Spending Christmas in rehab probably wasn’t what you had planned for this year. Yet, while you may be lacking Christmas cheer, committing to your health, your recovery capabilities and your ability to sustain an addiction-free future will be the best gift that you can give yourself and your loved ones.
Rehab as a whole can feel like an unfamiliar step, which causes a disruption in your life. Time and energy must be invested in the addiction recovery process, helping you truly benefit from the intentions of rehab.
With this in mind, already causing unknown feelings, it’s understandable that you may feel anxious, sad or lack an understanding of what to expect from Christmas in rehab.
It’s also reasonable that you may look to delay rehab, until the New Year, where you can set yourself some new goals, based around addiction recovery. While your intentions to recover are noteworthy, a delay of any form, especially over the festive period can be detrimental for your addiction.
This, alongside your desire to remain with your family, friends and within your usual routine can in fact aggravate your problems with drugs and alcohol, with gambling, with excessive spending or with mental health issues.
Those suffering from addiction are at even higher risks throughout the festive period. Drug and alcohol consumption are at their all-time highest throughout Christmas, subsequently increasing the normalisation of excessive consumption and exposure rates.
Emotions reflect a rollercoaster, where family feuds are more likely, where feelings of loneliness can tip the scales even further. The pressures to spend, especially over Christmas are experienced by everyone, causing even greater pressures for those with an addiction.
Down to this, rehab will in fact be the safest place for you, throughout the tests of Christmas, even if you commonly enjoy this period or not.
If you’re thinking about ‘Christmas in rehab – what to expect?’, here’s a roundup of rehabilitation experiences, through our services here at Rehab Clinics Group. Choose to make a short-term sacrifice this Christmas, with the potential to fully enjoy your next one, addiction-free.
Prioritising recovery over Christmas
Christmas is one of the most celebrated times of the year, across the globe. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why you’ll likely hope to celebrate, also. Yet, through celebrating, great risks are present for both addicts and recovering addicts, by heightening standard triggers and influences.
Throughout the festive period, emotions are high, social situations are escalated, overindulgence is accepted, and the fact that it’s Christmas is a justifiable reason for irrational behaviour.
Down to the fact that drug and alcohol abuse becomes more accessible, that excessive shopping is normalised, and that reality dwindles away, for the time being, this can be highly challenging for addicts.
Through these challenges, a pre-existing addiction can intensify significantly, requiring even stronger intervention. Yet, by avoiding the negative influences of Christmas, by visiting rehab, addiction diagnoses can be controlled and worked through, ready for a fresh New Year.
It’s natural for loved ones to crave your company, it’s natural that you’ll hope to enjoy Christmas, and it’s natural that you’ll initially curse rehab even more than usual. Yet, by prioritising your addiction recovery efforts, over all things Christmas, you will be rewarded on a substantial basis.
Christmas may be a happy and exciting time for you, usually. Yet are you happy to take the risk on your future, by enabling your addiction? If not, it’s time to consider ‘Christmas in rehab – what to expect?’.
Christmas in rehab – what to expect?
There are many misconceptions around Christmas in rehab. Many individuals believe that addiction treatment, that services and that support come to a halt, in time for Christmas day.
However, like any other illness, addiction requires ongoing attention, it requires consistent streams of detox and rehabilitation services, and it requires urgent attention.
Down to this, being in rehab at Christmas is in fact a normal recommendation. While for you personally, it may deviate from your idea of Christmas, rehab clinics, including our own are very busy throughout this period.
Many individuals, unfortunately, reach their breaking point through the festive months, down to the pressures and influences of Christmas. Others also understand that spending Christmas in rehab is the best step that they can take to protect themselves while providing respite for loved ones.
Of course, widespread Christmas traditions cannot be promoted across the board. Personal triggers and addictive behaviours must be taken into considering. Yet, you can expect to experience a degree of Christmas through rehab, offering opportunities to celebrate, to engage with loved ones, and to benefit from the positives of annual festivities.
This is exactly how Christmas in rehab is normalised, is a sought-after service and is recommended for those suffering, down to the fact that experiencing the best of both worlds is possible.
Seeing the bigger picture, beyond Christmas
Christmas 2020 may be very different for you, in comparison to any other year. Yet, there’s a likelihood that this will be the case whether you select to spend it in rehab, or not.
If you’re struggling from any form of addiction, without already experiencing rehab, there’s a likelihood that this will be your first festive period, where risks of relapse, of heightened side effects and where detrimental impacts are present. This again will be an unfamiliar take on Christmas for you, ranked similarly to Christmas in rehab.
Down to the fact that an unconventional Christmas may nonetheless be in your sights, selecting the most beneficial option, of rehab will be recommended. Yet, this recommendation isn’t in place to only support you through this Christmas, but through the bigger picture of life.
Through our rehab clinics here at Rehab Clinics Group, we work with our clients to firstly overcome the causation and primary foundation of addiction. Yet, secondly, we look to build sustainable recovery probabilities by improving the overall quality of life.
By looking at the bigger picture, you can work towards addiction recovery, to benefit every minute, hour, day, week, month and year beyond rehab. Through this approach, you’ll be positioned to enjoy next Christmas with post-rehab plans, helping you form a new normal.
‘Christmas in rehab – what to expect?’ is a current consideration for many, as we near the most celebrated time of the year. It’s understandable that you may hope to avoid rehab throughout this period.
Yet, if you’re struggling, we urge you to avoid lone encounters of addiction, as Christmas in rehab will fall beyond your expectations. Expect support, care, comfort, true rehabilitation efforts, security and a chance to celebrate Christmas in a suitable manner here at Rehab Clinics Group.