Ask anyone at a drug treatment center or alcohol addiction treatment programwhat is the WORST time of the year for addicts and alcoholics, and they will tell you: THE HOLIDAYS.While everyone else is out there shopping for presents and snuggling with elves and looking at chestnuts in a fire or whatever it is people do this time of year, the rest of us are struggling.  Those who aren’t in recovery are dealing with more guilt this season because they can’t fake the happy, don’t have money for drugs AND presents, and know they will have to attend family gatherings where they can’t easily do drugs without everyone knowing.  Those IN recovery know that everyone at the family gathering remembers that you were a drug addict and will either whisper about you or ask you about it in that helpful yet condescending tone.  Alcoholics will have to look at ads with Santa surrounded by women in skimpy reindeer costumes holding bottles of vodka and dream of having just one martini or whatever they drink.  It’s just a horrible time of year for people like us.

I can’t wait until I’ve been off drugs for ten years like my friend so that family gatherings won’t be as anxiety-ridden as they are now.  In a little over a week, I have to talk to my uncle who will offer me a drink, then recall it asking: Wait, I forget.  Can you drink or not?

Yeah, tons of fun.

My drug counseling group was talking about that this week.  Many of the guys in it are trying to scrape together money for Christmas presents to try and make up for years of spending money on drugs instead of the people you love.  I’m just grateful that I now have the money to spend on people that care about me.  No, I’m not shopping at Tiffanys, more like Target this year, but I’m still glad that I have some money to buy gifts with.  This Christmas is way better than last Christmas and a million times better than the Christmas before and I owe it all to my girlfriend and mother who pushed me into going to my drug treatment center.

If you haven’t gotten help yet for your drug or alcohol addiction, please do yourself a favor and call someone today: 877.403.3381