Holidays and recovery don’t always sound like they should go together, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Getting sober before or during the holiday season can be beneficial to your patient, their family, and their community.
The Importance of Starting the Recovery Journey
There is nothing more important in recovery than starting. Whether your patient is struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction, the best way to get started on their journey to lifelong sobriety is to take the first step in their plan to stay sober.
Whether this is in the holiday season or not, helping patients find the courage to take that first step can make all the difference in their mental and physical well-being.
Benefits of Staying Sober During the Holidays
There are many benefits of staying sober during the holidays. Reminding your patients of these benefits could help them remain determined and optimistic.
Extra Money to Spend
Unlike when they were spending money on getting high or drunk during their active addiction. By staying sober, your patients won’t only be happier but will not spend a lot of money that could be saved, invested in their future, or even spent on shopping for others.
Less Stress
The festive season can be a stressful time of year. Many people struggling with addiction know that the after-effects of a holiday season binge usually leave them hungry, angry, lonely, or hopeless.
Reminding them that staying sober during the holidays means less stress, physically and emotionally, can vastly improve their chances of maintaining long-term sobriety.
Being Present
Overindulging in alcoholic drinks or alcohol abuse is often a hallmark of holiday events. Being drunk, however, can take away from the experience of the holidays and being around friends and families.
By avoiding alcohol and drugs, your patient may find themselves more in the moment and with the chance to enjoy festive events without the distractions of substance abuse or addiction.
Having a Guilt-Free Time
Whether it’s spending time with a sober friend or relative, enjoying holiday activities, or getting together with family, staying sober can help your patient kick the old feelings of guilt and find new enjoyment in the season.
Spending More Quality Time with Family
People in recovery won’t only spend a bigger amount of time with their friends and family members, but this time spent together will often be more meaningful and of a higher quality than before when withdrawal and cravings controlled large parts of your patients’ lives.
How RecoverWell Can Help Social Workers During the Holidays
Finding alcohol and drug addiction treatment programs can be hard during the festive season, leaving patient advocates and counselors at a loss when helping their patients get treatment. With RecoverWell, potential patients can be easily matched with the rehab that best suits their needs, whether they require dual diagnosis treatment, specialized therapy, or access to support groups.
By using RecoverWell, patient advocates and counselors can help their patients find treatment without the stress and anxiety often associated with working or trying to help someone during the holiday season.
If you are interested in the services RecoverWell has to offer, sign up today to get simple, quick access to high-quality treatment to suit all of your patients’ needs.
