John Lennon famously sang, “And so this is Christmas / and what have you done / another year over / and a new one’s just begun.” Regardless of what winter holiday one celebrates, it is a time of reflection and goal-setting for the future. This can be especially true for those individuals in treatment and recovery. Over the holidays, it is important to keep a positive mindset that doesn’t dwell too much in the past or get too wrapped up in the uncertainties of the future. The good news is there are many tools and techniques that can help one avoid a relapse over the holidays.
The Prevalence of Addiction in the U.S.
Every day, addiction affects millions of people in the U.S. and beyond. This is especially true of alcohol use disorder (AUD), which is also the most common addiction that occurs today. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), “28.9 million people ages 12 and older (10.2% in this age group) had AUD in the past year. This includes 16.8 million males ages 12 and older (12.1% in this age group)” and “12.0 million females ages 12 and older (8.3% in this age group).”
Many people also struggle with opioid use disorder (OUD) in the U.S. This has been bolstered in recent years by the uptick of synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Also, fentanyl is now showing up in many illicit substances, leaving unsuspecting individuals in the crosshairs of addiction, overdose, and overdose death. It is also true that many people struggle with co-occurring disorders of addiction and mental health.
How Common Are Co-Occurring Disorders?
Co-occurring disorders are significantly more common than many people may think. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “7.7 million adults have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders….Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses. Among the 42.1 million adults with mental illness, 18.2% also had substance use disorders.”
These co-occurring disorders can be particularly damaging because one issue can often overshadow the other. This can lead to a misdiagnosis or an underdiagnosis. That is why it is so critical to see a specialist who focuses on both addiction and mental illness if there is any suspicion that a co-occurring disorder may be present. However, before seeing a specialist, it is also important to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of addiction.
Better Understanding the Signs and Symptoms of Addiction to Avoid a Relapse
Now, of course, the signs and symptoms of addiction are always going to vary based on the individual. However, one can look out for many universal signs and symptoms. The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:
- Having trouble with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (hypersomnia and insomnia)
- Experiencing physical ailments such as headaches, body aches, and gastrointestinal problems
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Isolating away from family and close friends
- Feeling anxious, nervous, or overly “stressed out”
- Having feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness
- Not being able to stop once starting drinking or using
- Experiencing trouble at work or school
- Loss of appetite and a lack of care regarding physical appearance and wellbeing
- Exhibiting excessive mood swings
- Causing harm to oneself or others
- Having suicidal ideations
Now, many people can minimize addiction or falsely categorize it. However, as one can see, these signs and symptoms are significant and can be deadly. This is why reaching out for professional help sooner rather than later is critical. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences.
The Importance of Detox for Avoiding a Relapse
Many people don’t realize just how prevalent relapses can be. According to the peer-reviewed thesis Addiction Relapse Prevention by Doctors Guenzel and McChargue, “One primary concern in addiction treatment is the high rate of relapses within a short period after even the most intensive treatment. Many studies have shown relapse rates of approximately 50% within the first 12 weeks after completion of intensive inpatient programs that often last 4 to 12 weeks or more and can cost tens of thousands of dollars.”
One of the best ways to avoid becoming one of these statistics is to begin the recovery process the correct way. For many individuals, this involves starting with a safe and secure detox. A professional detox will ensure that the individual gets all of the direct attention they need at a crucial time in their recovery. It will also ensure that an individual is physically and mentally safe.
Many people don’t realize that detoxing from certain substances, especially alcohol, can be very uncomfortable and even deadly. A professional detox setting will ensure that an individual gets all of the nutrient replenishment that they need, as well as making sure that they remain hydrated. An effective detox will also connect an individual to the next stages of their recovery.
Avoiding a Relapse With Day Treatment
Many people are confused when it comes to day treatment. They feel that it may be less rigorous or effective than residential care. This is simply untrue. Day treatment has been shown to be highly effective and is a comprehensive and intensive form of recovery.
Day treatment generally involves five eight-hour days a week, including many means, methods, and modalities. These modalities include (but are not limited to) psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy and art therapy, and holistic healing methods like yoga therapy and mindfulness meditation.
Day treatment can also be highly beneficial to the individual who needs to keep on foot in their everyday lives. This individual may have familial or occupational responsibilities that need attention. However, even though individuals remain active in their everyday lives, they will have the tools to avoid a relapse. This includes a relapse over the holidays.
Avoiding a Relapse Over the Holidays
The holidays can be a difficult time for anyone. However, this can be especially true for individuals in treatment and recovery. These difficulties can easily lead to a relapse if an individual does not have the tools set in place.
One of the best ways to avoid a relapse over the holidays is to stay connected to one’s recovery plan. This means continuing regular therapy sessions, maintaining a daily routine of physical and emotional health (such as meditation and exercise), and connecting with others in recovery (such as attending 12-Step meetings).
The good news is that one does not need to be glum over the holidays to avoid a relapse. For example, many people feel that they cannot be around others who are drinking over the holidays. This does not need to be the case. As long as one maintains their recovery “fitness” and stays connected to their plan, they will have the tools to navigate nearly every situation and avoid a relapse.
