From Thanksgiving to New Years, the holidays are crammed pack with festivities, family and friends. It’s an exciting time of year, but if you’re struggling with a past drug or alcohol addiction, it can also be one of the hardest times to navigate through. Alcohol is nearly everywhere, it seems, and family tensions can be high if there has been a problem between loved ones in the past. Add to that colder weather and longer nights and almost anything can turn into a trigger for people. Luckily, there are a few ways you can avoid them.

Keep busy – If you’re busy decorating holiday cookies or shopping with friends and family, you’re not going to be able to focus on the things that may have triggered you. Idle hands tend to get into trouble, so keep yours busy, even if you have to jump in the kitchen and help cook.

Leave the situation if needed – Even if it’s just to take a twenty minute breather on the front porch, stepping out of the situation is a surefire way of helping to manage your triggers, especially if a family member’s behavior or statements will trigger cravings.

Have a buddy ready – having someone who understands your addiction ready to call or text if you start feeling the urge to drink or use drugs again can help you keep your cool, and the reassurance may help you ignore triggers all together.

Don’t sit around and chat too much – When families sit around and chit chat, topics of conversation, whether it’s people or places, can turn into triggers in a heartbeat, and if a family starts to drag out conversation about one of those topics, it can be even worse. Enjoy time with your family, but be ready to leave the conversation when you need to.

This time of year can be a tough one to get through when you’re working to maintain your sobriety, but with a little work and planning ahead, you’ll be able to either avoid triggers or simply resist the cravings until they fade and continue to enjoy the celebration with family, friends or coworkers.

 

 

 

 

If you’re struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, it’s never too late to get help. Your life is worth saving, no matter what’s happened in your past, and the future is worth seeing through. The day to get help is today. The Springboard Center is ready to help you find yourself in sobriety and the residential and outpatient programs  are tailored to fit exactly what you need. Everyone’s different, and The Springboard Center is ready to handle that. Don’t wait if you’re still struggling with addiction. Make the call and get clean: 432-620-0255