Information for Our Alumnae:
Celebrate the Gift of Recovery During the Holidays
The holidays are the perfect time to celebrate the gift of recovery from alcohol and drugs. Whether you choose to connect to the spiritual side of the season, spend time with loved ones and friends, celebrate old traditions or create new ones, the holidays are a special time of gratitude for your life in recovery. And like the gift you have given yourself, recovery is a gift that brings joy, gratitude and serenity and keeps on giving to your family, your community and the people you work with every day of the year.
But for many in recovery, especially those early in the process, the holidays can challenge this gift through obstacles and triggers that if not well managed, can potentially lead to relapse. To help avoid that possibility, a good recovery safety plan for the holidays may be all that is needed. Here are some tips to strengthen your recovery and take on the holidays with courage, resolve and wise decisions which can keep sobriety as your number one priority.
A Safety Plan for Alcohol-Related Functions
If you have been invited to a party where alcohol is being served, there are several ways to minimize the temptations and challenges you may encounter. If you know the host or hostess well, and are comfortable talking to them about your recovery, ask their help in making sure there is something non-alcoholic available for you to drink and their understanding should you need to leave early. If you are going to the party with a friend or spouse, let them know ahead of time that you may feel uncomfortable around the alcohol which may require you to leave the party on a moment's notice. It is important that you don’t feel pressured to explain why. And if you are attending the party alone, let your sponsor or a sober friend know where you’ll be and keep their phone number close at hand should you need some support during or after the event. Remember, your friends and family want to support you in your recovery. Communicating ahead of time can help provide sobriety insurance.
Attend Recovery Group or AA Meetings
Knowing that the holidays can be tough, most recovery support groups continue to hold their meetings, if not increase them, during the holiday season. They know that being in the company of like-minded people, who are also celebrating and experiencing the challenges of recovery can help you feel that you are not alone. In fact, many groups have seasonal parties where there is fun, food and fellowship and the emphasis is on gratitude and the spirit of the holiday season. If you don’t belong to a recovery support group, or you’ve stopped attending regular meetings, A.A. has a plethora of meetings throughout the state. You can visit www.alcoholics-anonymous.org to find a meeting near you.
Stay Connected With Your Sober Friends
There’s plenty to do around the holidays that has absolutely nothing to do with drinking. Doing sober things and going to sober places keeps you connected to your support system and experience fun in sobriety. Why not plan a get together with your sober friends that is truly holiday related? You could see a holiday show, do some holiday shopping, have a holiday tea party or cookie baking party or, even plan a night of holiday music and gift wrapping. Being with sober friends who have no interest in mixing alcohol or drugs with holiday celebrations takes a lot of pressure off socializing during the holiday season.
Help Others
One of the aspects of a strong recovery program is community involvement and giving back. Although this is something that should be done throughout the year, the needs for agencies that help those still struggling are more prevalent during the holiday season. Why not volunteer with an organization that has supported your recovery, supports others still struggling with addiction and recovery or supports families impacted by addiction? By seeing you and the positive aspects of recovery, you may inspire others to seek the gift you have already received. So give back, pay it forward or just do something that makes you feel like an important part of changing the stigma around addiction and recovery.
Ask For Help
Although the tools above may be helpful in honoring your recovery during the holidays, there are many who know you personally who, if asked, are willing to help. So ask your sponsor or others in recovery how they do it. Ask your family and friends to create a recovery friendly environment for the holidays and special events. Read or re-read books or articles that contain helpful hints and utilize the immense resource of recovery information that is available 24 hours a day on the Internet. And if you’ve been in a treatment program, call a local center to see if they have a relapse prevention class.
If you have relapsed, or know you should be in treatment during the holidays, call the 24 Hour Alcohol/Drug Helpline at (206) 722-3700 (WA only) or (800) 562-1240. There is help all around you, all you have to do is ask!
The most important thing to remember is that although you may be on holiday, your alcohol and/or chemical dependency is not. So create a strong recovery safety plan during the holidays and continue to give yourself the most important gift you will ever receive—Recovery. Your family, your friends and the people that touch your life every day are worth it and most important of all: You are worth it!