Why Are the Holidays So Challenging for People in Recovery?
For the 21 million Americans in recovery, the holidays may be a particularly challenging time to navigate. We’ve all experienced the normal stress of the holidays – parties, cooking, shopping, hosting and traveling. For those in recovery there are additional difficulties that come with the holidays.
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Social gatherings with alcohol or other substances can be hard. From family gatherings to work holiday parties, it seems like alcohol is everywhere this time of year. This is particularly difficult if the person is in the earlier stages of their recovery when they are likely still learning how to socialize in new ways without substances of any kind.
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Holidays bring an increased amount of family time. That can be complicated for anyone, but for those in recovery, family relationships often bring up difficult memories and emotions. Feelings of guilt or shame about past actions or struggles are very common. All of those emotions can be triggering and challenging when trying to maintain recovery.
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Change in Routine. If travel is involved, routines are thrown off which might make it hard to get to recovery meetings or therapy appointments. Even if a person isn’t traveling, they may not be exercising, eating or sleeping as they normally would due to all of the festivities.
Read our blog for 10 ways you can support a loved one in recovery.
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