If you’re navigating sobriety during the holidays, know you’re not alone | Opinion

For most, the holiday season is wrapped in the familiar comforts of family gatherings, festive meals, and celebratory drinks to toast the year. But for millions of Americans living with addiction or working to maintain their recovery, this season is bittersweet. The most wonderful time of the year can also be the most dangerous.

Data paints a sobering picture. A study of more than 24,000 U.S. adults found that alcohol use spikes dramatically on major holidays. Drinking on Christmas Eve alone reaches 111% above baseline. Emergency departments report the same pattern: holidays consistently correlate with higher alcohol-related visits.

Even people who don’t struggle with addiction recognize the tension — in 2024, nearly half of U.S. adults said they planned to abstain from alcohol or cannabis during the holidays because they know how easy it is to slip into excess. For people already in recovery, the stakes of that slip are far higher. Recent studies indicate that relapse rates can surge to a staggering 150% during the holidays, compared to general relapse rates of 40–60%. But those numbers don’t capture the emotional reality: sobriety in December can feel as fragile as the glass ornaments hanging from the tree.

At Stable Recovery — a nonprofit, long-term residential recovery program I co-founded in Lexington — we see this firsthand. Winter is sadly our busiest season. Some come because they’re terrified of heading into the holidays alone. Others come because they’ve tried “white-knuckling” December before, and they know they can’t do it alone again.

When someone enters Stable Recovery, especially during the holidays, they’re seeking more than a safe place — they’re stepping into a long-term process of rebuilding. Over the course of a year, we see men go from crisis and isolation to stability and contribution. That transformation strengthens families, reduces strain on community resources, and helps create a safer, healthier environment and brighter future for everyone.

But none of that makes the holidays easier for the men and women in recovery who are separated from their families during this season. We do everything we can to make Stable Recovery feel like home: shared meals, traditions, connection, and a sense of belonging. Still, this time of year carries a quiet weight.

I wish more people understood that sobriety is a deeply personal journey. It’s a responsibility that ultimately lies with the person walking it. But that path becomes far more stable when people around them offer understanding instead of pressure, compassion instead of questions, and space instead of judgment.

If someone in your life chooses not to drink at a holiday gathering, don’t ask them why. Don’t nudge them. Don’t hand them a glass to “just join in.” You never know what battle they’re fighting, and how hard they’re working to win it.

If you’re in recovery yourself, reach out for help now. Identify your triggers. Avoid the gatherings with greatest temptation. Seek community support. And remember that every sober moment is a victory. Recovery isn’t as simple as a 30-day challenge. It’s a lifelong process measured in courage, consistency, and hope.

This season, support the organizations doing this work year-round by donating supplies to recovery centers, volunteering, or simply educating yourself about addiction. If you’re hosting gatherings, include nonalcoholic options. Make space for people who choose not to drink, and avoid asking them why. And if you love someone in recovery, check in on them, invite them to activities that aren’t centered on alcohol, and remind them you are proud of them and they are not alone. These small acts of understanding are life-changing for someone fighting to stay sober.

If you are navigating sobriety this holiday season, hope is more than a sentiment scrawled across a Christmas card — it’s a lifeline. And with a little understanding from the rest of us, it’s a lifeline that can hold for a lifetime.

Christian Countzler is the CEO and co-founder of Stable Recovery, a Lexington nonprofit addiction recovery program for men that blends equine-related workforce development with evidence-based treatment to help individuals rebuild their lives.