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Have a plan
It’s important to prepare yourself for certain situations so you aren’t caught off guard in the moment. For example, if you know you’ll feel uncomfortable without a drink in your hand, come up with a list of non-alcoholic options you could order. If you sober holidays know you’ll want to leave early, it might be best to take your own car to the function or ask another sober friend to be on-call to pick you up. If you think you’re going to be asked about your sobriety, be ready to address it in a way that you’re most comfortable.
- Making a relapse prevention plan involves being aware of what your triggers are.
- You may experience cravings, urges, and temptations from family and friends.
- Do not rely on someone to give you a ride home who will be drinking or wants to stay later than you.
- They can be used in hospitals for moderate to severe pain treatment.
- 30 percent of American adults don’t drink, and the top 20 percent consume the majority of all alcohol, with the top ten percent consuming as much as 74 drinks a week.
- By doing so, you will gain some accountability as well as a small support system as you stay sober during the holidays.
Instead, take an honest look at what you value most for your family’s season. Maybe this is the year for some new holiday traditions. If you’re in recovery, the holidays can pose serious challenges to your sobriety and sanity. For many, family interaction plays a big part in this holiday pressure.
Contact MedMark Treatment Centers If You Need Help Fighting Opioid Addiction During the Holidays
You may wonder if you will be able to stay sober when you always drank in years past during the holidays. You may experience cravings, urges, and temptations from family and friends. There are ways to cope and you don’t have to sacrifice your sobriety to have a good time during Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, or whatever holidays you find yourself celebrating. This article will give you ways to prepare for the holidays when you are sober. Put your sober holidays to good use by helping others who want to have alcoholic beverages.
Maybe you are worried about your own drug use, or maybe you’re worried about the drug use of someone else. Either way, most addiction recovery agencies, treatment centers, and domestic violence resources increase efforts during the holidays. Call a local treatment center like Into Action Recovery Centers or a local crisis line. Make this holiday the last unsafe holiday for you and your family.
Go to Places Without Alcohol Available
Promoting food as a focal point can change the tone of the gathering as well as reduce the amount of alcohol. This encourages your group to celebrate around food as opposed to https://ecosoberhouse.com/ drinking. Plan activitiesAn activity-led holiday – whether it’s walking or swimming or climbing or skiing or diving or yoga – makes it easier to avoid the fridge or the bar.
On a recent trip to Egypt, I delighted in the frothy, not-too-sweet mint lemonade on most menus. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, VA, we understand the delicate balance of holiday celebration and sobriety. We work with our guests to provide tools for maintaining sobriety on any occasion throughout the year and for years to come. If you want to bring a host gift (and etiquette says it’s a good idea), Swann suggests showing up with “something more interesting” than a bottle of wine. Then, when you’re ready to depart, or if you become worried about a relapse if you stay longer than you are comfortable, permit yourself to leave. By the next Christmas, it was easier, and by the next, I had zero desire to drink — although I know not everyone’s experience will look like mine.
Party Time
“Don’t go on vacation with people you used to use substances or anyone you have highly conflictual relationships with,” advises Weston. That’s all a bulwark against the equally robust uptick in distilleries, breweries, and wineries sober travelers find in the unlikeliest places. Still, many destinations—Muslim countries in particular—have strong traditions around non-alcoholic drinks.
If you aren’t feeling ready to be around alcohol-infused parties or have already gone to a few and have recognized you’ve reached your limit, you can always host your own sober party. A significant part of recovery and maintaining sobriety is having a community and connection. Getting out and socializing is important, but only you know when you have maxed out. Plan for these situations by driving yourself to the event. This way you’ll have the means to leave at any time you deem necessary for yourself, for your safety, and for your sobriety.
Choose a Treatment Plan
If you don’t need to attend or just simply don’t want to, replace it with a fun, healthy holiday activity! For example, go ice-skating, treat yourself to a nice dinner, volunteer, host a gift-exchange with other sober friends, see a movie or take a relaxing, weekend trip. The fact that you’re in recovery from opioid addiction doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the joy and excitement of the holiday season. Or, weather permitting, go out for some sledding or snowman building. Of course, no holiday would be complete without traditional holiday eats. While you shouldn’t overdo it, feel free to indulge your tastebuds in the foods that inspire your holiday cheer.
- You exist outside of yourself, and you begin to notice all the blessings your life already contains.
- With all of these pressures and easy access, the holidays are a time when many people bottom out and realize they have lost control.
- If you’re living a healthier, happier life, those are the only reasons you need.
- Understand how those triggers may arise throughout the event and what, and whom, you may need to work through those.
- Despite your busy schedule, it is important to stick to your normal healthy routine.
Our society’s commercialization of the holidays would have you believe that this season is about partying, gifts and glitzy decorations. However, no matter your faith or spiritual beliefs, the holidays can be boiled down to one core value — gratitude. If you can focus on the people and circumstances that have brought you joy, everything else will fade away. For many people, participating in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a vital part of their recovery. During the holidays, such as Thanksgiving, many places that host meetings will have meeting marathons, where they hold meetings every hour on the hour. When you find yourself looking to Norman Rockwell’s image of the American family holiday, remember that even Rockwell didn’t match the scene.
