Everything can seem a little darker during the winter. As the days shorten and the weather worsens, you may feel a little more down than normal. This is a common thing that many people experience and is known as the winter blues.

The winter blues can be hard for anyone to cope with as it can negatively impact your mental health, but if you are in drug and alcohol addiction recovery, the winter blues can feel slightly amplified.

Staying sober in winter can be a struggle. Recognising the challenges you face and knowing some of the ways to cope listed below will be important first steps to managing the winter blues and sobriety.

What Are the Winter Blues?

The winter blues is essentially a response to the end of the holidays. After the highs and busyness of the festive season, you come back down to Earth and experience a period of sadness.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is, unlike the winter blues, a medical diagnosis triggered by the changing seasons. The winter blues is usually tied to a specific event, such as missing someone or experiencing family and financial stress over Christmas.

Symptoms of winter blues include:

  • Low energy
  • Irritability
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Sleeping problems

All these symptoms can make the challenges you face in recovery even harder. Beyond stress and the holiday comedown, experiencing shorter days and a lack of sunlight contribute to you developing the winter blues.

Sobriety and seasonal depression are closely linked issues. The many ways that the winter blues can cause emotional strain may trigger cravings and make it harder to deal with your alcohol or drug addiction. In some cases, it could lead to a total relapse.

The stress of the winter months – dealing with rising heating prices, buying presents and struggling through complex family dynamics – can make your addiction seem like an escape again. On the other hand, you may experience loneliness, cooped up with the poor weather and those feelings of isolation could lead you back to your addiction.

The shorter days and poor weather can cause reduced motivation. Good habits you form may fall by the wayside, and engaging in destructive behaviour can be very easy.

Pulling yourself out of addiction is hard, and staying sober is harder still. Being aware of the connections between the winter blues and sobriety will motivate you to take a more proactive approach to recovery. With determination and action, you can lessen the risk of a relapse.

Practical Tips for Managing Winter Blues in Sobriety

While it may seem like the winter blues are here to stay, there are many things you can do to beat them and enjoy the colder months. Here are some simple tips for winter mental health.

  • Establish a daily routine to maintain structure in your life
  • Incorporate light therapy into the day or spend more time outdoors for natural sunlight
  • Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet to boost your mood
  • Boost your vitamin D with supplements
  • Keep a consistent sleep schedule to boost your cognitive function

Maintaining self-care is important to staying sober in winter. Taking care of yourself will help you feel more joy and relaxed. Try self-care activities such as:

  • Mindfulness
  • Relax with your favourite film or book
  • Plan fun activities
  • Celebrate your successes and share them with others
  • Walk in nature
  • Volunteer or help others

All at once, this may seem like a lot of changes but incorporating some of them will go a long way to improving your mental well-being and preventing a relapse.

The Importance of Connection During Winter

Isolation is the enemy of sobriety and seasonal depression. Withdrawing from others only increases the feelings of sadness you may have over winter. This is why is so important to stay connected to your recovery support network – which can include your family, friends and recovery groups.

Even if it is hard, you should push yourself to maintain social connections. Attend group support meetings or join online support meetings as a starting point. Volunteering is also a great way to foster connection whilst also doing something that helps others.

Try to reach out to friends and family – meet out for a walk or invite them round for tea or coffee.

Mindfulness and Mental Health Support

Practising mindfulness and focusing on being in the present will no doubt help you manage the winter blues. Activities such as meditation, journaling and deep breathing exercises can help you realign yourself and control your stress and negative emotions.

Focusing on gratitude is also helpful. Learning to shift your perspective and focus on what is good in your life will help you stay in the present, boost your mood and strengthen relationships as you show your thanks to others.

At drug and alcohol rehab, you would have had access to therapy. If you are struggling with seasonal depression then consider getting professional help – counselling and therapy are vital resources for learning to cope with negative feelings that arise during winter.

Get Support Now from Ocean Recovery

Contending with the winter blues and sobriety can feel overwhelming. You should always remind yourself though that you are not alone. At Ocean Recovery, we can help you. We are a private drug and alcohol rehab, with the resources and professional help capable of helping you maintain your sobriety during these winter months.

For more information, call now at 0800 880 7596.

John Gillen - Director at Ocean Recovery

John Gillen - Author - Last updated: December 12, 2024

John is one UK’s leading professionals in the addiction recovery industry. Pioneering new treatment techniques such as NAD+ and ongoing research into new therapy techniques such as systematic laser therapy, John is committed to providing the very best treatment for people throughout the UK and Europe. During his extremely busy schedule, John likes to regularly update our blog section with the latest news and trends in the industry to keep visitors to our site as well informed as possible on everything related to addiction treatment.