Your family might insist that they have plenty of room to host you, but you’ll likely need the space to be by yourself after family gatherings. Doing so can help you decompress and maintain your commitment to dry holidays. There are lots of things you can do to maintain your sobriety during the holidays. Your support network will be able to offer their experiences and advice on navigating sober holidays. However, there are some tried-and-true techniques that can help you manage many different situations, no matter where you are in your recovery. For many of us, the holidays are a season of peace and joy, where we decorate our memories with calm and happy moments.

Not to mention, you will remember the memories made. However, if you’re not quite ready to talk about sobriety with others, especially strangers, it’s perfectly fine to use another response instead. You can simply say you don’t feel like drinking, or offer another excuse like you’re a designated driver or that you have to be up early. Another response option is to say you’re watching what you put in your body during the holiday season, which means cutting back on alcohol to avoidnegative long-term effects. Whatever your response may be, have it ready so you aren’t caught off guard.

Get in the Spirit (and Survive!) the Holidays:

Ask for help from family and friends when going to gatherings where substances will be present. If they cannot join you, check-in before and after significant events with an accountability partner. If you are supporting someone, offer alternatives to alcoholic beverages and activities that do not encourage use. With the holidays right around the corner, you may think of fine food and good company as a wonderful disruption to the college routine. As some traditions and celebrations may consist of alcohol and other substances, it can become overwhelming to navigate for those in recovery. Maybe it’s easier to go to the holiday dinner, rather than make waves by turning down the invite. In this case, put things into place to make the situation as easy as possible.

• By doing this, family and friends will be more understanding of why you are not drinking alcohol, and will be less likely to offer you any.
• Lastly, it can also be helpful to have a non-alcoholic beverage in hand to avoid people offering you a drink.
• A year ago, I’d have rushed to my bag of supplements, pills and placebos.
• Again, it was hard at the start, but got easier.

Sure, occasionally there was a moment when the buzz felt perfect. The day wasn’t better because I was drinking. If you’re having a party, be mindful of your guests’ needs. Here’s how to make it more comfortable for those who don’t drink or who are in recovery. • Our trauma-informed dual diagnosis treatment is effective for PTSD, depression, anxiety and more. • Each patient is evaluated byNew Start Recovery Solutionsstaff and receives a biopsychosocial assessment; and an individualized treatment plan.

Red Flags Your Holiday Drinking Habits Are A Sign Of A Bigger Issue

Tell family and friends about your history with alcohol and that you do not want to relapse. By doing this, family and friends will be more understanding of why you are not drinking alcohol, and will be less likely to offer you any.

UAB’s “Attitude of Gratitude” dinner features speakers, community, and a sense of camaraderie. “We also provide clinical services throughout the holiday season,” McInturff adds. The desire to return to “normalcy” or “belong” is a big theme of the holiday season and triggering for many in recovery. Letting people bring a plus-one to any event you organize gives them that belonging and support.

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No, the holidays are about celebrating and making memories with the ones we love. And as you may know, that’s hard to do when you get so drunk or high that you don’t remember a thing.

• If you are newly clean and sober, we want to extend you some hope.
• Address the temptation head on and you’re less likely to fall right into it.
• The rise of alcohol-free beer and non-alcoholic spirits is further evidence that Britons are slowly changing their attitudes towards drinking – there’s money in them mocktails.
• For a sober holiday season – those in recovery are encountering not just a current holiday drinking culture.
• Consider how these family dinners played out in the past.
• So why put yourself in the position of having to „power through” an obstacle course of relapse triggers?

This can be especially valuable during early sobriety, when you’re still feeling tempted to drink. “A lot of people have made positive lifestyle changes,” Burnison says. “Coupled with a desire to get outside after being cooped up, the pandemic has meant people are choosing different kinds of holidays. “In Spain or Italy they might drink on a night out, but they don’t binge in the same way,” she says. Celebrate the holiday season and the fullness of your sober life by taking time for yourself. Proper nutrition, gentle exercise and restorative sleep can do wonders for your well-being.

Want to stay sober? Stay helpful

All you have to do is take care of yourself and keep in mind that you are in recovery from something that kills people. Remember that you are a non-drinker, it’s a choice you have made, and you are by no means obligated to engage in discussions about your choice. You don’t push sobriety on others or ask them why they do drink, and you are not required to justify or explain your choice. You don’t drink, or you’re temporarily not drinking. I didn’t engage in conversations about cows or chickens, and I didn’t feel sad about not eating the gravy. I just didn’t eat meat or meat products, and that was it.

• Be it helping the host with dishes or cooking or any volunteer opportunities to stay occupied and not thinking about ways to use.
• It puts the practitioner in a relaxed state almost immediately.
• Whatever your response may be, have it ready so you aren’t caught off guard.
• Keep in mind that there’s no need to be ashamed of your past or the journey you’re on now.
• Now I see the holidays through my kids’ eyes and remind myself what Christmas was like as a child.

The holidays are a great time to catch up on historical tours, museum visits and art shows. Many places offer special hours during the holiday season to welcome guests who are visiting family from out of town. Use this time to take a quieter approach to the holidays as you find sober activities. That friend can remind you of why you’re having a sober holiday and the good things that will follow if you make sober holidays it through this situation without a drink. Think about that moment when you can step back, look at what you accomplished and feel proud. If a certain family member tends to push your buttons, let a sober friend know that you’ll be interacting with that person at a party. Have that person check in, either by sending you a discrete text message or by taking you away for a few moments to speak on the phone.

According to the National Institutes of Health, your typical beer has over 150 calories, a glass of red wine is about 125, and a shot of spirits over 100 calories . By not drinking during the holidays, you can allocate those calories to better use – like stocking up at the dessert table. You can spend more time with the little ones in your family. If you have younger kids in your family, this is a great opportunity to spend some time with them. Not only will you become the cool adult at the party, you’ll also become a genuine role model for them.

Maybe you are worried about your own drug use, or maybe you’re worried about the drug use of someone else. Either way, most https://ecosoberhouse.com/ addiction recovery agencies, treatment centers, and domestic violence resources increase efforts during the holidays.