Assess, Rebuild, Connect by Adams Recovery Center

Author:Adams Recovery Center
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: KiCam Projects
Published: 2018-07-10T17:03:08+00:00

chapter seven

Handling the Holidays

Holidays can be challenging for everyone, but for individuals in recovery, they can be especially difficult. Holidays are meant to be a time of celebration, family, and friends, as well as a chance to take a break from the day-to-day stresses of life. When a person is in recovery, however, holidays can create new stress, including conflict and the temptation to join in the festivities in the same way he or she might have done in the past. Individuals in recovery also might be struggling with forming new relationships with family and friends. This might leave them feeling vulnerable, wondering how they will participate in holiday events where alcohol or drug might be present. This chapter will explore some of the challenges that individuals in recovery might face, along with ways to alleviate some of the stress that might accompany these times of celebration.

Sticking to a Schedule

First, let’s talk about structure. It is extremely important for individuals in recovery to develop some sense of structure. During active use, people do not keep schedules consistently. Many express how they were just living day to day, their schedules dependent upon their use. Much of their time was spent pursuing their drug of choice, figuring out ways to pay for it, using, and planning to use again. This was the closest thing to structure many can recall. In recovery, one of the first things learned is how to set a schedule based on self-care and personal priorities. It’s important to focus on the seemingly simplest things, such as getting up each day at a set time, bathing, getting to work, caring for family, and attending meetings. A set schedule protects a person in early recovery by lessening the amount of down time when it might be tempting to fill the void with unhealthy choices.

The structure provided through scheduling becomes a new way of life for a person in recovery, and the slightest alteration can be a challenge. Something as simple as sleeping in one day can have a person in early recovery feeling anxious and out of sorts. So, holidays can become problematic when the normal schedule is interrupted. Instead of a regular work day, there might be an atypical day off. To someone in recovery, this down time can be dangerous. He might recall what he used to do on the holidays. He might just feel bored. As it has been noted, two things consistently lead to individuals using again: bad relationships and boredom.

Mixed with the emotions that holidays can bring, boredom can be devastating for a person in recovery. Sticking as closely as possible to the usual routine is good protection. Try to adjust your work schedule to meet the holiday demands. If you do not have to work, try to remain consistent with your day, adhering as much as you can to the plan that you have become accustomed to: wake up at the same time, eat a healthy breakfast, etc. When you do have to

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