By LYLE R. FRIED, CAP, ICADC, CHC In Addiction Recovery, Relationships and Addiction, Tools for Recovery
Posted November 16, 2017
If you’re considering entering a rehab facility, the holidays might seem like the least appealing time to get started. But while you may be hesitant to miss out on the festivities, entering rehab over the holidays can benefit you for a number of reasons.
Before you decide to postpone rehab until after the holiday season, consider the following reasons to start your addiction recovery now.
Avoid Holiday Triggers
The holidays can often amplify drug and alcohol abuse, causing addicts to spiral out of control.
Although it’s supposedly the happiest time of year, holiday season also breeds anxiety. Family expectations, financial strain, exhaustion, and other factors cause high stress levels. According to the American Psychological Association, for instance, nearly half of American women experience more stress during the holidays. They typically cope by overeating, drinking alcohol, or engaging in other unhealthy behaviors.
Additionally, the holidays are a time for celebration, and drinking and drug use peak. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that people are more likely to drink beyond their limits during the holidays than at any other time of the year. As a result, alcohol-related traffic incidents increase by 25% in December.
It’s also common for addicts to be triggered by memories of previous holidays spent binging on drugs or alcohol. Because partying is so widely accepted during this season, family members and friends may not notice anything unusual or dangerous about their loved one’s behavior. And while people drink and use drugs more during the holidays, they’re also the least likely to seek help at this time.
All of the stress, partying, and other triggers associated with the holiday season make it a dangerous time for addicts. On the other hand, rehab is a safe and supportive environment to spend the holidays while getting started on your recovery.
Give Your Family the Gift of Sobriety
Sobriety is the best possible gift you can give your family for the holidays. Once you’ve completed recovery, you’ll be a more loving, dependable, honest, and attentive family member. You’ll be able to restore the bonds that may have been damaged or broken by your addiction.
While you’ll miss out on the holidays with your family this time around, they’ll appreciate that you’re doing what is best for all of you.
Many addicts have memories of causing painful or uncomfortable moments during the holidays, or starting family conflicts. If you complete recovery now, you’ll be able to enjoy many future holidays with your family in sobriety. You’ll have the chance to create happier holiday memories together.
Schedule Time Off From School or Work
If you have a job or are in school, it’s never easy to take time off for addiction recovery. But it’s common to take vacations around November and December, and you may feel more comfortable scheduling some time for rehab during the holiday season.
College students have enough time off for Winter Break to nearly complete a stay in rehab without missing class.
If you have children, going to rehab during the holidays, while they have time off of school, will be less disruptive to their schedules.
Find Shorter Waitlists
Typically, waitlists are shorter for rehab centers near the end of the year, making it easier to get into a quality facility. With the facility less full, you’re also likely to get more individualized attention and care.
Take Action
For many addicts, it’s never the right time to go to rehab. If you allow yourself to make an excuse now, what will stop you from finding more excuses in the future?
Every day you don’t seek help, you continue to put yourself and others at risk. Drug and alcohol use are associated with heart disease, anxiety, depression, and some cancers, and drug overdose deaths in the United States have increased over 137% since 2000 alone.
The risk of drug and alcohol abuse increases during the holidays, when both alcohol-related traffic accidents and drug overdoses are more prevalent. In addition, substance abuse changes your brain chemistry, and the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to reverse these changes.
While the holidays may seem like a difficult time to go to rehab, waiting will only make it harder.
And although you may feel disappointed about missing the festivities, sobriety is the best gift you can give yourself and your family. Call The Shores Treatment & Recovery today to give your family the gift of sobriety.
