Reframing Holidays in Early Recovery

For example, the traditions and rituals that you celebrate with your loved ones may bring to mind those who are no longer with you, which is bittersweet. In addition, in early recovery you are going to have the added challenge of navigating others’ reframing holidays in early recovery less healthy patterns, like drinking or using substances to party or cope, which can be triggering. Another vital step in the early weeks is to find a sponsor by attending a few different meetings and seeing how you relate to various individuals.

This is a good time to re-familiarize yourself with your favorite urge-busting tools. Check your handbook or the online toolbox and begin actively practicing these tools before you need them, to strengthen your urge-busting muscles. Include the tools that work best for you in your plan for dealing with those tempting holiday events if you choose not to avoid them. The Change Plan Worksheet is an excellent tool to use when preparing for any holiday events or family gatherings that you will be attending over the next few weeks. For those of us in early recovery, the holidays can remind us of past rifts and wrongs, but they also present new opportunities for mending broken relationships. Healthy boundaries and clear communication can help start the holiday season with a clean slate for forging future connections.

Establishing Healthy Boundaries During the Holidays

If this works for them, it is of course perfectly acceptable. It should be noted, though, that these beverages generally do include small amounts of alcohol. For people in the early stages of recovery from alcohol addiction, these beverages should be avoided. • Isolation is not beneficial for someone in early recovery.

This may be true even if you are surrounded by friends, neighbors, coworkers, or other people. These feelings of sadness and isolation can be purely emotional and not related to whether or not you are actually alone. Here are tips for those in early recovery on how to navigate the holidays. We don’t need to agree on everything, but it’s important that we’re on the same page as parents. Perhaps there’s something your spouse thinks is very important, that you do not.

If you’re a family member or friend hosting someone in early recovery:

At the meeting, you’ll have a great time with people who are just trying to stay sober one more day. You’ll also hear people share what they’re going through on St. Patrick’s Day and how they’re at a meeting to stay sober as well. People laugh and share about their history of follies on St. Patrick’s Day, and you’ll also hear from old-timers. Being around people who have been sober for years is always a great inspiration because they can share their experience of how they’ve made it through this holiday as well as many other holidays each year. Until we can meet face to face comfortably, it is a good second option or tool in our toolbox to access those services that make our lives better and more informed. The second and final step is to find available days and times of groups and drop-in hours.

• However, you can be alone and not feel lonely, and you can feel lonely even when you are not alone.
• But, for those in early addiction recovery, the holidays come loaded with urges, cravings, and triggers that can make the festivities less than enjoyable.
• This may be especially important for those who have limited mobility, existing injury, or other issues.
• Part of maintaining an active and engaged sober lifestyle involves change.
• The best course of action is to treat the holidays as just another day in recovery and continue to do the healthy things you have been doing to stay sober.

For a newly sober person the holiday season can be particularly difficult. While most of the world is focused on holiday cheer, addicts in recovery are often worried about potential unresolved family conflicts, relapse triggers, and spending time away from their primary support systems. Many times there are still unresolved wounds in family relationships at this stage – family gatherings can sometimes get dicey, for everyone involved. The pandemic has added another layer of challenges during the holiday season this year. Many people have been more isolative throughout the past two years, as many holiday events were canceled last year due to COVID-19.

The Season of Recovery

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If their family does not respect that boundary, then the individual in recovery should feel comfortable not attending gatherings. Likewise, learning how to say “no” is crucial for those working to sustain their sobriety throughout the holidays. For individuals in recovery, it is not enough to enter the holiday season without having any preparations in place for staying sober. In other words, it is vital for individuals to create a framework that identifies guidelines and expectations that they can use to protect their sobriety. Another name for this framework is a relapse prevention plan.

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I can’t think of a single instance in my life when isolating and pitying myself made anything better. Thankfully I was in a good place mentally, which allowed me to stay calm and avoid getting angry with her or screaming at her that I deserved to come home. At the time, I didn’t deserve anything except for another sober day.