Due to the rise of COVID-19, you probably won’t be able to see friends and family face-to-face for the holidays this year. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate and reconnect with the people you care about. If you are in recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol, you can use the holidays as an opportunity to become comfortable talking to family and friends about your addiction, as well as make amends with people you may have hurt in the past while under the influence. The longer you wait to talk about your addiction the harder it will become. You can use Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other virtual platforms to connect with your friends and family from home.
Talking About Addiction
Talking about your addiction with friends and family may not be the most festive way to celebrate the holidays. However, it is an important conversation to have. If you don’t want to spend your whole holiday talking about your addiction recovery, try opening the door to have the conversation at a later date. Let your family and friends know that you are ready to talk about it. You can even set individual dates with people to have this difficult conversation. Talking about your addiction will help the people in your life understand your story and give them the opportunity to be more supportive of you during this journey. They might want to know the best way to help you in an emotional crisis or how they can make your addiction recovery easier. Addiction recovery isn’t a journey you want to take alone and friends and family can help you along the way.
Making Amends
Unfortunately, addiction often negatively affects the people around you. To rebuild healthy relationships with friends or family, it’s important to apologize for past wrongdoings. The holidays may not seem like the best time for apologies, but it is an important first step towards building a better relationship in the future. It might be best to set up a one-on-one video chat with someone so you can talk privately about your thoughts and feelings on the subject. It can be helpful to talk about your recovery with this person and give examples of the progress that you have made to show that you are committed to maintaining your sobriety and making positive changes. Be open and honest with them, but prepare yourself for a lot of questions. People might need some time to let your apology sink in–or they may not accept your apology at all. Unfortunately, you can’t control how people will react to this information, but you must be respectful of their emotions. It will feel good to start the new year with a slightly cleaner slate.
The holidays are a good time to reconnect with family and friends that may have been affected by your addiction. Communicating with your friends and family about your addiction will help them support you during your recovery. It’s important that they know the best way to help you through your journey. When speaking with those you may have hurt while in active addiction, you may need to apologize for your behaviors and try to make amends to rebuild the relationship. These conversations, while necessary, can be very difficult and Alta Loma can help prepare you to have these important conversations with your friends and family. For more information call (866) 457-3843.
