Christmas is often described as the most wonderful time of the year and while all the social gatherings and over-indulgence is certainly enjoyable, it can actually be incredibly difficult for anyone battling an addiction.
Whether you’re battling a drug or alcohol addiction, here are seven great ways to help you avoid relapse this holiday season.
Plan ahead
You may be faced with many tricky situations at this time of year including the office Christmas party. If you don’t want to skip it because you’re worried what people might think, make sure you plan ahead. Offering to be the designated driver, for example, gives you a perfect excuse not to drink without people asking questions or trying to persuade you otherwise.
Have a focus
Having something to focus on that isn’t just Christmas can be a very helpful way to get you through the holiday season. Whether it’s a new hobby, a course, your job, helping others going through recovery, working on self-development, doing some charity work or signing up for extra counselling sessions, distracting your mind can work wonders.
Avoid bars and clubs
Just like you wouldn’t go to a fast food restaurant if you were trying to be healthy, it doesn’t make sense to surround yourself with people who are drinking. Being around alcohol will make you far likely to give into temptation so try to think of different things to do over the holiday season. Go to the cinema, join a gym, meet friends in cafes and try to find other people in recovery for moral support.
Have a relapse prevention plan
Relapse is a process and it’s typically something which happens over a period of time. For example, you may have been thinking about using for some time so you start putting the wheels in motion by seeing old friends you used to take drugs with or visiting places you associate with taking drugs.
An effective addiction relapse prevention strategy should:
- Help you to identify relapse signs
- Teach you the coping mechanisms you need to avoid relapse
- Remind you where you can go or who you can turn to if you’re feeling tempted
Learn to identify the signs of addiction relapse
This really can be the difference between getting through difficult times and falling off the wagon. For example, in the very early stages of potential relapse, you might not be thinking about using but your emotions and behaviors could be setting you up for this to happen.
You may be feeling anxious, angry, defensive, moody, you may be isolating yourself more than usual, skipping meetings, not eating properly or not sleeping. Even if these things have been caused by external sources such as work pressures or relationship problems, they can all lead to relapse.
If you’re in the early phase of mental relapse, you may be starting to think about what it might be like to have a drink or use again.
Signs include:
- Thinking about people and places you used to associate with
- Glamorizing past use
- Hanging out with bad influences
- Fantasizing about drinking or taking drugs
- You may even start to plan how you would relapse if you were going to
Once you start thinking about relapse, if you don’t have a prevention plan in place, it doesn’t take long to go from here to physical relapse.
Early relapse prevention involves recognizing your feelings and changing your behavior before it becomes destructive. As well as reminding yourself to ask for help, it’s very important to practice self-care at this stage.
Ask friends and family for support
If you’re struggling to get yourself through the holiday season, let your loved ones know.
Addiction can be very isolating and one of the best things you can do to aid your recovery is to talk to friends and family about the challenges you are facing. A good support system can give you an enormous boost and knowing people are there for you can make a huge difference to whether you relapse or not.
Seek professional help
The support of your friends and family is crucial and so is that of a professional counsellor. You are far more likely to avoid relapse if you have the help of an addiction counsellor. Addiction treatment provides an invaluable source of support and crucially, also helps you to identify what drove you to drink or take drugs in the first place.
A trained professional can provide you with different treatment options and offer sound advice throughout your recovery. They can also put you in touch with other support groups such as AA or social support networks.
If you would like to speak to an addiction counsellor in Toronto, please feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to help.
