebuilding connections post-recovery.
Everyone deals with holiday stress, but for people in recovery trying to stay sober, the holiday season places Drug rehabilitation unprecedented challenges. At family gatherings and social events, tote around your favorite non-alcoholic drink. People won’t feel so inclined to offer you a drink, and they won’t get the chance to pester you about your sobriety. Remember, sobriety allows you to experience the holidays in a new, meaningful way—free from the haze of addiction and full of potential for joy, connection, and self-discovery.
- For many addicts, getting through a stressful situation is not that difficult.
- Our programs focus on building life skills, emotional resilience, and a strong support network to help you thrive during this time.
- Recovery is a process that takes time, effort and commitment, and everyone’s experience will be different depending on their individual needs and circumstances.
- Celebrate the holiday season and the fullness of your sober life by taking time for yourself.
By preparing for emotions, planning for social situations, and leaning on your support network, you can navigate this season with confidence and grace. If you’re facing challenges with your mental health or are new to recovery, focus on spending time with people who make you feel safe and supported. You don’t need the added stress of putting on a brave face for people who don’t honor where you’re at. Research has shown that negative social support can hinder sustained recovery (Kitzinger et al., 2023).
At Little Creek Lodge, we understand the unique challenges of navigating the holiday season in early recovery. Our programs focus on building life skills, emotional resilience, and a strong support network to help you thrive during this time. The holidays are a cheerful and lovely time of the year to spend time with friends and family.
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Many worry about family dinners, and purchasing presents as the holidays quickly approach. For people in early recovery, these stressors can be more severe. If you know Cousin Sadie is going to grill you about rehab, avoid her. If Uncle Brian is going to mix you a stiff drink, stay away from him. If the office New Year’s party is really all about drinking or other drug use, make a brief appearance or don’t attend. It’s unrealistic in all of these scenarios to say, “I can soldier through it.” That’s what Step One of the Twelve Steps teaches us, right?