Holiday Advice for Recovered Addicts

For many people that used to be addicted to drugs or alcohol and are now living a sober life, the traditional term for them has been "recovering," meaning that it is a long road to recovery and you kind of take one day at a time.

This makes it sound like life is a struggle and they hope to remain sober.

For the many thousands of people that have graduated from one of the Narconon Programs, that hope is turned into reality when they see that full, stable recovery is possible.  Narconon Arrowhead is the largest center in the international Narconon network that now spans 36 countries and is rapidly growing due to the effectiveness of its non-traditional approach.

One of the most difficult barriers to recovery is environmental restimulation, which can occur during the Holidays.  This means that the people, places and things in the present environment remind the addict of times when he used drugs and things he did while using them.  There are a few things that a recovering addict can be aware of and help him have a safe season.

The first thing is to make sure and not associate with former friends or acquaintances that are still using drugs.  Though this may seem obvious, it is somewhat of a custom to contact these friends when returning to town.  The next thing to do is to not be around antisocial people who tend to make life seem worse and actually indirectly encourage addicts to use drugs again. 

A common characteristic of antisocial people is that they deal in mainly bad news or they alter to worsen communication, making the environment seem much more dangerous than it is.  Hearing of others' misfortunes or dwelling on past failures and upsets makes recovery more difficult.

It is vital to associate with supportive loved ones.  Keeping a stable, happy environment without constant reminders of drug and alcohol use is necessary to ensure the crossover from recovering to recovered.

Of course, in times of need, there is help available.  To find out more information about the truth about addiction or to get help for a loved one in need, contact Narconon Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933 or log on to www.stopaddiction.com.  Based on the drug-free rehabilitation methodology of L. Ron Hubbard, more than 70% of Narconon graduates achieve full recovery and become ethical, productive members of society once again.

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