Ways to Get Through the Holidays While Recovering from Addiction

Holidays are viewed as a time of joy and celebration. However, for those who are recovering from alcohol and substance abuse, the holidays can be quite overwhelming especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are in your addiction recovery, here are some tips to get through this holiday season.

Don’t Isolate

The holidays can be the loneliest time of the year for recovering addicts. It can also be a time of reminiscing about their damaged relationships caused by alcohol and substance abuse. Those who are recovering from addictions can take this time as an opportunity to connect with their loved ones to get to know them better.

While there will be fewer holiday events due to the pandemic, virtual holiday events or small gatherings with people who are part of your household are great ways to connect with family, friends, or other people recovering from their problems with addiction. Be selective when choosing sources to trust and open up to discussing personal issues regarding recovery, relapse, or the struggles with addiction.

Be Kind to Yourself

There is no such thing as a perfect recovery; especially for anyone going through different addiction recovery methods. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Years, it’s important to acknowledge all the victories and accomplishments. Reward yourself by planning some self-care after you have achieved your goal.

Plan on Manageable Holiday Goals

Rather than dwell on the number of gifts to get or reminiscing about the struggles with addiction, the holidays are a great way to focus on creating new experiences. This can range from Christmas movie nights, building a gingerbread house, baking cookies, and more. More importantly, the holidays are a great way to come up with New Year’s resolutions to go along with the road to sobriety.

Have Realistic Expectations

With the year coming to a close, it’s important to recognize the post-holiday disappointments based on certain expectations set up. People will find this year’s holiday season to be uneventful considering what others might make of it. There could be people who won’t reach out to those struggling with the road to sobriety. Maybe people who are struggling with recovering can’t handle the pressures of the holiday season as they want to. Either way, making it through the holidays without using any form of substance or alcohol could be the most successful thing anyone could accomplish.

Twin Town Treatment Centers is a welcoming place for anyone looking for help on their recovery from all types of addiction. We have six facilities located around Orange County and Los Angeles County where our team is committed to accommodate all forms of support and serve as bridges to those recovering and can begin their road to personal healing and development. For more information, give us a call at (866) 594-8844 to get started with an initial assessment.