In yesterday’s blog post, we discussed work, recovery, and Labor Day. So, it only seems fitting that we should talk about the opposite of work for today’s post. We should talk about vacations.

Of course, just because people take time from work to go on vacations doesn’t mean that they’re not putting in any effort. In fact, the preparations and work involved in a vacation can be quite extensive.

Vacations don’t mean a vacation from sobriety, either, although some people might seem to think so. They might think that because they’re on vacation, it’s okay for them to have a few drinks or use some drugs because they’re departing from their usual routines and shouldn’t have to worry about recovery.

But people who abuse alcohol and drugs often can’t have a few alcoholic drinks. They can’t use a little bit of the drugs they used before. Once they start, they often can’t stop. One or two drinks or hits can turn into several.

After this binge or temporary lapse, they may feel helpless and hopeless. They may beat themselves up and binge on alcohol and drugs again because they feel that since they’ve made a huge mistake and aren’t able to stay sober, they might as well keep using. If they keep on using, they could suffer a prolonged relapse.

But these beliefs are wrong. As bad as lapses and relapses are, they don’t have to be permanent. With proper work and help, they can be temporary.

Part of this help could be reaching out to others. If people are in recovery, they’ve probably had help. It is possible to become and stay sober alone, but it can be very difficult.

But if people are in recovery, they probably know others in recovery as well. These people can help them during a relapse. After all, there’s a good chance that their sober companions have experienced relapses themselves or know people who have.

These sober companions can remind people that relapses don’t have be the end of their recovery. They can reassure them that they had temporary setbacks, setbacks that don’t make them permanent failures as people. This support can be crucial. It can help people realize that sobriety is part of their lives, not a vacation from them.