TIPS for Surviving the Holidays

Do you want to stay sober during the holidays? The holidays can be a joyful or painful time of the year. Tis the season for greetings, family, cheer and beer but for addicts it can be a time of triggers, running emotions, stress and disappointments. What does one in recovery do when the holidays come and family is too far away to see and you start to feel a little lonely or when that one cousin is insisting that just one drink won’t hurt? Here are 10 helpful tips on how survive the holidays without substances.

Prepare or amend your relapse prevention (RP) plan.

The purpose of a relapse prevention plan is to proactively set boundaries and guidelines in order to keep your sobriety. Relapse is not a onetime, overnight event, it is a process that can begin days, weeks or months before you use again. A well prepared RP plan can help you better prepare and navigate through the various stages of relapse (emotional, mental and physical). Check back later for more details on the various stages of relapse. Check out the links below for more information on relapse prevention.

2. Keep calm and work the steps.

Attend 12 Step meetings before and after any big events and continue to go to the meetings during the holiday season. The importance of meetings cannot be stressed enough. This is where you can develop support systems, remain strong in your commitment to recovery and gain a sense of stability, comfort, and confidence.

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AACS Sober Living in Atlanta

We are a group of professionals who have devoted our careers to help educate young-adults,  their friends and families about addiction, and to bring affordable sober living facilities in the Metro Atlanta Area.

Our goal is to provide affordable sober living care to all who need healing and growth. At AACS Sober Living, recovery is made simple. We walk with you through this important transitional journey and assist you in regaining self-confidence, new coping skills, healthier choices, and reconnecting with loved ones.

Check out our Affordable Sober Living

Aftercare sober living at AACS

For long-term success, our statistics show aftercare is key.  At AACS Sober Living, individuals are encouraged to actively participate in at least 12 months of aftercare which includes continued individual and group therapy for the first year, random drug screens, and the completion of working a 12 step program with a sponsor.

Accountabile case management

AACS Sober Living uses a comprehensive strategic model of case management focused on client accountability, holistic Counseling planning, successful client outcomes, and community awareness. Counselors and case managers provide each client with intensive supervision and a supportive network, which enables the client to meet the expectations of daily living and decrease the likelihood of relapse.

Designed to provide immediate Counseling to individuals referred to by self or from various sources, participants will be engaged in a range of supportive activities while working on bettering their life and current circumstances. The center’s aggressive strategies are proving successful in addressing some of the most difficult problems associated with addiction, co-occurring disorders, medical status, etc.

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Creating and cultivating healthy relationship is a two part process; first learning how to have a healthy relationship with the self, and then manifesting reciprocal behaviors with others.

The goal of the Relationship groups; Saving your marriage serries is to help members be more intentional in interpersonal relationships while providing psycho-education and support.

Relationship Groups are very popular form of therapy in the modern world. Group therapy is an effective form of psychotherapy that is based on interdependence and interaction among the group members who mutually disclose personal challenges and issues in their relationships during group sessions.

The focus of the Relationship Groups; Saving your marriage series is to regain confidence in your communication with your partner. It’s based on the premise of interpersonal learning. The process serves as the agent of change.  The group presents realistic challenges to maladaptive interpersonal belief systems and behavioral patterns via feedback from participants and encouragement to experiment with healthier alternative behaviors, first within the group and then outside the group.

According to Irvin Yalom (2005) the following is s brief list of the benefits group psychotherapy can provide.

Universality – feeling of having problems similar to others, not alone.

Altruism – helping and supporting others.

Instillation of hope – encouragement that  recovery is possible.

Guidance – nurturing support & assistance.

Imparting information – teaching about problem and recovery.

Developing social skills – learning new ways to talk about feelings, observations. and concerns.

Interpersonal learning – finding out about themselves & others from the group.

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Family Violence Intervention Program Classes

The groups allow for personal, emotional and psychological development in the areas of responsiveness to feelings of anger, violence and maladaptive reactions. Most adults were not taught how to respond to situations, feelings, and emotions. Our partnership will allow you to learn these new skills rather quickly, so you can communicate with your loved ones in a loving and healthy manner. #FVIP classes are made of gender-specific groups. Each group discusses and deals with issues that are problematic in our daily lives.

It is neither realistic nor possible to completely eliminate anger and violence, therefore, the goal of  #Family Violence Intervention Program classes is to learn how to cope with and express anger and violence in a healthy way. The interventions in each class are designed to build cognitive restructuring of maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors.

In #FVIP classes, we discuss the difference between anger, hostility, aggression, and violence, so that participants can appropriately define and express their experience. Additionally, the #FVIP classes curriculum is designed to address the effects of anger on the body, behavior, mind and how it can lead to violence. These interactive #FVIP classes include various case studies and scenarios that address specific, anger-inducing situations in order to facilitate group dialogues related to appropriate and healthy responses. Additionally, clients will be challenged to objectively question their initial reactions and consequently reframe it to a healthier perspective.

For additional information on the Georgia Commission on Family Violence

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Brief Description of article from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Addicted to Drugs

Many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. It is often mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change their behavior. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are ready to do so. Through scientific advances, we know more about how drugs work in the brain than ever, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive lives.

What Is Drug Addiction?

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her. Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge an addicted person’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to take drugs.

