Holiday Blues in Recovery: Signs, Causes, and What Helps

The holiday blues are a period of sadness, stress, or low mood that shows up around the holidays and usually lifts once the season ends. In recovery, they deserve extra attention, because the same feelings can raise the risk of a return to use. Recognizing the signs early, keeping your routine, and staying close to your treatment team are the most reliable ways to get through them.

If you’re struggling right now and want support, AppleGate Recovery’s Suboxone treatment program combines medication with counseling, and you can reach out any time.

What Are the Holiday Blues?

The holiday blues are temporary feelings of sadness, anxiety, or emptiness linked to the pressures and memories of the holiday season. They’re common, and they’re different from clinical depression, which lasts longer and affects daily life more deeply.

For many people, the season brings a gap between how the holidays are “supposed” to feel and how they actually feel. In the American Psychiatric Association’s 2025 holiday poll, 48% of U.S. adults said missing a loved one was a holiday worry, and 31% named loneliness. Those feelings can be sharper when you’re in recovery and rebuilding relationships.

Common Causes of Holiday Depression in Recovery

Holiday depression in recovery usually comes from a mix of pressures rather than one cause. The most common include:

Stress. Shopping, travel, hosting, and extra events stretch your time and energy.
Money pressure. Gift-giving and travel costs can add worry at a time when many people in recovery are rebuilding their finances.
Strained relationships. Family gatherings can bring up old conflicts or reminders of the harm addiction caused.
Grief and loneliness. The holidays often highlight who’s missing, whether that’s a loved one who died or someone you’re no longer close to.
Less daylight. Shorter days can lower energy and mood for many people.
Alcohol everywhere. Constant exposure to drinking at parties and on TV can stir up cravings.

If your low mood started earlier in the fall and follows the same pattern every year, it may be seasonal. Our guide to seasonal affective disorder during recovery explains the difference.

Signs the Holiday Blues Are Affecting Your Recovery

The holiday blues start affecting your recovery when low mood begins to change what you do, not only how you feel. Watch for:

Skipping counseling sessions or provider appointments
Pulling away from the people who support you
Sleeping much more or much less than usual
Losing interest in things you normally enjoy
Thinking more often about using, or romanticizing past use
Feeling hopeless or numb for days at a time

If you notice two or three of these, tell your counselor or provider. That conversation is exactly what treatment is for, and our article on depression in addiction recovery explains how the two conditions affect each other.

What Helps When the Holiday Blues Hit

What helps most is a mix of small, steady actions rather than one big fix. None of these require a perfect mood to start.

Keep your treatment appointments. They’re your most direct line to support, especially when motivation drops.
Protect your sleep and meals. Regular sleep and eating times steady your mood more than most people expect.
Get daylight. A morning walk or time near a window can help with the low energy of shorter days.
Set expectations. You don’t have to attend every event or make the season perfect. Pick what matters and let the rest go.
Plan for hard days. If a certain date brings up grief, schedule time with a safe person or a recovery meeting that day.
Stay connected. Text a friend, call a sponsor, or join a support group, even for a few minutes.

Our list of coping strategies for mental health during recovery has more ideas you can use the same day.

When It’s More Than the Holiday Blues

It’s more than the holiday blues when low mood lasts for two weeks or longer, makes daily tasks hard, or continues after the holidays end. The National Institute of Mental Health describes depression as symptoms that last most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks. Depression is treatable, and it’s worth talking to a professional rather than waiting it out.

If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. Both are free and available 24 hours a day.

How Counseling Supports You Through the Season

Counseling gives you a regular, private place to talk through holiday stress before it builds into something bigger. A counselor can help you plan for difficult gatherings, work through grief, and notice early warning signs you might miss on your own.

At AppleGate Recovery, one-on-one and group counseling is part of every treatment plan, alongside medication. If you’re not in treatment yet, or you’ve been away and want to return, see our clinic locations or call 888.488.5337 to schedule a confidential appointment. You can also call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential help finding treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the holiday blues?

The holiday blues are temporary feelings of sadness, stress, or loneliness tied to the holiday season. They usually ease after the holidays end. If low mood lasts two weeks or more, talk to a provider, since it may be depression.

Can the holiday blues lead to relapse?

The holiday blues can raise the risk of a return to use, especially when they lead to skipped appointments, isolation, or poor sleep. Staying connected to treatment and support helps lower that risk.

How do I tell the difference between the holiday blues and depression?

The holiday blues are tied to the season and tend to pass. Depression lasts longer, usually two weeks or more, and makes it harder to function day to day. A provider can help you sort out which one you’re experiencing.

Who can I call if I’m struggling during the holidays?

You can call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line, or call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Your counselor or treatment provider is also a good first call.