Content
Although lots of people can enjoy alcohol appropriately and use it to enjoy social occasions, it is not necessary for connecting. When we’re drinking a lot, we may reach for alcohol or head to the bar to satisfy (or silence) these feelings. When we stop drinking, our needs remain the same, but the solutions are different. These four things burn up a lot of time and energy.
Make this holiday the last unsafe holiday for you and your family. Some families might consider the holidays an inappropriate time to help a loved one get into addiction treatment when, in fact, it could be an ideal opportunity. For many of the reasons mentioned earlier, substance abuse tends to ramp up over the holidays. Addiction treatment initiated during the holidays could be the best gift you give to your family, your friends and yourself. On top of that, you can’t attend your home group meeting, and you haven’t heard from your sponsor in two days.
Stay safe
To prevent a relapse, one of the best things you can do is manage your time wisely. Again, there’s a lot of hours in the day and you will feel each hour tick by at a snail’s pace, especially when cravings occur. With time, it will get easier, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/13-actionable-tips-to-stay-sober-at-different-times/ but especially when you’re jumping back in, keep a strict schedule. A big part of getting sober is plugging you into a new environment, detached from your usual acquaintances, and receiving constant guidance from trained professionals.
For someone who is in recovery from addiction, however, it could be quite detrimental as it could impede with the healing process. There are many who take far longer to recover, or even suffer from a relapse because they still hold on to the guilt they feel while they were still doing substances. Learning to accept that a mistake was made and that it is now in the past is essential to moving forward and recovering from it. Different people struggle with substance abuse for various reasons.
Set small goals along the way
We also miss the opportunity to learn vital lessons that will help us become deeper, braver versions of ourselves. We let go of the past programming that no longer serves us. In this process, we commit to giving people the benefit of the doubt, to setting boundaries, and to using discernment. We may decide to trust people until they give us a reason not to. If they do, we can refuse to take that behavior personally. That’s because the connections we create when we’re drinking may feel more profound than they really are.
For example, attending local 12-step meetings like NA or AA. Surrounding yourself with others undergoing the same broad experience can be powerfully motivating. All recovering addicts have a journey that starts on day 1 and lasts for the rest of their lives.
Change Your Job
Different people could have different triggers, and the triggers could be as varied as daily stress, emotional issues, or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During rehabilitation, there are therapy forms that help the patient in identifying the things that push them to use whatever substance they have a dependence on. In other words, instead of saying, “stop thinking about how far it is to the liquor store,” imagine you walk down there, buy the bottle of vodka, come home and start drinking.
- If this is the case for you, NA beer is the perfect way to enjoy the drink you love while being able to maintain your sobriety.
- A long-term, outpatient therapy program can keep you grounded in your resolve, while also helping you grow into a stronger version of yourself.
- Addiction treatment initiated during the holidays could be the best gift you give to your family, your friends and yourself.
When they do, it’s fair to ask whether we’re getting a good return on our investment with alcohol. Do we really want to put this much life energy into something that offers such poor returns? As a sobriety coach and educator, I believe questions such as “Is my drinking that bad? They lead us to compare ourselves favorably with people who routinely drink to excess.