How to Stay Sober During the Holidays

Here are seven tried-and-true tips and strategies that will prepare you for the holidays, help you avoid relapse and protect you from any uncomfortable situations. Occupy your mind with other stuff avoid the activities that leads to relapse. Finding things to commit to will help force the individual to occupy their time with sober-friendly activities. The holidays can be a fun and exciting time of year, but also a stressful and emotional time as well. Here are 10 quick tips for maintaining your sobriety, and sanity, during the winter holidays and into the new year.

How to Get Help After Relapse

However, the organising of a holiday and the period leading up to going away can be stressful. If you want to stay sober during the holidays, look for every opportunity to be of service. Serve a meal at a homeless shelter, reach out to a newcomer at a meeting, spend time with an elderly loved one or neighbor. There are a million different ways to give back, pay it forward and be of service, and each opportunity guides you further away from resentment, self-pity and fear. Here are some of the fun activities you can enjoy that do not result in waking up drooling in a Bushwick warehouse.

Subscribe to Advancing Health

Their goal is to provide society with an exciting, upbeat alternative to the bar scene. At the core of this issue is the fact that many holiday traditions involve alcohol, creating pressure for people in recovery to join in, even if it jeopardizes their hard-won sobriety. On top of that, holiday shopping, family gatherings, and financial concerns tend to crank the stress meter up to 11. Finally, the holidays have a way of bringing forth emotional memories and unresolved issues. Put together, these conditions may cause people to revert to old habits. During the holiday season, it can be challenging to stay sober.

Ideas to Help You Stay Sober During The Holidays

• Your recovery creates a bridge to all areas of normal living which includes holidays.
• If you are in recovery, especially if you’re newly sober, this might be difficult to be around.
• Proper nutrition, gentle exercise and restorative sleep can do wonders for your well-being.
• Make a book to share with friends and family, publish it online as a blog, or simply keep a copy for yourself.
• Getting through the holidays sober can be a challenge, particularly for people in early addiction recovery.

However, there are several practical strategies you can adopt to maintain your sobriety. One of the best ways is to keep a water bottle nearby at holiday parties. By having water readily available, you can easily replace alcohol with a refreshing alternative.

• And when you take initiative over the planning, it’s easier to ensure the evening is both fun and alcohol-free.
• People new to recovery have many options for a fun, spooky Halloween.
• Ignoring triggers leaves you more susceptible to their influence in recovery, and allows them to maintain power over you.
• But it can also be a very stressful time, particularly for people in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.

Addiction Relapse Prevention Tips For The Holidays

If you have fond memories of celebrating Christmas, try capturing them through a short story! Make a book to share with friends and family, publish it online as a blog, or simply keep a copy for yourself. This can be a fun way to bring memories back to life, and pass the story along. Just being around people who have gone through similar experiences, and finding a distraction away from drugs or alcohol, can offer the opportunity to ground yourself and your commitment to recovery. However, not everyone who experiences sadness or depression has a mental health condition, and these feelings can act as a trigger. With a few creative strategies, we can still participate in holiday fun without going broke.

• Our telehealth program gives you access to expert medical support, online coaching meetings, anti-craving medications, virtual support groups, and more—all from an app on your smartphone.
• One of the ways you can keep yourself on the right track is by forging or leaning on meaningful connections you have with loved ones in your life.
• Remind yourself that you are deserving of this connection — deserving of kindness, love, and happiness.
• They can enjoy a glass of wine (or two) without further temptation.

What People Are Saying

• Celebrate the holiday season and the fullness of your sober life by taking time for yourself.
• Our programs provide compassionate, evidenced-based therapies, medical detox services, residential treatment, outpatient treatment and virtual treatment programs.
• By having water readily available, you can easily replace alcohol with a refreshing alternative.
• Odds are, there are some fun sober ways to celebrate in your community.
• What’s more, starting treatment during the holidays may increase your chances of getting into your program of choice.

Staying sober during the holiday season can be challenging, but with a little planning and support, it’s possible to enjoy the festivities while maintaining a sober life. One of the best ways to navigate this time of year is to plan sober holiday parties that offer alcohol-free options for guests. By providing non-alcoholic beverages and delicious mocktails, you can create a fun and inclusive sober holidays atmosphere for everyone. Additionally, sharing your sobriety goals with friends and family members can provide a support system and understanding. Offering alcohol-free alternatives at parties and gatherings can also ensure that everyone feels included and comfortable. Remember, there are countless opportunities to enjoy the holiday season while staying true to your sober life.

This may include living in a sober living house where the addict will share a residence with other recovering addicts under limited professional care. This presents the opportunity to slowly adjust to the freedoms of the real world. This will also give the individual the opportunity to move through this transition with the help and support of the residents of the sober house. The Smart Party is the original alcohol free meetup group.

Your recovery creates a bridge to all areas of normal living which includes holidays. A sober holiday allows you to enjoy the luxury of time away as many others do, whilst staying sober. Maintaining sober living as an individual is the final step. Once out of sober living, it will be easy to fall into the same habits that led to the problem in the first place. It may mean suggesting other options for activities with friends.

Stay connected to your reasons for being sober