Handling Holiday Obligations in Alcohol Recovery

Love it or hate it, the holiday season always brings obligations and you have to handle holiday obligations in alcohol recovery. It can be tricky to navigate those obligations. For me, feeling overwhelmed is just as a big an alcoholism trigger as alcohol itself so I have to be careful in my alcohol recovery with regards to holiday obligations..

The Holidays Bring Social and Family Obligations to the Recovering Alcoholic

Whether it's an office party, a Hannukah dinner or a Christmas concert, the holiday season bring a lot of events and obligations. I don't mean to sound ungrateful by using the term obligation--I actually love this time of year, with all the hustle and bustle, excitement and lights everywhere. But two aspects of it stress me out again and again: buying presents and trying to coordinate get-togethers with various loved ones who have various schedules (Planning Ahead For Mental Illness During The Holiday Season).

I have a lot to be thankful for. My anxiety stems from the fact that I don't want to disappoint anyone. If I stop and take a step back, I can see that this is a luxury problem. I have multiple places I could be--if I could be in multiple places at the same time. By the time you figure in parents, children, in-laws, your in-laws' in-laws, it can be very difficult to arrange events.

How I'm Handling Holiday Obligations in Year Nine of Alcohol Recovery

It might be a cliché but it's true: alcohol recovery (and all recovery from unhealthy behavior) is a learning process. This is, amazingly, my ninth holiday season sober, and I still find myself reverting to unhealthy coping skills when I get stressed out.

This year, I'm trying to remember: I cannot arrange everything and all I have to do is the best I can. These thoughts allow me live in gratitude and happiness If I do my best to make time for the people who love me, I doubt they will be disappointed. And if for some reason they are, it's not the end of the world. If I were to pick up a drink, I believe that would be the end of the world for me. So my number one obligation this holiday season is to stay sober.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Recovering Alcoholics And Holiday Obligation Stress

You can find Kira Lesley on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.