A trigger for addicts

DANGER: RESISTING TEMPTATION IS MORE DIFFICULT AROUND DECEMBER >>> Loneliness, family conflict, financial anxiety up in festive season - psychologist.

- Hein Kaiser

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 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."

The spike is not limited to alcohol or narcotic substances. Hennessy said she regularly sees increases in shopping addiction, overeating, excessive screen time and online behaviours alongside drinking and drug use. "Addiction cuts across all ages," she said. "It just manifests differently."

She said younger people are increasingly socially isolated, even when surrounded by others, and often turn to online spaces for stimulation, connection or escape.

Older adults may turn more heavily towards alcohol, food or spending. None of it exists in isolation, she said.

"The triggers are attempts at self-regulation," Hennessy said.