Fortunately, Counseling are available to help people counter addiction’s powerful disruptive effects. Research shows that combining addiction Counseling medications with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Counseling approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse. Click for entire article on NIDA

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ASAM Level I Classes and Substance Abuse Counseling

ASAM Level I classes are designed according to the ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) criteria for addiction Counseling. Specifically, ASAM Level I classes and Substance Abuse Counseling provide individuals with a supportive and instructive environment where they are encouraged to develop deeper insights into the causes and conditions, as well as the effects, of their addictive and abusive behaviors.

ASAM Group Location and Hours

It is well understood in the medical and scientific communities that substance abuse is associated with more fundamental or rudimentary cognitive deficits. Some of these deeper issues may be deficits in emotional regulation, diagnosable affective disorders, or a consequence of a myriad of other sociocultural, environmental and/or genetic factors. Regardless of their specificity, instructors of the ASAM Level classes and substance abuse Counseling are trained to assist clients in beginning to illuminate these underlying psychological issues in order to alleviate the drive to pursue addictive avenues to cope with life stressors. Often, additional resources such as one-on-one counseling or pharmacological therapy from licensed and certified clinicians may be necessary to support the Counseling process.

Clients are highly recommended to fully participate in this collaborative recovery process in order to gain the greatest benefits. The multi-dimensional approach advocated by the ASAM has led to the development of Counseling resources intended to meet clients at different levels of self-awareness and overall readiness. Regardless of the individual’s level of self-understanding, open-mindedness and willingness to fully engage are critical for long-term abstinence and inner contentment. Our instructors of the ASAM Level I classes and substance abuse Counseling are equipped to facilitate a supportive dialogue and provide the necessary resources to evoke sustainable transformation, which has been shown to reduce recidivism and lead to overall well-being. To register for an ASAM Level I Substance Abuse Counseling class, call 404-793-6838.

Shoplifting and Theft Prevention Classes

Shoplifting and Theft Prevention classes are designed to meet the needs of those who have been accused of shoplifting. Participants are supportively led to identify and understand the issues (e.g., thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) that caused them to shoplift. Shoplifting and Theft Prevention classes follow a curriculum that assists the clients in developing a better understanding of the social, financial, and personal ramifications of their behavior. The truth regarding the extent of the impact of their behavior must be fully understood and consequently addressed to help reduce the likelihood of such acts in the future.

More information on Georgia shoplifting code

Among the topics explored in this class include impulse control, enhanced decision making, and cognitive restructuring. Participants in the Shoplifting and Theft Prevention class will work collaboratively to develop an action plan to ensure the prevention of any future impulse to shoplift. Instructors foster an atmosphere of change in group discussions by instilling a sense of personal responsibility.

We assist clients to develop insight into their reasoning abilities by reinforcing better decision-making and illuminating the consequences of illegal behavior.

To register for a Shoplifting and Theft Prevention class, call 404-793-6838.

The importance of change and what it takes to modify our behavior.

Behavior Modification for Recovery from Alcoholism and drug addiction are primarily brain- and behavior-based psychological disorders that have foundations in neural and biological substrates along with persistent conditioning brought about by repeated behavioral patterns. There exists a strong reciprocal relationship between the mind and body of the addict and alcoholic. Science has revealed a variety of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to our current understanding of addiction and subsequent prevention and Counseling  approaches. Furthermore, these developments have helped to shape the current societal views of addiction from a moral failing to a health problem. This shift has consequently altered our focus on solutions from punitive measures to therapeutic Counseling and preventative education.

Although medications can alleviate many of the unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and side effects associated with substance abuse (along with assisting with some of the deeper, often undiagnosed, psychological phenomena that were being ineffectively self-medicated with the substance of abuse, such as depression, bipolar, and anxiety-related disorders), the need for behavioral modification and self-regulation is essential to long-term recovery and overall well-being.

There are numerous theoretical models which thoroughly outline the development and progression of addiction—virtually all of which posit the necessity for cognitive and behavioral modification. Essentially, it is well-understood, from a variety of perspectives and disciplines which deal with addiction in some capacity, that removing the substance of abuse alone is not effective in ensuring long-term sobriety, in that the underlying causes and conditions that led to the abuse (even in the wake of devastating consequences) must also be addressed and corrected.

The second element necessary of behavior modification for recovery is one of unwavering persistence and dedication to the task. Because the modification of thought and behavioral patterns that have invariably developed over an entire lifetime can take a considerable amount time and energy, a certain level of tenacity and inner determinism to persevere is often required. Along with such a drive comes the need for an attitude of compassion and patience with oneself. Deep and enduring change is neither easy nor quick, and the probability of the recurrence of old behaviors and thoughts in certain familiar contexts is highly likely, if not inevitable. For example, no matter how much one commits to avoiding anger and frustration, given the appropriate circumstances (e.g. traffic, arguing with a loved one, etc.), the feelings are bound to be elicited because of their conditioned nature. The key is to constantly remind oneself of the desire to change the ruminative thinking and habitual responses which have always accompanied such emotional reactions. Compassion is necessary when undergoing this painstaking task. Cultivating this kind and loving relationship with oneself is what is often meant by “parenting oneself,”  or behavior modification for recovery, which is what the process of recovery demands. Moreover, it is important to avoid labels such as “success” and “failure,” and instead respect the evolution of change as you embark upon it. The specific practices and resources one incorporates to assist in this process depend on the nature of Counseling and therapeutic services provided. Regardless of the specificities, in light of the difficulty, this inner transformation presents to the addict or alcoholic, some form of Counseling and support is highly recommended.

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