Anchoring Hope During the Holidays: New Guidance for Families Who Love Someone Struggling with Addiction

For many families, the holidays intensify the challenges of loving someone in active addiction.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, November 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the holiday season approaches—a time widely associated with stress, family gatherings, and heightened emotional triggers—Love With Boundaries, a counselling organization specializing in supporting families affected by addiction, is offering resources to help people navigate their relationships with addicted loved ones without enabling harmful behaviour.

For many families, the holidays intensify the challenges of loving someone in active addiction. Candace Plattor, Founder of Love With Boundaries and a registered counsellor with more than 38 years of personal recovery from her own addiction, emphasizes that hope and change are possible when families learn the difference between helping and enabling.

“Loving an addict can be incredibly painful, especially during the holidays when the pressure to ‘keep the peace’ is high,” says Plattor. “Families often walk on eggshells, hoping not to set off conflict. But enabling a loved one by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves only keeps the addiction going. Real change begins when families learn how to set clear, respectful boundaries.”

According to Plattor, the holiday season presents a critical moment for families to re-evaluate long-standing patterns. For example, many struggle with decisions such as whether to invite an addicted loved one to holiday gatherings. Love With Boundaries encourages families to communicate expectations clearly—such as asking the person to attend, and remain, clean and sober during the event, and setting plans for safe transportation if the addict chooses to use substances.

“Addiction is influenced by many factors, including trauma and brain chemistry, but it does not have to be a life sentence,” Plattor adds. “People can make different choices when expectations are clear, consistent, and rooted in respect—both for themselves and for the family.”

To support families during National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW) 2025, Love With Boundaries is offering seven special daily bonuses, including five no-cost resources and two discounted learning opportunities. The week concludes on November 22 with a free live interview between Plattor and speaker/mediator Charmaine Hammond, focusing on this year’s NAAW theme: “Anchoring Hope.”

Families seeking support can also access a free 30-minute consultation with a Love With Boundaries counsellor by completing a brief online questionnaire. During the session, individuals can explore strategies for boundary-setting, understanding codependency, and shifting from enabling to genuine support.

“Families are not alone,” Plattor says. “There are effective, compassionate tools available—and change is absolutely possible.”

Event Registration details:
For details on the November 22 interview and the full week of NAAW offerings, visit:
https://lovewithboundaries.com/november-22/

Christine Zitscher - Administrative Assistant
Love With Boundaries
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