The key facts

  • Preparation for drinking among people with dependence can begin in November — with corporate parties, alcohol purchases and conversations about the holidays
  • The doctor recommends drawing up a concrete behaviour plan for the holidays in advance
  • Relatives are advised not to keep alcohol at home and to agree on safety measures

The risk begins before the feast

People with alcohol dependence and their loved ones should start preparing for the New Year holidays as early as November: it is precisely during this period that the first factors capable of triggering a return to alcohol appear. This was stated to Gazeta.Ru by Alexander Polikarpov, founder of the AlkoSpas clinic and a psychiatrist-narcologist.

How a relapse takes shape

According to the specialist, the widespread notion that a New Year drinking binge begins directly at the holiday table does not always correspond to reality. In November, corporate party invitations, alcohol purchases and conversations about the long weekend appear, and for a person with dependence this is not a neutral backdrop: the anticipation of drinking can gradually intensify cravings and weaken previous restraints. A return to alcohol is, as a rule, preceded by a change in behaviour — the person allows the thought of an 'exception' during the holidays, postpones a visit to a specialist and returns to the circles associated with their earlier drinking.

Recommendations for remission and for the family

'A binge rarely arises suddenly after a single holiday toast — it is usually preceded by a chain of concessions,' Polikarpov noted. He named the pre-holiday strain as an additional risk factor: the completion of work projects, financial expenses, lack of sleep and family conflicts, against which alcohol may be perceived as a quick way to relax. For those in remission, the doctor advises drawing up a concrete plan in advance: deciding which events the person will not attend, what to say when offered a drink, who will be reachable on a difficult evening, where the doctor's and emergency assistance phone numbers are kept, and how the family will act at the first signs of a relapse. Relatives are advised not to keep alcohol at home even for guests, not to give money for alcohol, not to make excuses to the employer for a person's absence, and not to leave children in the care of a relative who is intoxicated.