5 Tips to Remain Sober During Holiday Season

Staying sober on vacation can be a challenge. It is often a stressful, pressurized, and lonely time that evokes difficult emotions and past memories of substance use. For those who have recovered from a substance use disorder in their lives, the greatest inner joy and freedom has come from staying clean and sober. It’s important to protect yourself from relapsing this holiday season when alcohol, excitement, and emotions are flowing faster than usual.

Fortunately, there are ways you can stand firm in your commitment to recovery. Every year millions of people can stay sober and still enjoy a great vacation with friends, family, and loved ones. While it is not always easy, you can enjoy the best time of the year by following these steps.

1. The parties come and go every year. There’s no need to stress in your life about the holiday season. If you’re in the early stages of recovery and feel overwhelmed by the thought of staying sober at a party with alcohol, then staying at home would be a better option. By next year, you will likely have found some strategies that can help you feel more relaxed in situations like this.
2. Bring a soft drink during the party. That way, if someone tries to offer you alcohol, you can hold your drink simply to indicate that you are not ready for another drink.
3. Start off with a plan to stay sober every morning to avoid the lure of the holidays. That means you need to think ahead of time about all the possible triggers and situations that may arise during the holiday season.
4. Don’t allow yourself to spend too much time sitting and chatting with your friends and family, as it can be associated with or lead to alcohol most of the time. Make plans for more interesting activities this year. Go ice skating or other Christmas games, decorate, cook, or drive to and from events to stay sober.
5. When nothing works in your favor, remember why you started this journey. As the holidays approach, it can be helpful to write a gratitude list every day to remind yourself why you are grateful for your sobriety and why you should relax.
6. If you want to stay sober on vacation, look for every opportunity to be of service to needy people near your home. Serve a meal in a homeless shelter, speak to a newcomer at a meeting, hang out with a loved one or an older neighbor. There are a million things that can work wonders for you. Different ways to give back, to be useful, and each opportunity takes you further away from resentment, self-pity, and fear.
7. Getting out of your own thoughts and focusing on other things that matter is a great way to stay sober and spread positive energy.

Remember, the holidays are not a good excuse to drink, they are an excuse to hang out with loved ones and pass the joy of the holidays on to others. Maintain and protect your sobriety. However, if you have been facing the threat of substance abuse or are facing challenges in your recovery, AA meetings Toms River NJ can help. Contact us today to learn more about the services and treatment programs that are best suited to your situation.