Don’t let risky drinking ruin your holiday
Keep building on your recovery foundation and reevaluate the party invites next year. Hot cocoa, apple cider, booze-free variations of hot toddies or eggnog—the list of festive drinks you can enjoy without alcohol is quite long. Invite some sober friends over, and experiment with some new recipes together. Consider creating a lineup of all the ones you like best, and watch a few every week leading up to the holidays.
Wear The Change, Live The Sober Lifestyle.
Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Sober Recovery’s “Terms of Use”, “Privacy Policy”, “Cookie Policy”, “Health Disclaimer”, and “Do Not Sell My Personal Information”. The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider. Trying to scrape a living together by working several jobs, keeping up with friends and attempting to find a little time for ourselves can lead us to live functionally alcoholic lives. Thursday, as we all know, is the real start to the weekend and getting trashed with your squad on Friday is the norm.
Addiction Treatment Programs
Participate in charitable giving or adopt someone who could use some holiday hope and cheer. Use the opportunity to engage deeper into your AA or recovery support group. Do something sober holidays that is good for humanity and your recovery this season to avoid relapse. It’s important to take a moment and reflect on the consequences of relapse during the holiday season.
Recovery Advocacy
Coming to grips with the idea that sobriety is not instant heaven is an important step in recovery. Most people with addiction expect their upside-down world to immediately turn right side up. If you’ve been misusing alcohol or drugs for a while, your brain may need several months or even longer to set itself right. Sober Holidays Tip #15 Remember that being in recovery doesn’t mean instant heaven or a perfect life.
- This initial assessment allows our therapists to craft a personal recovery program, which allows the greatest opportunity for our clients to suppress addiction and adopt recovery as a permanent identity.
- Many people want to support their loved ones, friends, and coworkers on their sobriety journey.
- Winter solstice darkness and drabness can be psychologically (and physiologically) depressing.
- Then you can break down those defensive walls and forgive other people, and you can approach the holiday season with a stronger sense of gratitude.
- For a gift exchange, it can be fun to have a white elephant grab bag where everyone brings a gift for under ten dollars.
- During the holiday season, it can be challenging to stay sober.
How alcohol affects long-term health
Let’s not forget the usual holiday stress from shopping, decorating, baking, expenses, family dynamics, etc. It can be tempting to have “just one drink” to take the edge off. Rollins said a concept learned in recovery can be a useful reminder to stay sober. “Anything we put in front of our recovery will lose,” Rollins said. “If we put our family in front of our recovery, we might prioritize them so much that we end up relapsing and losing our family.”
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Staying sober during the holidays may be challenging, but it is achievable with the right strategies and support. We’ve come up with 12 practical tips to help you maintain your sobriety throughout season. For people living in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, staying sober during the holidays can sometimes feel challenging.
- Sarah Rollins, a licensed social worker, said that staying sober during the holidays can be difficult for a few reasons.
- Or you can connect with a trusted friend or family member who has supported you throughout your recovery journey.
- Staying sober during the holidays is a rewarding achievement that can strengthen your commitment to a healthier and happier life.
- Addiction relapse may be identifiable by physical signs of substance use, changes in behavior, or other cognitive or emotional symptoms of intoxication.
- Keeping in touch with your support system throughout the holidays doesn’t just make for a merrier season.
Tips to Maintain Your Recovery During the Holidays
- For those in early recovery, life is planned around maintaining freedom from addiction.
- Remember, each piece of additional treatment and support only strengthens your stand against relapse.
- Plan your arrival and departure, who you will spend time with – and who you will not.
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are some of the most cherished occasions on the calendar.