Holiday season can spark relapse among those in recovery

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

The holiday season is typically spent enjoying time off from work and relaxing with family and friends. But for those battling addiction, it can be a catalyst to relapse.

"The holiday season can be a great time, but it can be a very stressful time for those in recovery," said Jim Harner, CEO of Insight Human Services.

Harner said it doesn’t take much to relapse, and the holiday season presents several challenges for recovering addicts.

"They may be around other people that are using, so they may not want to use," he said. "But if they are at a family event and alcohol is being served or something is going on, that can trigger them to want to."

The need for drug and alcohol rehab in the Triad is crucial. Insight Human Services in Winston-Salem sees 300 to 350 people on any given day.

Garner said numbers are usually up around the holidays and it’s not hard to run into speed bumps this time of year.

"It doesn’t take much. It can happen in a blink of an eye," he said.

Harner said if you have a family member in recovery, consider hosting a non-alcoholic event. If you do serve alcohol, make sure you have lots finger foods on hand, and discourage any indication of people urging others to drink.

"A lot of people in the area are dealing with alcohol misuse. Also, they are struggling with opioid misuse," he said. "It could be heroine or prescription medicine."

Harner said if someone you know is in recovery, be mindful and take the situation seriously.

"The best advice we can give to people is to be kind to people and realize that when we see someone, we don’t know what they’ve been through," he said. "They can look fine on the outside and look like they have the world going for them, but where they’ve been we don’t know because everyone can put up a mask," he said.