Five Reasons Why Christmas Is the Perfect Time to Get Treatment

Christmas Addiction 12-Steps Treatment EHN Canada

Opinion by EHN Guest Writer
Written by Lorelie Rozzano, an internationally recognized author and advocate.

Christmas is a magical time of the year. Our cupboards overflow with sweet treats. Presents are stacked up under the tree. We’re making a list and checking it twice. After much hype, the season is upon us! People everywhere are gearing up for a two-week celebration. For those of us who are in active addiction, this means party, party, party! It also means we’re on the naughty list which is not good news for our families.

If you struggle with addiction as I have, you’ve tried getting clean or sober. You’ve tried cutting back and limiting your intake. You don’t want to hurt your family or yourself, but no matter how good your intentions, your addiction continues to get worse.

Once upon a time, you could control how much you used, but now you can’t. You know it’s time to do something about it. A little voice in your head whispers to you that you need help, and no matter how hard you try to drown it out, it only gets louder. You promise yourself and your family that you’ll stop. You say, “I’ll get help soon!” You vow to make 2019 the year you’ll do something about your problem.

But what if there is no 2019?

“Just one more time” keeps addicted individuals and their families stuck in a grim loop of heartbreak and despair, while the likelihood of morbidity rises. You don’t have to wait until 2019 to get help. Here are five reasons why Christmas is the perfect time for you to get treatment.

(1) Give your family the best Christmas gift of all: a happy, healthy you

Your family has worried about you for a long time. Worry is a thief that robs them of their peace of mind, their sleep, and their ability to feel happiness in other relationships and areas of their lives. When you enter treatment, your family can relax. They know you’ll be safe and well looked after.

(2) You’ve spent years running, hiding, lying, and avoiding, and now it’s time to stop

You may not believe it just yet, but the freedom you seek doesn’t come from a toke, snort, hit, pill, or bottle. Freedom comes from admitting the truth, gaining power over your life, and stepping into your personal best. No matter what you’ve done in the past, you can still turn your life around. You’re not a bad person; you’re sick and you deserve to get well.

(3) Give your family the gift of hope

You’re not the only one who’s suffering: your family suffers too. While you’ve been obliterating reality and numbing your pain, they’ve watched you spiral downwards with their eyes wide open. Your families’ lives are on hold as they wait for the call. The one that tells them you lost your battle with addiction—but it doesn’t have to end like that. There are two paths in front of you. One path leads to a beautiful life; the other path leads to suffering, hopelessness, and death. Choose wisely. Choose life. Choose recovery. Give yourself and your family the gift of hope this Christmas.

(4) Don’t overthink it

When I was in active addiction, my head was a busy place. I was always thinking up ways to avoid getting caught and taking responsibility for my actions. Maintaining my addiction turned into a full-time job. When my parents offered treatment as a solution, I turned them down flat. I didn’t need help. I could stop on my own. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and many more years went by. I tormented my children, my family, and myself. By the time I entered Edgewood for treatment, I was homeless, jobless, without my family, and on the verge of suicide. But that doesn’t have to be your story.

(5) Next Christmas will look entirely different

If you were to write down everything you hoped for next Christmas, you might write something like this: “getting my family back, keeping a job, and having money in the bank.” Recovery promotes a successful lifestyle, but what you can’t know is the joy you will feel when addiction isn’t running your life into the ground. Nothing compares to the smiles on your family members’ faces or the freedom of waking up every morning feeling energetic, happy, and ready to take on the world. The choices you make today will change your tomorrows. Start your New Year on the right foot. Your words and intentions won’t change your life but your actions will.

This Christmas, Get Treatment at an EHN Canada Facility

If you would like to learn more about the treatment programs provided by EHN Canada, enrol yourself in one of our programs, or refer someone else, please call us at one of the numbers below. Our phone lines are open 24/7—so you can call us anytime.

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