Emily Lynn Paulson is an author, speaker and the founder of Sober Mom Squad. She has given two TEDx talks, both challenging the status quo of parenting, alcohol use and feminism as we know it. Choosing recovery close to home means your support system is just a few miles away. This underlines the importance of having a plan to maintain sobriety. She’s allowed us to share her story, but we’ve changed her name to protect her anonymity. She attends Al-Anon while her husband is in and out of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Plan activities that don’t include alcohol
- Whenever you feel like you could use more support this holiday season, you can reach out to a helpline.
- This stress can heighten anxiety and leave you feeling overwhelmed, which may make alcohol or drugs an appealing outlet for escaping the madness.
- One of the first things to remember about the holidays is that you can always say no.
If you’re going to a restaurant, don’t be afraid to take up space and ask the server what nonalcoholic beverages they can make. Sober Holidays Tip #14 Bring recovery reading when you travel. Get ebook versions of The Big Book, The Recovery Book, and other recovery literature on your phone or ebook reader before you leave town. Chris Carberg is the founder of AddictionHelp.com, and a long-time recovering addict from prescription opioids, sedatives, and alcohol. Over the past 15 years, Chris has worked as a tireless advocate for addicts and their loved ones while becoming a sought-after digital entrepreneur. Chris is a storyteller and aims to share his story with others in the hopes of helping them achieve their own recovery.
Avoid trigger foods and drinks
Homeless shelters, recovery programs, community toy drives – volunteer to help others this season and stay out of your head. 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 that is good https://ecosoberhouse.com/ for humanity and your recovery this season to avoid relapse. For people living in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, staying sober during the holidays can sometimes feel challenging. Following a few best practices can help you manage your sobriety successfully during the holidays and start the New Year even stronger in your recovery.
Surviving the Holidays: Tips for Staying Healthy and Sober
You need to investigate and challenge the internal monologue about what you are owed and what you are lacking—some of which might be a carryover from addiction. 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. While many people delight in holiday cheer, many also struggle with the unique challenges that the season brings. For example, you may feel isolated if your social calendar isn’t full or if friends and family members are far away. You might also experience increased stress due to work or social obligations. Just like certain people and places can trigger a craving for drugs or alcohol, certain foods and drinks can also be triggers.
Attend Support Groups
Whether you’ve chosen temporary or permanent sobriety, you may get unwanted questions about your choice to give up alcohol. This can leave you feeling uncomfortable, stressed, or even frustrated. Whether it’s peer pressure from friends or family members who are drinking, the holidays can be a difficult time to say no.
Renewal Center for Ongoing Recovery
Writing down your plans ahead of time can give you a roadmap for what to do when and if you encounter specific situations. Tell them how you are feeling about the upcoming holiday and ask if you can call them if you feel in danger of relapsing. If you are in recovery, especially if you’re newly sober, this might be difficult to be around. Some people drink or use drugs when they’re lonely or sad. Addiction is also often a lonely and isolating disease.
- Remember, the holidays are a time for joy and connection, and maintaining sobriety allows you to fully participate in and savor these moments.
- Remember, it’s okay to retreat to an earlier Recovery Zone for a few weeks.
- From financial stress to family conflict, the added stress can make it more difficult to resist the temptation to drink.
- There is also the fact that many holiday celebrations revolve around alcohol.
- By following these tips, you can stay sober and enjoy all the season offers.
- When the holidays get busy, it’s tempting to skip meetings, counseling appointments, and outreach calls.
The prevalence of alcohol at holiday parties and the societal expectation to indulge can create an environment that tests one’s commitment to sobriety. If you or a loved one are in recovery, set up sober events ahead of time. Create a game plan before the holiday and try to plan several activities that don’t involve alcohol. Trying unfamiliar activities may require the family to step outside their comfort zone, but they’re a great way to create new traditions. Stay involved with your sober community or support group.
Social and work events
- It’s also important to follow the steps of the program, especially during this season of forgiveness.
- Our hope is merely to capture the spirit of the fellowships, and to approach people with the language they commonly use to describe the disease of addiction.
The calendar quickly fills up with deadlines, trips, parties, activities, family events, gift shopping, and much more. This stress can heighten anxiety and leave you feeling overwhelmed, which may make alcohol or drugs an appealing outlet for escaping the madness. Whatever your relationship with alcohol, or your goals, if you feel you’d like some support to drink less this holiday season Ria Health can help.
In the end, the humility you gain will only strengthen your recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon, and other 12-step recovery groups sober holidays put extra meetings into place either in person or over the phone during the holidays. Al-Anon, for instance, offers meetings every hour on the hour over the phone on major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
