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The holiday season can be a joyful and loving, but also a confusing and sometimes challenging, time of year. For anyone newly in recovery, the season can feel particularly demanding. Navigating everyday life can feel difficult, let alone the holidays.  This time of year invites overindulgence as pleasure, which is quite the opposite of what sobriety looks like. We may also face complicated dynamics within our family that trigger us or people close to us that don’t respect our boundaries and needs within recovery. The good news is that sobriety is always possible, no matter the circumstance, and there are a few tips to follow that may help during the sometimes turbulent season of joy.

The drug counseling community has reported an increase in relapse since the beginning of the global pandemic, so we know isolation is affecting those suffering from addiction. Regardless of COVID-19, engaging in addiction treatment and the recovery process can be difficult. There may always be issues with motivation, time management, or financial resources that prohibit you from seeking or completing treatment. But how do you deal with recovery during a global pandemic? More importantly, how do you prevent relapse after treatment with the potential to not be able to engage in a structured aftercare program or in-person therapy?  Here are 3 ways to deal with urges and unwanted emotions while in social isolation:

The peer support model of substance abuse treatment has grown increasingly popular over the past several years. Evidence of its efficacy has been shown through a few studies of peer-based therapies for mental health disorders. Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS) have limited empirical evidence in terms of substance abuse, but their outlook is promising. Peer supporters provide a quality of counseling that others cannot. Their experiential knowledge allows them to empathize with patients in a more meaningful capacity. And though the research is small and limited, many recovery programs have already implemented PRSS.

The correlation between substance use and mental illness is especially prevalent in the youth population for several reasons. First, at such a young age, a child’s brain is not fully developed. The brain is not considered fully developed until age 25, leading to very immature thought processes. Therefore, children have a more difficult time healthily processing their emotions. They do not understand why they feel the way they are feeling and may begin to find substances that help fix those issues. If they do not understand these issues, how do they relay them to an adult to receive help? With immature emotions, a child does not have the confidence to approach a parent or authority figure about emotional or substance issues. They can’t talk to their peers in a meaningful, objective way either, because their emotional immaturity presents them with the same roadblocks. It is vital to take an active role in a child’s life and make sure they know there are people they can talk to without ridicule or fear of punishment. These types of issues in childhood can be exacerbated in adults who do not realize their mental condition. Although there is a stigma surrounding mental illness, just as there is an addiction, it seems to be subsiding for mental illnesses. Many people don’t see addiction as a disease, but it becomes easier to understand if we can view it in the same respects as a mental illness. Substance use disorder (SUD) is categorized as a disease because it physiologically changes a person’s brain the same way a mental illness does. Neither of these is a choice. People do not choose to be mentally unwell, and they do not choose to be addicted. It’s important to understand where your unhealthy behaviors and habits come from and if they are influencing substance use so that you can receive the best possible care.

Substance abuse can have a powerful effect on both the mind and body - they have learned that drug use is “good” because of how dopamine influences addiction. Dopamine is released in your brain to promote the repetition of activities that produce joy and fulfillment. When a person uses a drug, their dopamine level is higher than average. The brain trains itself to seek out those substances, which leads to addiction. These compulsions are hard to overcome, especially for those fresh out of detox. However, there are various ways you can deal with cravings after treatment is complete.

When you see someone you care about struggling, you may have an urge to help them by any means as it is human nature. Someone who struggles with mental health and substance abuse disorders needs a strong support system to walk through every step of the recovery process. You may be finding it difficult to tell the difference between supporting your loved one and enabling them. A sign of enablement would be allowing your loved one who is struggling to continue with unhealthy behaviors. It does not help your loved one in the long run and often leads to added stress on your life and can hinder your loved one’s path to recovery even more. To maintain a healthy, supportive relationship, it’s crucial to learn the differences between support and enablement.

Self-care may be abandoned when you are struggling with substance use. Physical fitness may be a form of self-care we neglect, as we may not be as concerned with our health as we should. However, many people recovering from substance use disorder (SUD) greatly benefit from physical fitness routines. Research shows promising signs of physical fitness as a tool for SUD and mental health recovery. Physical fitness can be as simple as walking or riding a bike. Whatever routine you pick, there are proven benefits for substance use recovery.

