That’s just the way it goes. Life isn’t fair, so suck it up and admit it. It isn’t anyone else’s fault that you drink or dope too much, and the holidays are the time of year when everyone else does too. They (or at least they think they can) handle it and you couldn’t/wouldn’t/didn’t want to and now here the holidays are again, for another year, just like the next, and the year after that about to foist all your social weaknesses, foibles and shortcomings out there for all to see, or ignore or to talk about behind your back, or whatever the case may be.
The bottom line is this, whatever the substance of choice is for anyone with an addiction, whether sober or still waist deep in the pudding, the holiday season can present a nightmarish dilemma for many. Temptations abound, rationalizing can be manifest and old habits can die hard. For some it can be a time of happiness and joy. For others it can be a downward spiral of despair, and for others it can be an orgy of unbridled indulgence, usually followed by some magnitude of regret.
Wherever your existence may reside, some measure of balance is always preferable, but for some finding that balance is as fine a line, as any that exist. For drinkers and dopers in full use, sober, or in recovery, this can be a hard time. While the operative phrase is “One day at a time” when tackling the day to day life experience I think at this time of year we might want to modify the phrase for the time being to “One holiday at a time”
For hints, coping mechanisms and strategies for maintaining sobriety during the special challenges of the holiday season you can find all that and more here.
