Kick Off Christmas with Hawaii’s Jingle Bell Beach Run

With the holidays coming, signing on for a 5K run may not sound like much fun. There’s shopping, wrapping, cooking, all those arrangements – who’s got time for a 5K even if you wanted to?

Here’s the sign-up information for the Jingle Bell Beach Run. If you’re lucky enough to run this short jog right in the middle of the beautiful Kailua-Kona region of the Big Island of Hawaii, you’re in for a treat.

The Jingle Bell Beach Run covers the comfortable level ground, and it’s all for fun, with awards going to the top finishers and the best Christmas costumes worn by creative runners.

Holidays are stressful for many people who increase their use of intoxicants during the holiday season to “loosen up” and have some fun.

For others, the holidays are an excuse to over-indulge. “Come on, it’s the holidays!”

Exercise relieves stress!
So you eat too much. Maybe have a few more drinks than usual, or a few more lines of coke to get ready for the office Christmas party.

Stress is a common cause of substance abuse. Life is stressful and many of us are looking for ways to cope. So we see our doctors who recommend more drugs – the kind you get at the pharmacy.

It doesn’t take much before you have a new addiction, or dependency, on stress relieving meds prescribed by your doctor – the professional who looks out for your good health.

If your primary care physician prescribes stress relieving pharmaceuticals or anti-depressants from big pharma, you’re addressing a substance abuse challenge with another substance – the monthly tabs you pick up from your friendly pharmacist.

You know when these drugs are causing problems. You may deny it, but you know deep down inside that stress and depression meds mask the underlying cause of the challenges you face.

Some pharmaceuticals have helped people who experience stress and anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and other challenges millions of people face.

Step 1 is to recognize the problem. You over-indulge in stressful situations or social situations, experiencing anticipation anxiety weeks before the actual event.

You need a healthy outlet for all that stress.

The Jingle Bell Beach Run couldn’t come at a better time. Just a few days before Christmas and well into the stress of shopping, wrapping, and running out for spare batteries.

This year’s 11th Annual Jingle Bell Beach Run is a great way to release some of the pent up stress and anxiety just before Santa makes his way down the chimney.

More than that, regular exercise – a brisk walk that elevates your heart rate and breathing rate – releases endorphins – naturally produced substances that sooth the body after a good workout. No need to run. No need for an expensive gym membership, you just need some free time to start walking your walk to improved stress management – during the upcoming holidays and throughout the year.

The holiday season and the start of a new year are excellent opportunities to improve yourself, your life, and the lives of loved ones.

This is the time to consider losing that substance abuse problem or kicking that behavioral addiction that lowers quality of life for the entire family.

The first step is easy. Contact Hawaii Island Recovery (HIR) on the Big Island. HIR employs a customized program of traditional and non-traditional therapies for people with substance abuse issues during the holidays and throughout the year

If you start now, you can walk that 5K Jingle Bell Beach Run, or take part in a one-mile fun run with the entire family.

This is the time of year for renewal. This is the time of year for change and improvement.

Contact Hawaii Island Recovery (866) 390-5070 and let’s face the challenge of substance abuse together.