The seasons change. So do we.

Seasonal depression, known clinically as seasonal affective disorder, is a recognised form of depression that arrives in autumn, deepens through winter, and lifts as the days lengthen in spring. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, around 3 in every 100 people in the UK experience significant winter depression. Many more experience a milder seasonal low mood that doesn’t quite meet the clinical diagnosis but can still greatly affect their daily life.

For people in addiction recovery, autumn and winter can bring reduced daylight, disrupted routines, fewer chances to meet up with friends and family, and general low mood. All of these can put recovery at risk.

Knowing how the seasons affect you, and having a plan for when they come, can make the harder months easier.

The signs of seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder, often shortened to SAD, is categorised by the NHS as depression linked to reduced daylight in winter.

Shorter days affect the brain’s production of serotonin, a chemical that influences mood, appetite and sleep, and disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that regulates when we wake up and go to sleep. These disruptions can produce a cluster of symptoms that begin in autumn, get worse through the winter months, ease as spring arrives, and return the following year.

The NHS lists the main symptoms of SAD as:

• Low mood
• A lack of interest in things you usually enjoy
• Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
• Restlessness or irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Increased hunger and eating
• Feeling tired and sleeping a lot
• In more severe cases, thoughts of self-harm or suicide

If you experience any suicidal or self-harming thoughts, seek professional attention right away. You can also call the Samaritans for free 24/7 on 116 123.

The milder version, sometimes called subsyndromal SAD or the winter blues, produces lower energy, reduced motivation, disrupted sleep and a tendency to withdraw from social activities, without being severe enough to meet a clinical SAD diagnosis. It is more common than full SAD, and for people in recovery it carries many of the same risks.

How seasonal changes affect people in recovery

Research published in Comprehensive Psychiatry in 2004 found that seasonal changes in mood and behaviour may be closely related to alcoholism. Some people with alcohol addiction were found to drink more in the winter, possibly self-medicating an underlying SAD with alcohol.

A population-based study published in Psychiatry Research in 2017 found that alcohol dependence consistently deteriorates during the autumn and winter months. Seasonal change raises the risk of relapse for people recovering from any substance, not just alcohol.

Reduced daylight directly affects serotonin and melatonin levels, which is why mood and energy fall as the days become shorter. This can affect your routine, as there is less daylight time for regular exercise, time outdoors, and the social commitments that provide structure through the spring and summer.

Winter weather can also make it harder to motivate yourself to go out, and if you do most of your physical activity outside, it can be next to impossible to even take a walk every day. Spending every evening can become boring and isolating, and these are conditions which often act as substance misuse triggers.

Warning signs that the season is affecting your recovery

The signs that winter is putting pressure on your recovery are often gradual, and can look like ordinary tiredness or low mood before they develop into something that affects your recovery directly.

Signs to look out for include:

• Giving up activities that you’ve been consistent with during the spring and summer
• Withdrawing from loved ones and support networks
• Missing appointments or commitments
• Your routine starting to change without your planning it
• Sleep and exercise being affected
• More frequent and intense cravings
• Creeping thoughts that your coping strategies are no longer effective or even no longer necessary

These are signs that recovery is taking more effort than before, and recognising them early makes it easier to respond.

With SAD in particular, pay attention to whether the same pattern repeats each year. Tracking when it happens and what it looks like allows you to get ready earlier the following year, and put support in place before the pressure builds. Sharing that pattern with your keyworker or therapist means someone else knows to look out for it with you.

Habits that protect your recovery through winter

Coping with winter in recovery is easier with a plan. Deciding in advance what your routine will look like through the harder months, how much contact you will have with your support network, how you will stay physically active, and how you will break up long evenings takes the decision-making out of it when you’re not feeling motivated. You can discuss your plan with your recovery team, and they can help you stick to it.

The NHS recommends:

• Getting as much natural daylight as possible by going outside every day
• Taking regular exercise
• Staying in contact with friends and family
• Keeping up with usual activities
• Maintaining a consistent sleep and wake routine

In recovery, these are effective relapse prevention measures.

Getting outside in the morning gives you daylight at the time it has the most effect on mood, and gets you straight into a healthy routine for the day.

Attending recovery meetings through winter keeps you connected to the people who support you, especially when the weather makes it tempting to withdraw.

Keeping up ordinary activities, like your hobbies and meeting friends and family at regular times, means fewer empty windows of time for boredom and cravings.

For people who aren’t in recovery but have winter mental health needs, the NHS also advises limiting alcohol, as drinking can worsen low mood even though it feels like it’s helping in the short term. Getting enough sleep and eating well can also help maintain a positive mood and plenty of energy when the winter weather becomes draining.

Getting extra support when winter makes recovery harder

The link between seasonal changes and addiction is well understood, so there are various ways to get more support.

If you’re finding things harder than usual because of the season or the weather, your GP can assess whether what you are experiencing is SAD and refer you for talking therapy or other treatment. If you have complete rehab, staying in contact with your recovery community through winter is especially important, because it’s easy to withdraw from people and let those connections lapse.

Let someone close to you know you’re struggling so you have someone alongside you through the harder months. Asking for more support at a recognised pressure point is an important part of relapse prevention, especially when it’s your first winter in recovery, or you’re going through a lot in your life which the season is making worse.

Get support for addiction recovery at Oasis Bradford

Recovery moves through harder and easier periods, and winter is usually one of the harder ones. But these tougher times are an important part of recovery, giving you the chance to test your new skills and resolve and strengthen your support network.

Oasis Bradford provides addiction recovery support throughout the year, with programmes that consider both the addiction and the underlying mental health difficulties that affect recovery. If you’re finding the season difficult, or if you’re concerned about someone you care about, get in touch with Oasis Bradford today for a free and confidential conversation about treatment and next steps.