Holiday Joy or Holiday Fear: How to Get Through The Season Without Slipping

Promises | November 16, 2012

Once the cold weather starts moving in, it's a sure sign that the holiday season is right around the corner. Don't let the upcoming holidays throw you into the doldrums or, worse yet, be an occasion that precipitates a slip or full-on relapse. There are some things you can do to minimize your risks during this time. Here we take a look at how to get through the season without slipping.

Be advised. Some of these suggestions may seem a bit off-the-wall or even strange. But you never know what's going to work until you try it, right? Don't worry. There's no right or wrong associated with any of these suggestions. Just remember that the wise choice is always what feels comfortable and reasonable for you.

Continue reading for tips on how to get through the holidays without relapsing...

Good Sex, Bad Sex and the Holidays

Elements' Robert Weiss, MSW on Huffington Post

For a wide variety of reasons, many people have a tendency to make bad sexual choices around the holidays. Office holiday parties are notorious for mismatched couples sneaking off to the copy room for a quickie. Equally bad decisions are made at neighborhood and family gatherings, where months of innocent flirtation with a man/woman other than your spouse/partner can easily ignite into actual sex amidst the incendiary mix of stress, booze, and loneliness.

If you'd prefer not to risk your job, your relationship, your family, or your health, you may want to consider following a few sexual sanity guidelines during this holiday season.

Read more on The Huffington Post...

Eating Disorder Recovery During the Holidays

The Ranch | December 11, 2012

For those who are overcoming years of disordered eating, the holidays can be a real trial. Food is front and center at almost every celebration or tradition during these months. Those confronted with a barrage of calorie-rich foods and lots of extra tensions, many struggle against retreating into former patterns of restriction, purging and extreme anxiety.

Learn about new strategies for handling food challenges during the holiday season...

Why the Hostility Toward the 12 Steps?

Elements' David Sack, MD on Psychology Today

Few approaches to addiction generate as much controversy as 12-Step recovery. On one side are the ardent supporters of the program, some of whom credit it with saving their lives. On the other side are the critics and those who found that the program didn't resonate with them or even hindered their recovery. Both have valid points, and both, in the end, are seeking answers to a problem that defies easy solutions.

Although it is by no means a perfect program, many of the objections to 12-Step recovery are based on widespread misconceptions.

Read more in Dr. David Sack's Psychology Today blog...

Avoiding Relapse During The Holiday Season

The Recovery Place | December 7, 2012

For many, the holidays are a time for merriment, a time to be spent celebrating with family and friends. However, for those recovering from a substance abuse, the holidays can be a time of worry, stress, fear, and of unforeseen triggers that can cause relapse. While the holiday season and the festivities that surround it can be a relapse trigger, there are a few steps you can take to prevent relapse.

Read more...

Preventing Impaired Driving During the Holidays

Elements' David Sack, MD on Huffington Post

This is the season for over-imbibing, a joyful time when guzzling booze is socially acceptable and sometimes even expected. The holidays are a time when people who rarely drink suddenly partake, people who drink regularly but not heavily consume more than their usual, and people with an ongoing problem feel free to run amok. Unfortunately, when the party ends, people like to go home. And a lot of those people are in no condition to drive. So how do we keep people who've consumed alcohol off the roads during the holiday season? If it's not you who's had a drink or two, it's a loved one, a friend, or a coworker.

Read more ways to keep friends and family safe on The Huffington Post...