Planning for the Holidays in Early Recovery in San Diego: A Step-by-Step Plan for Thanksgiving Through New Year’s

The stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is the most crowded six weeks of the year for anyone in early recovery. In 2026, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, which leaves roughly six weeks between now and the first holiday gathering. That is enough time to build a real plan, and this guide walks through how to do it step by step: what to settle with your treatment team, what to arrange with family, and what to do if a gathering goes sideways.

Why the Holidays Need a Written Plan, Not Good Intentions

A holiday relapse-prevention plan for someone in early recovery is a written, one-page document, agreed with a counselor at least two weeks before the first gathering, that lists the exact events being attended, how the person is getting there and home, who they will call if they want to leave, and what time they will check in with a support person afterward. The reason to write it down is that decisions made in advance hold up far better than decisions made at the table, at 9 p.m., with a glass being offered. The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes addiction as a chronic, treatable condition and estimates that relapse rates for substance use disorders run between 40 and 60 percent, comparable to other chronic illnesses such as hypertension and asthma (NIDA, Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction). A relapse is a signal to adjust treatment, not a verdict. The point of a plan is to make the adjustments before the pressure arrives.

What Makes the Holiday Season Harder

The pressures are predictable, which is exactly why they can be planned for.

• Disrupted routine: Work schedules, meeting times and sleep patterns all shift, and routine is one of the main things holding early recovery in place.
• Alcohol as the default: Office parties, family dinners and New Year’s Eve events often treat drinking as the expected activity, so declining requires a ready answer.
• Family dynamics: Old conflicts, unspoken resentments and well-meaning but intrusive questions tend to surface when relatives spend long hours together.
• Treatment schedule gaps: Many programs and individual clinicians run reduced hours around holidays, so the support someone relies on may not be available on the exact day it is needed most.
• Travel and unfamiliar settings: Being away from home removes access to a usual meeting, a sponsor nearby, and the environmental structure built during treatment.

The Schedule Problem Most People Discover Too Late

Here is the operational reality families rarely hear about: the weeks around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are when outpatient group schedules, therapist availability and even insurance office hours are most likely to change, and those changes are usually set weeks in advance. People in IOP sometimes learn on the Monday of Thanksgiving week that Thursday’s group is canceled and Wednesday’s has moved. If a holiday falls on your regular group day, the gap between sessions can stretch to five or six days at precisely the wrong time.

The fix is simple and takes one conversation. At your next session, ask your program for its holiday schedule in writing and confirm the following:

1. Which group or individual sessions are canceled or moved between November 23 and January 2.
2. Whether a make-up group, telehealth session or check-in call is offered on the days around each holiday.
3. Who to contact after hours, and what number to use.
4. If you are traveling, whether sessions can continue by telehealth from out of state (licensing rules may limit this, so ask rather than assume).
5. Whether any insurance authorization for your current level of care expires during the holiday period, so a renewal is not left waiting on a closed office.

If you are in one of our intensive outpatient programs in San Diego, your counselor can walk through the holiday calendar with you and help build these dates into your plan.

How to Build the Plan: A Step-by-Step Process

Work through these steps with a counselor, sponsor or trusted support person.

Step 1: List every event and rank it: Write down every holiday gathering on your calendar from now through January 1, including office parties and casual get-togethers. Mark each one as low, medium or high risk based on whether alcohol or drugs will be present, who will be there, and how easy it is to leave. You do not have to attend everything. Declining a high-risk event in your first year is a legitimate recovery decision, not a failure of manners.

Step 2: Control your own exit: For every event you do attend, arrange your own transportation or a guaranteed ride with a sober person. Set a departure time before you arrive, and tell your support person what it is. Being dependent on someone else’s ride is one of the most common reasons people stay longer than they planned.

Step 3: Prepare your answer: Decide in advance what you will say when someone offers a drink or asks why you are not drinking. A short, honest line works best: “I’m not drinking tonight,” or “I’m taking a break for my health.” Bring your own non-alcoholic drink and keep it in your hand. You owe no one a detailed explanation of your treatment.

Step 4: Schedule the check-ins: Put two calls on the calendar for each high-risk day: one before you leave for the event and one after you get home. Attend a meeting or group the same day or the day after whenever possible. Many San Diego mutual-support meetings hold extra sessions around holidays, and some run continuously on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Step 5: Write down the warning signs and the response: Agree with your counselor on two or three specific signals that mean the plan needs to change, such as skipping a group, isolating for a full day, or romanticizing past use. Next to each one, write what you will do: call a named person, attend an extra session, or contact your program.

For Families Hosting Someone in Early Recovery

Families can make the season considerably easier without turning the gathering into a referendum on someone’s recovery.

• Ask before you plan: Ask your loved one directly what would help, whether that is an alcohol-free gathering, a shorter visit, or simply knowing they can leave without explanation.
• Offer real alternatives: Have appealing non-alcoholic drinks available, not just water.
• Skip the interrogation: Avoid questions about how treatment is going in front of other relatives. Let them share what they choose.
• Secure medications: Lock up prescription medications, especially opioids, benzodiazepines and stimulants, if someone in recovery will be staying in your home.

Safety Information If Use Happens

If a return to use happens, the most important thing is safety, followed by reaching out quickly rather than waiting until after the holidays.

Lowered tolerance: After a period of not using, the body’s tolerance drops. Using a previous amount can lead to overdose, particularly with opioids, and the street supply is frequently contaminated with fentanyl. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends carrying naloxone and knowing how to use it (CDC Overdose Prevention). Naloxone is available without a prescription at many pharmacies.

Alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal: If someone has resumed heavy daily drinking or benzodiazepine use over several days or weeks, stopping abruptly can cause serious withdrawal, including seizures. Medically supervised detox may be required. Do not attempt to manage this alone at home. Our San Diego detox program can assess whether supervised withdrawal management is needed.

Emergencies: If someone is unresponsive, having trouble breathing, or having a seizure, call 911 immediately. If you or someone you love is in emotional crisis or thinking about self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

For free, confidential treatment referral information at any hour, the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English and Spanish (SAMHSA National Helpline).

Getting Support Before and After the Holidays

If you are concerned about getting through the season, the best time to strengthen your support is now, not the week of Thanksgiving. That might mean adding sessions, stepping up to a more structured level of care for a few weeks, or putting an aftercare plan in place if you recently completed treatment. Pacific Bay Recovery offers detox, residential, PHP, IOP and outpatient care in San Diego, and our admissions team can talk through options and insurance coverage with you. Call (619) 350-8220 to speak with our team.

If you are a family member worried about a loved one heading into the holidays, you can also call (619) 350-8220 to ask questions about treatment options and how to start the conversation.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about your specific situation. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.