New Years Resolutions

Are you thinking of giving up drinking or taking drugs in the New Year?

You're not alone. Hidden behind all the holiday cheer lurks the "holiday blues." Given the high expectations set by the media in our capitalist economy, the holidays can give way to commercialism, obligation, and busyness which can stress us out. So, having the holiday blues is a fairly common experience.

Year-end reflections also contribute heavily to the problem. Buddha said, "We count our miseries carefully, and accept our blessings without much thought." The past year's disappointments, strained relationships, loss, work, and money concerns can take centre stage. Then our current affairs seem to join all the past ones, creating a chain of pain. Then, they can gather together to make a pool of pain. Add to this a world wide economic depression and you have a recipe for despair if you are not careful.

If you are worried that your job maybe at risk it can lead to higher rates of drinking or drug taking. This will further reduce your capacity to do your job well and make you more vulnerable if redundancies are looming. Even if you escape the redundancies you need to consider a smaller workforce leaves you with fewer places to hide your drink or drug problem.

If you are one of the unlucky ones who have been made redundant then you need to give yourself the best chance of getting back into a leaner work force. It may seem the worst thing that could happen to you but, you can turn it around and see the positives. By being, temporarily, out of work you have created the ideal calendar for getting help. A 28 day residential programme will give you a fantastic opportunity to get sober, fit and ready to go out and succeed. In every situation there is a positive if you look for it.

The Secret is to get support. The tendency is to withdraw and isolate when we feel bad. But we have to reach out, get connected, and share about it instead. Call someone, go to the party, volunteer. Age old wisdom tells us you can't be a lone pond. You'll eventually dry up. You have to connect to a stream that leads to a river that leads to the ocean.

Give us a call and discuss your options confidentially.