The holidays are not always happy, and a sense of darkness is not the sole domain of the lonely and heartbroken over this period. Lingering beneath the lunches, parties and social engagements lie both temptation and a struggle, for some, to cope with bad habits.
Managing addiction or resisting temptation becomes far more challenging during festive periods. Social worker in private practice Carryn Hennessy said the season consistently serves up an escalation in addictive behaviour, not because people suddenly change, but because structure disappears.
Over the festive season there are many increases in addiction cases because this is often our way of regulating emotions, she said. When routine falls away, people reach for whatever helps them cope fastest.
