Facing the Holidays in Recovery

Recovery from substance abuse is a life-changing experience that defines your inner strength and ability
to overcome unimaginable strongholds. Use this inner resilience to celebrate the holidays and your new
healthy lifestyle without compromising your personal growth by managing your triggers, cravings, and
urges with a relapse prevention plan.

Managing Triggers
Triggers are things we encounter that prompt an unhealthy behavioral response, like the use of
substances to cope with reminders of our previous behaviors or traumatic experiences. Certain people or
places may pose as triggers for relapse, as well as specific emotions, thoughts, images of drugs, and
familiar situations – even smells can trigger a memory and initiate cravings. During the holidays, triggers
increase as we typically have added stressors like financial concerns, family conflict, longer work hours,
and increased social gatherings. Maintaining abstinence during the holidays may prove more difficult
when we experience social isolation or estrangement from family, however, some triggers come disguised
as celebrations such as a holiday or birthday. Identifying personal triggers and accepting the
responsibility for managing them is a crucial part of recovery.

Managing Cravings
Drug cravings significantly increase the risk of relapse, may continue to occur many years into recovery,
and can last as long as 20 minutes after cravings and urges begin (Product Prototypes to Combat Drug
Craving Challenge, 2022). Healthy distractions, yoga, meditation, and social support may help to
decrease the relapse potential during intense cravings and urges to use a drug. Maintaining a healthy
lifestyle may help decrease relapse potential (healthy diet, regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and proper
hydration), as does remaining actively involved with your community and sober friendships.

Relapse Prevention
Managing triggers, cravings, and urges to effectively prevent relapse requires planning, the ability to
proactively avoid risky situations, or utilizing effective coping skills when avoidance is not an option. A
relapse prevention plan identifies personal triggers, healthy ways to respond to those triggers, and people
to contact if social support becomes necessary. It is sometimes difficult in the face of a trigger to explain
to a friend or family member what you need from them, so explain this to them beforehand. If you find it
difficult to ask for help, share with them a code word to indicate that you are in a potential relapse
situation so that they understand what you need when you contact them for support.

In Closing
As the holidays quickly approach, take measures to protect the sobriety you worked so hard
to achieve! If you find that the holidays or other celebrations pose a relapse trigger for you, create new
traditions that promote abstinence and involve recovering friends and family members in these traditions.
If you experience a lapse or relapse, know that this is a common occurrence and is considered part of the
recovery process (Louie, 2021). Remember that you are not starting over from Day 1; consider it a
temporary setback. Examine the events leading up to the relapse episode to identify specific triggers that
contributed to the behavior, seek out possible holes in your relapse prevention plan, then apply the new
knowledge to be better equipped for future situations. If you need help creating a rock-solid relapse
prevention plan, a mental health professional can help. Call our office today to schedule an appointment
with one of our licensed clinical addiction specialists.
Happy holidays!

References

Louie, S. (2021, May 11). Relapse Is a Part of Recovery. Retrieved from Psychology Today:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minority-report/202105/relapse-is-part-recovery
Product Prototypes to Combat Drug Craving Challenge. (2022, October 19). Retrieved from National

Institute on Drug Abuse: https://nida.nih.gov/research/nida-research-programs-activities/nida-
challenges-program/product-prototypes-combat-drug-craving

By Vicki Howe, LCMHC, LCAS
​#holidaysinrecovery

We all arrive at turning points in life, places of transition that require us to step into the darkness of the
unknown. Within these periods of change, we often become anxious and fearful. Some common major
life transitions for adults include becoming a parent, developing a medical illness, retirement, divorce, and
becoming an empty-nester, just to name a few. Transitions have a common golden thread – facing an
unknown future after building comfort in a routine lifestyle. As intimidating as change may be, it remains
inevitable and our approach to these transitions dictates our level of difficulty within the experience. Along
the golden thread lies reactions to change like denial of reality, fighting the inevitable, and liberation
through embracing change.

Denial of Reality
Avoiding the reality of a life event and refusing to acknowledge that an adjustment is necessary only
serves to prolong the healing process. In raging against the truth of a new reality, we lie to ourselves to
justify the avoidance of change. In the words of journalist Nikki Rosen, “No denial of the truth will ever
invalidate it (Rosen, 2013).”

Fighting the Inevitable
Often, we become angry when life forces change upon us. No longer denying the reality of the situation,
we focus on the perception of unfairness. During such a reaction, we may appear angry or bitter to those
we encounter in daily life, and it may begin to affect our relationships. Anger is a secondary emotion that
frequently erupts from a place of fear, helplessness, or shame.

We can embrace change by accepting the losses of the life we once knew and acknowledging the need
to move forward. According to Thomas & Wang (2022), acceptance of the situation allows us a sense of
freedom from attempting to control circumstances that we are powerless to change. In the words of C.S.
Lewis, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the
ending (Alaili, 2021).” This perspective provides us with a new vantage point, a place in which to witness
future possibilities.
Life’s transitions can be difficult and traveling the path of change is rarely easy. If you find yourself in a
period of change that is difficult to brave alone, a mental health professional can provide the guidance
you need for liberation through embracing change.

​
by Vicki Howe, LCMHC, LCAS, 12/1/2022

References
Alaili, A. (2021, January 2). You Can’t Go Back & Change the Beginning. Retrieved from Entrepreneur

Post: https://www.entrepreneurpost.com/2021/01/02/you-cant-go-back-and-change-the-
beginning-but-you-can-start-where-you-are-and-change-the-ending-c-s-lewis/

Rosen, N. (2013). In the Eye of Deception: A True Story. E-book, self-published for Kindle.
Thomas, I. S., & Wang, J. (2022). What Makes Us Human: an Artificial Intelligence answers life's biggest
questions. Boulder: Sounds True.