Addiction and the Holiday Seasons

The holiday season can be a tremendous occasion for those who are suffering from a substance use disorder, or any disorder for that matter. Speaking with one person, they said, “My holiday dinner was good. I celebrated it with family and friends, and they smiled.” Knowing and realizing that those with a network support system are in place during the holiday season is a significant factor in their treatment or recovery. Not lapsing or relapsing is crucial. However, when talking with other individuals during the holidays about their substance usage, some would say, “It was minimal use of drugs over the holidays,” which, for some, is a fantastic way to be able to decrease and reduce the amount of alcohol consumed or opioid used.

Yes, the holidays can be a trigger for those who struggle to stay away from using. Not all holidays are suitable for some people. Some people struggle with trauma, bad memories, and abusive situations. For me, my father died the day after Christmas in 1991. If I were still a drinker, alcohol would be my comfort during the holidays, but I have learned to cope in other ways by not using drugs or alcohol. During the holiday season, it is okay to speak with a licensed clinical therapist or a certified substance abuse counselor about how best to cope with the holidays and not use. Such strategies as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing can address thoughts behind using drugs and ways to change behaviors during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays. Other tips can be not isolating ourselves, overspending, having a support network in place, attending an AA or NA, and practicing self-care. You matter.

Are You Ready to Change?

One of the ways to avoid not using drugs or alcohol during the holidays is simply not planning to engage in the illicit use of opiates by avoiding negative people, places, and things. One individual I spoke with said, “I will enjoy time with my family. They will hold me accountable.” Others have said that they will go out with family and friends for dinner and will have a relapse plan in place.  For this to work, the plan must be intentional. Like our treatment plan, recovery must be deliberate to see positive results. Also, just being open and honest about discussing how to handle triggers, cravings, and urges during the holiday season is a great way to get to the root of any problem. 

Finally, I wanted to end this post by not only talking about using alcohol and drugs during the holidays but also suicide as well during the holidays. One of the most prominent destructive factors in America today is the rate of suicidal tendencies in our country. It appears that the attempt to commit suicide and the action itself have increased in recent years, and some of the factors could be the growing increase of opioid addiction to Fentanyl and the adverse effects of social media among young adults. When a person is facing committing the act, whether or not they have a plan, method, or intention, they should always be taken seriously and not dismissed as something not worth investigating. The individual struggling with this concept will need support from a professional in the mental health field to address their needs at that time. “Suicide, a major public health concern, takes around 800,000 lives globally every year and is the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults” (Martinez et al., 2020). 

At this point in our society, active listening skills and empathy will come into play as it is an all-hands-on-deck for those professionals in the mental health field to help decrease this epidemic during the holiday season. Active listening will be one of the keys to getting as much information as possible. In this situation where someone may be thinking about suicide, if the human services worker ignores the details, there may be lost information crucial to helping the individual to survive the event. The human services worker must be cognitive, understanding, and receptive to hearing what the person is saying. Not only that, but the worker must also be empathetic, considerate, and concerned not just during the holiday season but every day!

Reference:

Martinez-Ales, G., Hernandez-Calle, D., Khauli, N., & Keyes, K. M. (2020). Why are suicide rates increasing in the United States? Towards a multilevel reimagination of suicide prevention. Behavioral neurobiology of suicide and self-harm, 1-23.