New Year’s Eve can be a night of celebration and stress. The holiday provides the opportunity to take stock of how far you’ve come in the last year and make resolutions for the coming months. For many, however, NYE can trigger a relapse. Those struggling with relapse triggers can feel lonely and isolated, whether ringing in the new year from the couch or a party. The holiday season can also make it more difficult for people to ask friends and family for extra help and support. Today, relapse prevention therapy can help those in recovery stay sober this New Year’s Eve and beyond.
If you or a loved one need support for a sober new year, call Baltimore Detox Center today at [Direct] to learn about our relapse prevention therapy programs.
What Are Relapse Signs and Triggers?
Everyone’s relapse triggers are different. Life experience and substance abuse history create a person’s relapse triggers. These triggers may be people, places, emotions, and memories that lead a person to use drugs or alcohol again. In these instances, a person doesn’t relapse from physical drug cravings. These relapse triggers are often associated with unhealed trauma from childhood and adulthood. They may also connect to guild or shame a person feels from their drug use.
Some people may glamorize their past drug use, which can lead to nostalgia and the desire to use again. Others are triggered by difficult emotions and intense stress. Knowing your relapse triggers is an important part of recovery. Some signs of relapse include:
- Depression
- Lethargy
- Hopelessness
- Change in appetite
- Change in sleep
- Guilt
- Anxiety
- Glamorizing past drug use
- Drug-seeking behavior
Those struggling with addiction and recovery are very good at manipulating and lying to family, friends, and themselves. Relapse prevention therapy can help clients recognize, understand, and cope with relapse triggers. They can also help clients focus on radical honesty and accountability. Therapists allow clients recognize and communicate triggers to friends and family to reduce the risk of relapse.
3 Tips for a Sober New Year’s
Everyone’s journey through recovery is different. The holiday season, however, can be triggering for many people in recovery. The New Year’s celebrations often combine drugs, alcohol, and rumination in the past. This combination can easily lead to relapse. Here are three tips for staying sober this NYE:
- Know what you need and self-advocate. For many, the holidays focus on family traditions and what others want to do. For those in recovery, it’s essential to know what will best serve you and tell your loved ones. This might mean avoiding a big New Year’s Eve party to avoid alcohol. For others, staying home might trigger a relapse. Talk with your family, sponsor, and therapist about what you need to stay sober through the holiday.
- Avoid triggers with a sober celebration. Whether you know someone throwing a sober NYE party or decide to throw one yourself, a sober celebration can reduce triggers and bring people together who prioritize sobriety.
- Spend more time with your support system. As NYE approaches, spend more time with your therapist, sponsor, and alumni group. For many, New Year’s Eve can lead us to think about what we don’t have. Spending more time with a community that brings us strength and health can help us recognize what we have.
No matter how you choose to celebrate the holiday, remember those who pressure you into situations that jeopardize sobriety are not supporting your rehabilitation. Also, know that holidays like NYE are a time for individuals and communities to build new traditions and celebrations focused on what they value most.
Avoid Relapse at Baltimore Detox Center
The new year can be a trigger for anyone. Society pressures us to evaluate accomplishments and failures and make promises of how we will improve in the next year. This can be overwhelming. Recovery, however, teaches us to take life one day at a time. If you’re looking for extra support this New Year’s, Baltimore Detox Center can help. We treat drug and alcohol addiction and relapse prevention right here in Baltimore, MD.
As the second free-standing detox center in Baltimore, we the pressure the holidays can bring to those in recovery. Our intimate facility of compassionate staff is here to help manage relapse triggers through the holidays and for years to come. Call us at [Direct] to get started.
