The Holidays in Recovery

This time of year used to unravel me.

I never understood why.

The lights, the noise, the expectations… all of it lit up old neural pathways I didn’t realize were still active.

It wasn’t a lack of willpower — it was my brain.

The holidays push the nervous system into overdrive: more cortisol, more stimulation, more pressure, and more emotional and biochemical triggers.

And for people in recovery — whether you’re in your first year or your thirtieth — this season can quietly activate circuits you've worked hard to rewire.

Stillness isn’t a luxury. It’s neurological medicine. When we pause — really pause — the brain shifts out of survival mode and into regulation.

Dopamine stabilizes.
Cravings soften.
Clarity returns.

But stillness alone isn’t enough. Your brain also needs fuel to stay stable.

A STARVING BRAIN IS A TRIGGERED BRAIN (at ANY stage of sobriety)

One of the main causes of emotional suffering — and relapse — is surprisingly simple:

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) from skipped meals, sugar, caffeine crashes, long days, or years of nutritional depletion.

When blood sugar drops, the classic symptoms appear: Restless. Irritable. Discontent.

It’s … Not emotional weakness. Not moral failure. Not a lack of spiritual strength.

These are physiological symptoms of hypoglycemia and dopamine depletion — the very states described in recovery literature for decades. Even long-term sober individuals can still suffer emotionally if the brain is underfed.

You can be sober for years and still feel:

-Anxious
-Overwhelmed
-Foggy
-Unmotivated
-Easily triggered
-Emotionally burnt out
-Not yourself

This isn’t failure. This is an undernourished nervous system asking for support. My Missing Link Holiday Reset is here for you, friends, and includes 8 Daily Regulation Practices for a Stable Brain & Peaceful Season! Sign up for my newsletter and get this supportive plan direct to your inbox, FREE!