The holidays can be a tough time for many people in recovery. Father Martin’s Ashley used to provide speakers at the local chapters, and I remember hearing a man talk about the holidays. His discussion was so simple, it was profound.
He pointed out that your body does not know what time of year it is. Your mind does, and that is the problem. We let our mind take over, and we focus on the change of season, the commercials on television, the parties and celebrations. We experience the pressure of family and the various obligations. However, these are issues that we let get into our psyche and therefore, they affect us.
For many, being at family functions can be extremely stressful. Sometimes we feel forced to be around people we do not want to be around. However, the speaker pointed out that if you have been sober a day, week, month, or year, you can make it through the holiday season – unscathed.
Although we get stressed out with family we work everyday with people we don’t particularly care for, and we don’t drink over that. Treat your family functions the same way. “It’s just business.”
Don’t let the stress get to you. After all, your body doesn’t know if today is July 25th or December 25th. One day at a time!
