As it gets closer to the holidays, we begin to make plans to travel to see friends and family. Some are close and some may be hundreds of miles away. The holidays bring fellowship, good food, and the occasional spiked eggnog and other drinks. We all have or know of a friend or family member that has struggled with or is still struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol, sometimes both.
Keeping them in mind when you go to visit or have them over to visit you is not only good character, but will showcase how much you love them and support their progress. Below are three ways you can help make your next visit less of a temptation and more of a catapult to their continuing success.
Do Not Bring Alcohol
You would think this would be an obvious no brainer, but several men and women in recovery will tell you it’s alright for you to have one beer in their presence. Some people think they can hide the remaining alcohol and keep their friend or loved one from finding it and thus, drinking any.
What most don’t think about is that the whole time you are having that one beer or that one glass of spiked eggnog, your friend can most times smell the alcohol and will battle internally with whether or not it really is ok for them to have just one. Men and women in recovery can not stop at just one. Don’t flaunt the temptation.
Don’t Reminisce About Past Parties
In the past, you and your friend probably enjoyed some pretty crazy parties. Hangovers the morning after and what you did or didn’t do the night before used to be points of humor. The stories may even bring a good laugh now. However, to your recovering friend, these stories may bring temptation to create just one more night of laughs and entertainment.
Sometimes, these stories can bring up a sense of remorse, as well. This is not something you want to invoke during the holidays. Likewise, your friend doesn’t need to hear of parties you’ve been to since them either. Instead, make sure they know how proud you are of them for taking the steps to remain sober.
Minimize Stress
The holidays can bring more stress than the average day to day life. During the holidays, we are encouraged to put away the hatchet with friends and family members that may have wronged us, the preparation for travel to Grandma’s house or hosting in our own home bombards our senses, and just the emotion of the season can leave us stressed to the max.
As a recovering addict, one of your friend’s triggers is going to be highly stressful situations. Do your best to minimize the occurrence of such. When you set up your visit, make it just you and them. Make the environment on the quieter side and be prompt. Look for ways that you can make the visit smooth and seamless.
If you will take the time to follow these simple tips, your recovering friend will see and feel the love and respect you have for them and be encouraged to continue in recovery.
