Whether it’s for the holidays, a special occasion, or a birthday, giving gifts to a recovering addict can be challenging. Asking what they want can be troublesome because it can mean a trigger for them. And then, picking a gift that causes anxiety or even a relapse places a burden on the person choosing the gift. Here’s a complete guide to giving gifts to recovering addicts with a few ideas.
10 Gift Ideas for Recovering Drug Addicts or Alcoholics
Here are some gift ideas for people in addiction recovery. These gifts are meant to celebrate their sobriety and accomplishments.
1. Experiences
In early recovery, connecting with friends and loved ones becomes challenging for most people. In some cases, they have strained relationships that disintegrated during their substance abuse period. Planning a shared experience might just open them up to see what life after recovery has to offer. It could be anything – a weekend getaway to the beach or a cooking class. Just remember to stay away from places that serve alcohol or that could be triggering for your loved one.
2. Gadgets and Fidgeting Items
Recovering addicts often have difficulties keeping their hands still. Even long-term side effects of drug abuse can leave idle hands uncomfortable. A small gadget or fidgeting item like a fidget spinner, a stress ball, or a small puzzle can be a thoughtful idea. These are excellent gift exchange ideas because they’re affordable.
3. Books
There are countless books for self-help and rediscovery that can be helpful for someone recovering from an addiction. Find a book that highlights the beauty of life, recovery success stories, and that motivates them to continue forging their recovery path. Maybe even an AA Book. Make sure to read the summary to make sure this book won’t trigger anxiety or relapse thoughts.
4. Personalized Journals
Journaling is a popular therapeutic activity that most people in recovery take on. If you know that someone has started this practice, consider getting them a personalized journal. Some notebooks come with prompts following a theme such as sincerity, gratitude, and recovery. Others have blank pages to give them the freedom to write about their feelings, dreams, stresses, and more.
5. Engraved Memento
For a recovering addict celebrating a milestone, an engraved memento could be a meaningful gift. Nowadays, you can engrave almost anything. From a watch, a necklace pendant, a bracelet, and even a phone. Think about a thoughtful quote or message you want to engrave to celebrate this huge milestone and show them they’re moving in the right direction.
6. Fitness Classes
Many recovering addicts need to find a new hobby or outlet to manage their stress and anxiety. A great coping mechanism is exercise. Find out if there’s a particular form of exercise they like – yoga, CrossFit, Bootcamp, Zumba, etc. You can buy a gift card for a local fitness studio or even on-demand fitness classes. This gift is not only thoughtful but will also promote a wellness routine that will benefit their recovery journey.
7. Therapy or Meditation Lessons
For many recovering addicts, continuing therapy is not always a possibility. While hopefully, they’re still attending support group meetings, talking to a therapist is always beneficial. Gift them prepaid telehealth therapy or meditation lessons to support their recovery. Mental health gifts can be incredibly thoughtful for someone in recovery.
8. Wellness Subscriptions
Nowadays, you can find countless subscription boxes that focus on wellness. Some include teas, essential oils, and bath bombs for an at-home relaxing experience. Others have mindful gifts such as journals, sage, incense, and more. Think about a subscription box that focuses on mental health and wellness that your loved one will enjoy.
9. Essential Oils
A small box with different essential oils can help those in recovery manage their stress and anxiety symptoms. Lavender oil, chamomile oil, lemon oil, and fennel oil can help reduce anxiety and stress symptoms and promote overall well-being. This is a great DIY gift idea that you can put together by yourself.
10. Time Together
Though it might seem silly to give time, it’s by far the most thoughtful gift you can give someone in recovery. Those in early recovery often struggle to juggle everything. Kids, work, school, and other responsibilities can be tricky to handle. Consider giving time by helping or hiring help. For example, pay for a cleaning service or a meal delivery service. Or volunteer to babysit for a day or two. These small gestures can go a long way and really make a difference for someone in recovery.