Surviving Christmas

If drugs and alcohol have been a problem for you, Christmas can be a tricky time.

But there’s no better place to go for advice on getting through the festive period than other people who are in recovery. Surviving Christmas and New Year is a guide to enduring- and even enjoying- the next few weeks and includes top tips from the people who know best.

Of course, we’re all different, so there’s no single piece of advice that will work for everyone. But the overall message is to find what works for you and not worry about what other people say, think or do. There are lots of great ideas, here are some highlights:

• Have a plan. This can include simple things like making sure you have phone numbers for  support services, or more complicated things like how you’ll cope with being offered a drink.
• Spend time with people- or spend it on your own. Just do what works for you.
• Don’t worry about money. There are lots of cheap of free ways to enjoy yourself at Christmas.
• Know that you are not alone. Even though it can feel like everyone else in the world is having a great time, there are plenty of people who struggle at this time of year.

It’s been four years since FAST in East Dunbartonshire worked with Outside the Box to put this leaflet together and it’s possible that some of the phone numbers are out of date.However, the advice still rings true and it’s been pretty popular.

The group initially printed 500 copies and thousands of people download it every year.  The success has gone far beyond West Dunbartonshire, with people across the country getting in touch to say thank you or asking to redproduce it in their area.

We’ll add our voices to that. It’s a great resource and is helpful for anyone.

You can download it here: Surviving Christmas