Going through detox is one of the most challenging parts of the recovery process. However, you can experience withdrawals long after leaving an addiction treatment program at Red Oaks Recovery. Withdrawal symptoms can last for months after your original treatment period. Holiday addiction triggers include parties and feelings of depression and anxiety that often accompany your first holiday season out of rehab.
Many people relapse within a year of recovery, but that number dwindles after five years. In many ways, holiday addiction triggers get easier as the years passed. However, you first have to develop a strategy to avoid throwing away your hard work by avoiding these four common holiday addiction triggers. Contact Red Oak Recovery today at 828.382.9699 for more information.
Common Holiday Addiction Triggers
During drug and alcohol addiction rehab, you learn tools that help you get through triggers without using drugs or drinking. Relapse triggers are unique for each person. However, they often include emotions, people, places, and objects that remind you of past drug use. This trigger can stir cravings, making it hard to hold on to your commitment to a clean and sober life.
During the holidays, addiction triggers can overwhelm you if you don’t have a solid plan of action. First, avoid events where alcohol and drug use are common. If you aren’t sure what to expect, avoid putting yourself in a compromising position. Relapsing can harm you in more ways than one. It can erode your confidence and spawn feelings of inadequacy that can send you into a downward spiral.
1. Avoid Holiday Stress
Holiday addiction triggers include stress. This might mean stressing over shopping for the right gifts, fears that you will relapse, and general anxiety associated with the holidays. Holidays are financially stressful, and people usually want everything to go well. During the season of celebration, you may feel the need for additional support.
Consider signing up for our outpatient rehab program. You can take classes and receive support for sober living after your initial recovery. This can help you develop the tools to resist addiction triggers during your first and subsequent holidays after recovery. At the same time, it gives you the freedom to work and spend time with your family while continuing your drug rehab program.
2. Attend Sober Parties Only
At Red Oak Recovery, we specialize in young adult men between the ages of 18 and 30. Young people love to party, and holiday addiction triggers may come at you from all sides in the form of invitations you know you should decline. Find something else to do or ask a loved one to spend time with you and get your mind off drinking or doing drugs. Remember the tools that you learned during recovery and process your thoughts and feelings without judging yourself.
3. Spend Time With Friends and Family Who Can Help You
While many people love to spend time with family members over the holidays, you should spend your time with those you can trust to help you maintain your sobriety. If your family typically has alcoholic beverages to celebrate, ask them to refrain from drinking while you spend time with them.
If that seems too much to ask, avoid family get-togethers at all costs. You can always stop by the day before or the day after to wish everyone happy holidays. Hopefully, your loved ones can attend family counseling and learn how to support you on your journey. Stand up for yourself and make sure that you don’t use the habits of your family as an excuse to give in to holiday addiction triggers.
Holidays often spawn feelings such as the following:
- Anxiety
- Fear of relapse
- Depression
- Anger
- Self-pity
Anyone of these emotions can lead to a relapse. To avoid holiday addiction triggers, begin new traditions that don’t involve drugs or alcohol. You can also remember to celebrate your sobriety by attending Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings regularly.
4. Unrealistic Expectations
Many people set high expectations for the holidays. If those expectations don’t come to fruition, depression and anxiety may set in. Many people relapse over holiday addiction triggers. Learning to live with disappointment can help you mend relationships and set realistic goals for the holidays and other events.
Who knows, the holidays may surprise you if you don’t expect quite so much of them. Also, remember that you have complete control over how you spend your time. So, create a holiday celebration that lives up to your expectations.
Consider attending a drug rehab program with mental health treatment options if you also have depression or other mental disorders.
Seek Treatment at Red Oak Recovery
Relapse is it constant worry, particularly during the holidays. Coming up with successful strategies to avoid holiday addiction triggers can help you get through them without sacrificing your sobriety. At Red Oaks Recovery, we provide the love and support you need to develop coping skills that will see you through the entire year. Contact us at 828.382.9699 for more information about our programs or to enroll today.
