Thanksgiving is the beginning of many holiday
festivities. From parties, holiday
shopping, special events like tree lighting ceremonies, the next six weeks are
all about celebrating tradition. But for
people who are sober, the holidays are often very difficult and because we lack
support socially, many of us relapse. For
newly sober people, the holidays can be an emotional tug of war, driving them
back to drink or use so quickly, some do not survive. This can also be true for people with long-term
recovery.
Family get-togethers can make recovering folks very
uncomfortable also, because the family is often lost in how to relate to a
person in recovery. Family members and
friends often wonder if it is okay to drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes in
front of their sober friend or loved one.
All kinds of tip-toeing and walking on egg shells can occur, making the
person in recovery even more uncomfortable.
As we know, Thanksgiving is the time in which we reflect on
the things for which we are grateful. I
know that for me, recovery is the one thing I am more grateful for than
anything else. Because had I not gotten
sober, I would have missed out on anymore Thanksgiving holidays. Without my recovery, I would not have the
host of friends for which I am so very grateful and would not have amazing opportunities to help others. Recovery has given me the gift of a second chance at life with
clarity and focus, love and the kind of happiness I never knew before. My
recovery truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
On this Thanksgiving, I give thanks to all the families and
friends who have supported their friend or loved one in their recovery.
Here are a few holiday tips for family and friends of people
in recovery:
- Give lots of smiles and hugs, being nice is the best thing you can do
- Don’t be critical about recovery; try not to talk about negative things
- Don’t drink in front of anyone sober, especially anyone newly sober
- Don’t smoke or use in front of anyone sober, especially anyone newly sober
- Don’t have alcohol or any other easily accessible drug in your house or office
- Talk about healthy activities like hiking, golfing, bike riding, fishing etc.
- Talk about healthy eating and plan a brisk walk after Thanksgiving dinner
- Talk about the wonders of faith if the recovering loved one got sober through a faith-based program
Hopefully these tips will inspire more of the same. Wishing everyone a happy and joyous
Thanksgiving. Please buckle up and don’t
drink and drive or drug and drive.
