Holiday cheer often flows in the form of alcoholic drinks, rum balls, spiked eggnog and other such treats. Festive family events are intended to nurture feelings of warmth and love. For those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs, however, these events may present overwhelming challenges that lead the addicted person to use more drugs or alcohol at this time.



In a 2008 survey of those who had recently completed a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program, 44 percent of those surveyed stated that they stayed away from family gatherings during the holidays due to their drug or alcohol abuse. But the rest would go to the family event and usually create an upset. One person said, ?I nodded off from opiates during Christmas dinner. My father cried.? Another person commented, ?I would constantly sneak off to do crystal meth and they would get upset because we all knew. It is like standing in the middle of Christmas dinner with a noose around your neck and you are casually rocking the chair that you are standing on. Everyone knows you are about to slip and die but nobody wants to confront the issue.? A woman who spent the holidays drinking said, ?I would get very upset with myself. I would be crying and depressed and then I would continue to get higher and higher because I was depressed. Sometimes when you are an addict, you use holidays as a reason to get higher.?

And then consider that multiple studies have found that alcohol and drug abuse create higher rates of suicide. One such study, reported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, that found that adults who used illicit drugs had twice the rate of suicide attempts compared to those who did not.

?The holidays are a stressful and dangerous time for those addicted to drugs or alcohol,? stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country's leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. ?For this reason, hundreds of families contact us over the holidays to find help for an addicted loved one. Parents and spouses in particular can rest much more easily when they know the person they love is getting the help they need. There is no greater gift for an addicted person than lasting sobriety.?

Mr. Hallmark said that it was quite common for people to arrive at Narconon on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day because there was just not a moment to waste when someone needs to recover from addiction. ?The next hit of crack or meth or heroin could bring overdose and death. The next drink could bring a drunken driving accident. Families all over the country are wise to seek help as soon as they realize that their loved one has an addiction problem.?

Narconon Arrowhead specializes in helping families locate the help they are looking for. To find immediate help for someone who is having a problem with drugs or alcohol, contact Narconon's free addiction consultation and referral helpline. The Narconon program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State prison, and is based on the humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 120 centers around the world, Narconon programs restore drug and alcohol abusers and addicts to a clean and sober lifestyle.