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Beach House Recovery Center » Blog » How Families Can Help or Hurt Your Recovery This Holiday Season and What to Do
Will you be celebrating the holidays with family this year? If so, learn what three addiction triggers to watch for—and, how to manage them with your family’s help.
Your family can help or hurt your recovery. This reality is important to bear in mind at any time of the year— but especially during the holiday season, when, with Christmas and New Year’s just around the corner, many of us will be spending extended time with our families or attending family holiday parties.
Every family affected by an addiction is unique; every family system has its individual strengths, history and pathologies; and, the family dynamics of addiction can be complex and painful to navigate. That said, some general knowledge about how your family can help or hurt your recovery—including what you can do to invite the positive involvement of family in your recovery—can strengthen your recovery. On that note, this article will explore:
Research in the journal, Addiction, has shed light on the biggest and most common relapse triggers for people in recovery. Strikingly, many of these “high-risk situations” can involve family, and can be further aggravated by the added context of the holidays. By way of an illustration, “social pressure” is one big relapse trigger, accounting for 20 percent of relapse episodes. And even social pressure that is as subtle as “being around others who are drinking” can trigger relapse, according to the study authors.
Now add the holidays—a prime time for excess alcohol consumption—and the pressure to drink intensifies greatly. That’s illustrated by data from the group, Alcohol Monitoring Systems, which found that drinking violations by DUI offenders went up 33 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
“These individuals are being monitored every 30 minutes, and they know they’re going to be caught,” AMS Vice President Lou Sugo said, in an article in Statesman Journal. “You can imagine the [holiday] rate of drinking for those who aren’t being monitored.”
Only compounding the holiday pressures to drink are family holiday parties. 60% of those who attend family holiday parties said a family member behaved inappropriately after drinking too much alcohol, in a study cited in Psychology Today.
In addition to social and environmental pressures to drink, here are two other major relapse triggers to look out for and manage when you’re around your family this holiday season:
In summary, the social pressures to drink (especially at family holiday parties), interpersonal family conflict and negative emotions are the three biggest, most common relapse triggers that you will want to be mindful of and find ways to manage this holiday season when you’re with family.
Addiction is a family disease, because it both affects and is affected by one’s family of origin. Relapse triggers are one way that this principle manifests itself. Consequently, successful long-term recovery (as in lasting sobriety and resilience to relapse) depends to a great degree on addressing the family dynamics that are contributing to an addiction. In fact, research shows that when family members are involved in their loved one’s therapeutic process, their loved one achieves better recovery outcomes.
Take, for example, the primary concern at this time of the year, when drinking is at just about every holiday family gathering: relapse. What we now know is that relapse prevention therapy sessions are more effective at meeting their goal (resilience to relapse) when a recovering alcoholic has the active involvement and support of loved ones in that therapeutic process:
How, then, can your family help your recovery this holiday season? Here are some suggestions for how to advocate for help:
In addition to advocating ahead of time for help from your family, there are some things you can do to prepare for being around family over the holidays:
Whether you’re researching for yourself or a loved one, Beach House can help. We understand that this is a serious time in your life and that the treatment center you choose matters. We want you to feel comfortable and empowered to make the right decision for yourself, a friend, or a family member. This is why a counselor is waiting and available to answer your questions and help put your mind at ease regarding the next steps. Many of the staff at Beach House have walked in your shoes. If you feel you’re ready or want more information about how to help a loved one, we can help today. You can also learn why we are voted the #1 rehab for addiction treatment in Florida.
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