While many of us are currently finishing our Thanksgiving leftovers and simultaneously planning our Christmas decorating and gift giving, millions of Americans are living in active addiction, feeling isolated and lonely during the holiday season. While COVID-19 has created isolation for all of us, those Americans suffering from substance use disorder have felt similarly for years prior to the pandemic, or are now dealing with undeniable loneliness in the grips of addictive behavior that the pandemic has brought to the surface.
Therefore, as we approach the holiday season and continue to think about how we can spread joy and offer support to those in need during this year, let us not forget our loved ones in need of help for addiction. There is no greater gift to give a person in active addiction than an opportunity of sobriety and to find recovery. Millions of other Americans know the happiness, joy, and freedom that lay on the other side of active addiction. That same peace and serenity await those currently in active addiction if they are given the opportunity to recover.
While we know sobriety is not like a scarf or a pair of socks that can be wrapped and given like a Christmas present, those suffering from active addiction can be helped to find the gift of sobriety through support and love from their family. Sometimes this is talking about addiction as a chronic illness that requires help, sometimes this is through boundary setting and challenging the individual, and sometimes this is through an outward pouring of care. People find recovery in many ways, but the important thing is that they find recovery.
Detox is often the first step in someone with active addiction beginning their journey of recovery. They are medically and clinically supported through their potential withdrawals and get to a place where they are medically and emotionally stable. Treatment can take many different forms, whether that is a residential or inpatient facility, an extended care treatment center, an outpatient program like a Partial Hospitalization (PHP) or intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment facility, or through things like individual therapy and psychiatry. These clinical services can be ongoing as the person begins their journey of personal recovery, through community-based approaches like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or other 12 Step programs, SMART Recovery groups, Celebrate Recovery or Refuge Recovery, as well as other options like peer recovery support.
The most important thing to remember is in order to offer your family member or loved one the opportunity at the gift of recovery this holiday season, find out how to best support them. Reach out to professionals for guidance and support, ask friends who may have had a loved one in addiction what they did to support their loved one in getting well, seeking out guidance through family recovery coaches and community-based support groups. Learn what you can do to be helpful and then take that knowledge and information and best use it to support your loved one.
Families who are currently apart for the holidays due to COVID-19 this year hope more than anything that their family can all be together next year. For families that have a loved one in active addiction, the family never seems to be truly together during the holidays because that family member is either absent or using at holiday events. So, as we as a nation hope for families to be together next year after this pandemic, families can do what they need to do to help their loved one currently in active addiction seek help through detox and treatment options in order to find recovery, and truly all be together in the future. There is truly no greater gift to be able to give a loved one than the gift of sobriety and recovery from addiction.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorders, please give us a call. Innovo Detox offers the latest in evidence-based medical, psychiatric, and clinical care for those in need of detox and medical stabilization in Pennsylvania and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or a loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a detox, rehab, treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (717) 619-3260 or email our team at info@innovodetox.com. For more information on our company or services, please visit our website at www.innovodetox.com.