Choosing Rehab During the Holiday Season
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The holiday season is fraught with stress for many people, but even more so for those who struggle with substance abuse. Family members can pile on stress after stress, but you can only focus on the things that are within your control. How can you handle future holidays while recovering from an addiction? The best option is to sign up for rehab for the holidays.
An alcohol or drug rehab program can keep you from relapsing during this stressful time, but there are other practical reasons to pursue treatment now.
Learn more now about why you should consider starting rehab this holiday season!
8 Top Reasons to Start Rehab Before the Holidays This Year
Over the past year, almost every state has seen an uptick in the consumption of alcohol and drugs. Drug overdose deaths are up 30 percent. If you are struggling and need more reasons to head to addiction recovery this holiday season, here are a few factors that may help you make the leap.
1. Avoid Holiday Triggers and Harmful Situations
You have countless family gatherings to attend, shopping to do, and meals to cook. All of these stressful events can lead to drinking or drug use if this has been your chosen way to cope with unpleasant or overwhelming circumstances. One way to avoid some of the triggers that accompany this season is to attend rehab during the holidays.
While in a drug or alcohol rehab center, you can take the time you need to focus on yourself without the added triggers of friends and family. Holidays in rehab may be the easiest season you’ve ever had!
2. Use End-of-Year Insurance Benefits
By the time you get to the end of the year, chances are that you’ve used quite a few of your health insurance benefits. This means that your deductible will be lower and you can enter rehab for a lower cost. Inpatient treatment can be expensive, but this is one way that you can decrease your out-of-pocket costs and make the best use of your insurance before a new year starts.
3. Taking Time Off Is Easier
Have you considered receiving treatment for your substance use disorder but are worried about what people at work would say if you asked for time off? The good news is that it’s generally more acceptable to take time off during the holidays. Tell your boss that you’re headed out of town instead of telling the truth: that you plan to start addiction treatment.
This minimizes some of the stigmas that are associated with entering into an alcohol or drug rehab. Employers also tend to be more generous with time off during the holidays, allowing you to take as much time as you need to start to overcome addiction.
4. Remove the Temptation to Relapse
Spending your holidays in rehab makes it more likely that you’ll be able to stick with your new resolve to kick addiction to the curb. You won’t be tempted to use drugs or alcohol at family gatherings, where substance use is often encouraged.
For your own mental well-being, you will be in a safe place with others who understand the struggle to kick these bad habits to the curb.
5. Spending Christmas in Rehab
Much like Thanksgiving, your Christmas celebration may be a little different this year — but it doesn’t have to be. Many rehab centers know how challenging it is to spend this ultimate holiday apart from your family. That’s why many of them have caring staff to provide support during the holidays.
Your family may be permitted to visit, or you could earn a day pass to spend the day at home for Christmas itself, or arrange for a Christmas Zoom or FaceTime call if you are out of your home state.
6. Celebrate with Others in Recovery
Just because you’re sober doesn’t mean that you can’t have exciting holidays; with a fulfilling Thanksgiving dinner or a real Christmas celebration. Spending holidays with others in recovery can be just as special and offer you the supportive environment you need to stay sober. Many addiction treatment programs give you plenty of options for fun and safe ways to celebrate the holidays.
7. Give Yourself (And Your Family) the Best Gift of All
Are you still unsure if this is the right time to start treatment? Well, we won’t stop with ‘just’ five benefits of being in rehab for the holidays!
The truth is that getting a good handle on your addiction can be life-changing. By booking yourself into rehab programs during this winter break, you will be giving your loved ones the greatest gift of all: your sobriety. They can rest assured that you’re getting the help you need, even if it means spending the holidays apart.
Imagine what the following year could bring if you were sober and present for each moment that matters. Entering rehab now is the best thing you could do to end the year’s celebrations, even if it tends to be a more emotional time.
8. Thanksgiving in Rehab
Are you worried about how you will get to celebrate an exciting Thanksgiving if you start rehab just before the holiday? You may still be able to see your loved ones and celebrate with them depending on which rehab you enter. If you are geographically close to your family, then you may be permitted to have them visit for set portions of the holidays.
You could even earn a furlough to celebrate at home if you think that you can do so without relapsing. This often happens if you have earned a day pass based on your adherence to your addiction treatment plan and with your treatment team’s approval.
If you are concerned about alcohol or drugs being present at a family gathering, you may choose to celebrate with your new friends in recovery. There won’t be any opportunity to continue drinking or using drugs during the holidays when you’re in a rehab center.
The way that you will spend the holidays ultimately depends on which facility you select. Be sure to ask questions about spending the holidays with family members and loved ones before you make a commitment to any one facility. Rehabs Of Armerica can help you take the first steps to finding a facility that meets your needs.
Holidays in Rehab: A Perfect Time to Establish a Foundation
If neither of these is an option due to travel constraints or because you feel stressed about returning to an unsafe environment for your substance abuse, centers often have their own customs that you can partake in: art therapy, holiday movies, and even a specially prepared meal just for residents and their families.
The best part is that you won’t be risking your treatment to spend time with your friends and family.
Given that almost a full quarter of alcohol sales take place from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, you will be glad that you have the support of your new friends in recovery and qualified staff members to help you navigate the stress and emotional upheaval that sometimes accompany the holidays with extended family.
Are You Ready to Change Your Life Over the Holidays?
Are you committed to getting your addiction under control before the New Year rolls around? It might be time to consider starting addiction treatment this holiday season. It can take the pressure off of your life to know that you are in a safe environment and that you’ll have a better life without your addiction as the New Year rolls around.
When you’re ready to overcome your struggle with drugs or drinking, reach out to Rehabs Of Armerica to find detox and rehab centers that fit your needs.
Our dedicated staff are ready and waiting to help you find the perfect treatment or detox center!
Anna M. joined Find Addiction Rehabs with extensive experience in the field of addiction treatment. As a former Nurse Practitioner in Miami, she found her passion for addiction treatment when a family member was lost to his disease. With each article and resource, she hopes to save other families from experiencing the anguish of a loved one’s passing due to drinking or drugs.