The term “functioning addict” is commonly used, and the idea that drug users can complete everyday tasks is popular and partially true. However, the idea that being a functioning addict is somehow better than being a non-functioning addict or even socially acceptable is a myth. The truth is, all drug use will affect life in one way or another, whether it is immediate or in the long-term. All drug use is harmful to the body, to relationships, and to society as a whole.  We know that a non-functioning addict cannot complete standard tasks every day because of their drug use. Someone who can’t make it to work because they are too intoxicated would be an example of a non-functioning addict. In no way is being a functioning addict healthy. The idea of functioning addiction is considered a myth for many clinicians. Even though a person seemingly goes about obvious tasks without error while using, it doesn’t mean that their life isn’t being affected in a less obvious way. Many people see tolerance as a factor in becoming a functioning addict. After prolonged use, the body becomes used to the drug’s effects, and some people find it easier to function than others. People who are in denial about their addiction seem to fit into the group of functioning addiction. If a person is less honest with themselves and others about their addiction, they can better convince themselves and others that it doesn’t even exist; an out of sight out of mind mentality. However, denial is only a short-term out. With time, most addictions become more apparent.

Whether the pandemic or recovery has thrown your lifestyle for a loop, finding healthy ways to cope with significant life changes is essential for success. Lifestyle changes can cause anxiety and depression, among other issues. Keeping up a schedule as much as possible while maintaining a healthy diet are two of the easiest ways to deal with changes in your life.

The impact of trauma on the human brain can be profound as some areas of the brain can suffer physical changes from the traumatic event. The effects of experiencing trauma can lead to low quality of life for some due to the physical and mental impacts it has. There have been several studies that have shown that trauma can lead to memory loss and affect a person’s ability to recall memories. It’s not that the memories do not exist; they are just buried deep within the brain where they are not consciously accessible and in fact, these memories can create subconscious behaviors.

Sometimes, toxic habits turn into addictions. Casual, social drinking may turn to drinking daily by yourself. Using substances to self-medicate can quickly turn into an addiction. Using drugs floods the brain with dopamine, causing the brain to seek ways to find that feeling again. When this occurs, someone may continuously seek out substances. The brain tells an individual it needs more dopamine, resulting in regular substance use to feel high. The habit provides a physical or emotional function, eventually resulting in addiction. There are ways to retrain our brains not to be compelled to use. However, it is not an immediate outcome. A person must take small steps to create patterns. It takes an average of 66 days of repeating the same behavior to make a habit. Therefore, it may take around 66 days to break that habit. A person must identify their triggers to avoid them. Recognizing these cues is the first step in breaking addictions. Keeping a journal of your cues and learning what triggers which cravings may help break the habit cycle.  Replace old habits with new ones. If you have a habit of using because you are stressed, practice mindfulness instead. Mindfulness is as easy as practicing breathing exercises or meditating. Meditation may be challenging to practice in the middle of a craving. However, you don’t have to close your eyes and sit still to meditate. Taking a walk through the park or around your neighborhood are effective ways to meditate. Ask yourself what you need at that moment. Do you need to destress, or do you need to use?

There are several ways to support a family member in recovery, even if they cannot commit to formal therapy sessions. Understanding why a family member may have begun to use substances can be very hard. Sometimes, parents feel like they may have done something wrong. However, this may not be true. There may be many reasons why someone chooses to use substances. A person’s environment, psychological traits, and stress levels all play significant roles in using alcohol or drugs. Learning about your family member’s addiction with a non-judgemental attitude is key to helping them reach the point of recovery. Seeking help for young adults struggling with substance use as soon as possible is critical. People who start using drugs or alcohol early in life run a higher risk of becoming addicted. Research suggests that children experiment with drugs based on their perceived risks of using. If a child grows up in a household where substance use is normalized, their risk assessment will be higher than usual. Families need to learn about different substances and their long-term negative impacts on health together. Understanding the details about family-based recovery models and their ideas of non-judgmental support is vital to the recovery process. It’s hard to positively influence family members if there is a misunderstanding of our loved ones’ process. An open communication flow is critical in any relationship, and many family-based treatment models incorporate communicative skills into their sessions. Having open communication with a family member who uses substances is also vital to their recovery. Free communication channels mean that they may come to you with issues they have tried to hide before. If a substance user feels like they will be judged or given harsh punishment, they may keep complicated matters to themselves, making open communication and a foundation of trust essential.