Vacations and traveling trips are some of the great equalizers of the human condition, so you might find that at some point in your life, you end up heading out on a trip with someone who is troubled. This could mean that they have some type of medical issue, or perhaps are going through serious depression, or maybe even that they’re struggling with addiction.
These issues don’t have to be preventative though, as long as you understand what your options are, and follow some tips, including knowing the signs of addiction, learning the twelve steps, keeping inspiration present on your travels, making safety a priority, and keeping awareness and prevention levels consistently high.
Read About the Signs
If you want to help someone who’s suffering from addiction, especially when they’re going to be one of your traveling buddies, at the very least, you have to understand what the signs are. Particularly if you’re switching back and forth with things like driving, it makes sense for you to look for anything that might show that your friend is struggling with some type of control issue.
Know the Twelve Steps
The twelve steps are the same whether a person is stationary or on the move, and particularly if your friend has a sponsor somewhere, it’s important either that you know who that person is, or that you understand that connection has to remain open at all times during your vacation. The worst time for an unregulated relapse would be at some expensive, exotic location that isn’t equipped to handle psychological or behavioral issues from someone in recovery mode.
Keep Inspiration Present
And when it comes to vacations, yes, you’ll be in an amazing place, perhaps even an active place, but there’s going to be some down time, and that’s when you have to be the most careful. To avoid downtime in your friend’s mood as well, keep a source of inspiration present, maybe even on your cell phone or tablet, just in case either of you need a quick jolt of positive energy.
Make Safety a Priority
Safety is always going to be a priority when it comes to traveling with someone who is troubled, and one of the primary things you may have to consider is transportation. Not everyone in recovery mode can drive particular well, or even take mass transit without becoming anxious.
Keep Awareness and Prevention Levels High
And finally, since you’re traveling partner is the one with the issue, you’re going to have to be more aware than usual, because not only are you taking care of yourself, but you’re also dealing with the emotional and physical baggage of someone who is trying to break out of a dark cycle. The vacation will certainly help them, but you have to be the central force in that process!
