Helping a Loved One in Early Recovery Navigate the Holidays
Why the Holidays Can Be Especially Triggering in Early Recovery
The holidays can be beautiful. However, they can also be loud, overwhelming, and filled with emotional triggers.
If you have a loved one in early recovery, you already know that this season isn’t just about decorating the house or cooking a meal. It’s about navigating a stretch of time that can be incredibly triggering.
Addiction Isn’t Always About Substances: The Impact of Process Addictions
Most people assume that holiday stress is only hard on individuals recovering from drugs or alcohol, but process addictions can be just as sensitive. The client who completed treatment for an eating disorder may be struggling just as much as the client working through opioid withdrawal. The behaviors look different, but the nervous system experience is often the same.
One of the most important things I tell the families I work with is that recovery doesn’t pause simply because the calendar turns festive. In fact, this season often magnifies every insecurity, every shame narrative, every pressure point a person is already working so hard to unwind.
Someone who is newly sober might be walking into a room where alcohol is everywhere, and memories are woven into every corner. Someone in recovery from an eating disorder might be sitting at a table where food is the centerpiece, surrounded by relatives who still talk about diets or body size without realizing the harm. Early recovery demands presence, courage, and boundaries — and the holidays can stretch all three.
Seeing the Person, Not the Behavior
If you love someone in early recovery, this is the season to slow down, soften, and remember that healing is not linear. It helps to see the person in front of you instead of the behavior you fear. The loved one withdrawing socially at a crowded dinner may be overwhelmed. The one who seems irritable or quiet might be fighting off an urge, or trying to regulate their breathing so they don’t slip back into a compulsive loop. The person recovering from an eating disorder may not be avoiding your cooking. They might be working through treatment strategies in real time, trying to survive a moment that used to swallow them whole.
It’s okay to ask what they need. It’s okay if they don’t know. Sometimes what matters most is simply offering presence without pressure. You don’t have to fix anything. You don’t have to monitor every moment. You just have to be a steady place for them to land. A soft voice. A step outside for air. A quiet car ride home. A reminder that they’re not alone, and that slips or struggles don’t erase the progress they’ve made.
A Gentle Reminder for the Season
Early recovery is a tender chapter. Holidays are a complicated landscape for this chapter. But when you meet your loved one with compassion instead of pressure, curiosity instead of judgment, and presence instead of fear, you help create the exact conditions in which recovery can take deeper root. You make the season feel survivable.
Start Working With an Addiction Therapist in Palm Beach County, FL
Happy holidays, everyone! Keep your regular therapy appointments! If you or someone you love is navigating early recovery this holiday season, you don’t have to do it alone. Our therapists are here to offer steady support, practical tools, and a compassionate space to breathe. You can reach out to Mangrove Therapy Group to schedule an appointment and strengthen the foundation of recovery—one moment at a time. Start your therapy journey by following these simple steps:
- Contact Mangrove Therapy Group
- Meet with a skilled therapist
- Start navigating the challenges of the holiday season with support!
Other Services Offered with Mangrove Therapy Group
Addiction counseling is just one piece of the healing puzzle, and our therapists are trained to support you through so much more. Our Delray Beach, FL office also offers care for:
- EMDR therapy, trauma therapy, PTSD, and Complex PTSD
- Substance use and process addictions
- Eating disorders and body image concerns
- Grief, loss, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem challenges
- Anger, shame, and emotional dysregulation
- “Failure to Launch” issues and life transitions
- CBT and DBT-based support
If you’re ready, we’re here. Let’s help you build a life where your nervous system doesn’t have to brace for impact—and where love starts to feel like a soft place to land. You can learn more from our blog or FAQs page.