Getting Addiction Treatment During the Holidays

Every holiday season, adult children often return home to visit family and friends. Most parents cherish these visits.

But if an adult child is battling an ongoing addiction, the story changes. Parents may dread dealing with their loved one during the holidays, always worrying about where they are or what they’ll do. While the holidays may seem like an inconvenient time to enter treatment, consider several advantages of this timing.

• Since most people have some time off work during the holidays, your loved one won’t miss too many paychecks.
• Parents will feel the relief of knowing their loved one is in a safe place, and that’s a powerful gift.
• The person will bypass all of the holiday temptations to heavily use substances.

The highest level of care for addiction treatment is residential inpatient treatment which will typically last 30-45 days. Yes, it can feel painful to send a loved one away during the holidays, but there will always be more holidays to celebrate together. Your loved one’s health and well-being are what matter most.  

With the right timing, your loved one can be out of detox before the holidays begin.

Detoxification can be done at both the inpatient level and outpatient level. It is typically the most physically painful and unpleasant part of the recovery experience and takes about 3-7 days. Once your loved one has detoxed, they will feel better and be more capable of enjoying your company as they enter into long-term treatment. You can enjoy family visits and counseling sessions with them as the holidays progress.

If your loved one does not need residential treatment, outpatient treatment may be an ideal option. Outpatient treatment allows your loved one to attend intensive education and therapy sessions every day while returning home in the evenings. The typical outpatient treatment center will both partial hospitalization program (PHP) and an intensive outpatient program (IOP). A PHP is a structured program that meets three to five days per week. It will include group meetings with psychiatrists, therapists, nurses, etc. to address psychiatric issues that often accompany addictions.

An IOP typically offers programming based on the 12 steps.

Your loved one will partake in classes such as relapse prevention, managing cravings, anger management, coping with depression, etc. As a form of after care, many outpatient treatment centers also offer Alumni groups, which meet regularly to help keep individuals in recovery on track and in good spirits. When selecting treatment for your loved one, look for a treatment center that offers all of these programs, also called the “full continuum of care.” The treatment team will help you and your loved one determine which level of treatment is best of them.

Future holidays spent with loved ones who are in recovery are guaranteed to be so much more enjoyable. Don’t waste another minute. To learn about enrolling in a treatment center or scheduling a free and confidential assessment, please contact us at 877-463-3553. Our admissions counselors are awaiting your call and will handle all processes involving your insurance provider.  Happy Holidays!