Enjoying the Holidays in Recovery
People don’t get sober to shut down and no longer enjoy life. They get sober because they want a new sense of freedom, out from under the thumb of drugs and alcohol. Perhaps, this is no truer than around the holiday season.
Enjoying the holidays in recovery simply requires a little preparation. It requires having alternative plans when a situation begins to feel triggering. It involves having a “game plan” when going to a holiday function, such as having nonalcoholic beverages available and knowing what to say if asked why they don’t drink. One of the best ways to avoid a relapse and enjoy the holidays is to connect to others in recovery.
Avoiding a Relapse: Connecting With Others Over the Holidays
Working with others in recovery is an essential part of staying sober. It is so essential that there is even a chapter entitled “Working With Others” in the primary text of 12-Step recovery (most commonly referred to as the Big Book). The chapter states, “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking [and using] as intensive work with other [people in recovery]. It works when other activities fail….You can help when no one else can.”
Day treatment is an ideal place to meet others in recovery. This is where one can build a healthy “sober network” that one can rely on when situations arise over the holidays. Working with others also gives people a purpose in recovery, which can be an essential aspect of the process. One of the best places to make a connection to other people in recovery is via group therapy, but that is not the only therapeutic modality that can help one recover.
Avoiding a Relapse: Means, Methods, and Modalities
One must take a multi-angled approach to recovery. This means focusing on all aspects of the “Self” during treatment – the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
The reality is that the recovery industry is worth billions of dollars. Unfortunately, this reality has created many predatory recovery centers that care more about their bottom line than their client’s well-being. They offer only overarching “cookie-cutter” recovery plans that don’t consider the individual.
Here at NorthStar Recovery Center, we know that this approach rarely works. That is why all of our recovery plans are individualized and comprehensive, including psychotherapies like CBT and DBT.
Better Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy
DBT comes out of the school of CBT and was originally focused solely on suicidal women with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it has since moved into the realm of other aspects of addiction and mental health recovery.
DBT can be particularly effective because it focuses on the underlying issues of addiction and mental illness and helps to address the negative way that one views oneself and the world around them. This therapy then works to adjust the negative cognitions (thoughts), emotions (feelings), and behaviors (actions) that drive an individual’s addiction.
DBT works with five functions. The three most critical are enhancing capabilities, generalizing capabilities, and enhancing motivation. Regarding enhancing motivation, the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatry (Edgmont) states, “A third function of DBT involves improving patients’ motivation to change and reducing behaviors inconsistent with a life worth living. This function primarily is accomplished in individual therapy. Each week, the therapist has the patient complete a self-monitoring form (called a “diary card”) on which he or she tracks various treatment targets (e.g., self-harm, suicide attempts, emotional misery).” This therapy also works well with other types of modalities, like experiential therapy.
Better Understanding Nature-Based Therapies
Nature-based therapies can be essential for recovering at the cellular level. Many people lose touch with nature because addiction isolates them away from these types of healthy experiences. However, connecting to nature can be incredibly healing.
Nature immersion therapy also offers many other benefits, especially something known as “connectedness to nature”. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “While cognitive restoration and physiological well-being are the prominent and renowned benefits of nature exposure, there is one important construct that is often overlooked in environmental psychology research studies – that is, the human-nature relationship; also known as connectedness to nature (CN). Various environmental psychologists have different interpretations of the term. For some, CN refers to the emotional bond between humans and nature; the extent to which individuals perceive themselves to be part of the natural environment and their relationship with it.” This “CN” can also be bolstered by additional holistic healing methods.
Better Understanding Holistic Healing Methods
Healing holistically (meaning physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) can be essential for long-term recovery and avoiding a relapse. There are many ways to make this holistic healing happen. One highly effective way is via yoga. Yoga offers both physical and spiritual components that are highly productive tools for people in recovery. It can also connect an individual to a meditation practice.
Meditation offers a myriad of benefits. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “During the process of meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and health is positively affected overall. Research has confirmed a myriad of health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. These include stress reduction, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory, and increased efficiency.” Additionally, ”A study on the effect of meditation on the executive attentional network found that meditators were faster on all tasks.”
Another way to combine the positive effects of connectedness to nature and meditation is via horticulture therapy. Horticulture therapy can be an ideal way for one to bolster their recovery. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.”
A Focus on the Individual at NorthStar Recovery Center
John Lennon concludes his song, “A very merry Christmas / And a happy New Year / Let’s hope it’s a good one / Without any fear.” That is one of the gifts of sobriety – no longer having any fear or anxiety about what the future may hold.
Here at NorthStar Recovery Center, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” That is why our recovery plans are comprehensive, individualized, and focus on the future. This can best ensure that there are no relapses over the holidays.
Recovery is out there. There is hope, and we can help. The key is to take that first step and reach out, especially over the holidays.
Relapses can be very common over the holidays. This is why it is critical to understand the prevalence and dangers of relapse, as well as be aware of some solutions to avoid a relapse. Many tools, like relapse prevention plans, can ensure that the entire family has a safe and healthy holiday season. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about avoiding a relapse over the holidays, please reach out to NorthStarRecovery Center today at (888) 311-0911.