Preparing for the Holidays to Stay on Track with Recovery

Preparing for the Holidays to Stay on Track with Recovery

The holidays often bring with them a lot of hustle and bustle as people rush around buying gifts, baking cookies, preparing meals, and attending parties and other events. This can quickly become overwhelming and rather stressful if you don’t have any plans in place to deal with these situations. And as everyone learns in addiction rehab – managing stress is an essential part of recovery and reducing risk of relapse.

There are several ways that you can feel more prepared for the holiday season and enjoy the festivities while still making your recovery a top priority:

• Be selective about parties:  You don’t have to accept every invite you receive. If you know there will be drinking involved or you just don’t feel up to it, politely decline. You can always arrange another time to see certain people.
• Do your shopping ahead of time: Don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking about what gifts you want to give. Create a list and start buying presents early to reduce stress and give yourself enough time to get everything done.
• Make meetings part of your schedule: There’s no reason to miss a support group meeting when you add it to your calendar. Plan around meetings so you can stay actively involved in your recovery throughout the holidays.
• Do what’s best for you: Pay attention to your own needs and what your body is telling you. Don’t do anything that puts you in a risky or tempting situation. Remember that your health and well-being is important, so don’t stress yourself out trying to please others.

JC’s Recovery Center helps clients to create a relapse prevention plan that fits their individual needs. Clients learn healthier strategies of coping with challenging situations and managing stress. These are all helpful tools to have not only for the holiday season, but also recovery in general.

[cta] Could you benefit from additional support in recovery, especially during the holidays? Contact JC’s Recovery Center to learn more about outpatient services. [/cta]