Planning The Holidays With Sobriety In Mind

The holidays can be a difficult time for anyone, but it is especially hard when you are in recovery from addiction. There may be pressure to spend time with family and friends who abuse substances. You might also feel guilty if you miss out on the festivities because of your sobriety. However, there are many ways that you can enjoy yourself this season without compromising your recovery plans or heading back into an alcohol and drug rehab center. If you have found sobriety this year, congratulations! It's not an easy task and being able to celebrate the holidays without drinking or using drugs can feel like an added bonus. So if you're celebrating the holidays with your health intact this year, read on! We'll cover some tips that will help make sure your recovery stays strong during the festive season.

Don’t Feel Pressured

The first thing to remember when facing the holidays in sobriety is to avoid feeling pressured. Lots of people tend to drink during Thanksgiving and Christmas, so if you don’t feel comfortable yet being around this, you don’t need to be! Never compromise your sobriety for others around you, even if they are family or friends. You can ask others around you to be polite and avoid using any triggering substances in advance if you don’t want to avoid your loved ones. Most supportive family members and friends will be more than accommodating for you, so there really is no need to feel pressured into being around triggers.

Enjoy The Moment

It’s easy to forget how far you’ve come and the huge change in your life when you’re trying to plan around a stressful time of year like the festive season. To keep your spirits high, remind yourself of your achievements - where were you this time last year, what were you doing? How have you changed since then? It’s these reflective moments that we should enjoy and make the most of! Whether you’ve kicked your habit alone, you got help from a drug rehab center, or even if you’re still working through your addiction at a facility, use your time to reflect and enjoy the moment - you’ve come so far, so it’s only right that you realize and appreciate your hard work!

Plan Your Own Festivities

Sometimes it can be difficult to go back to places or take part in festivities we used to do before recovery. If this is the case for you, it doesn’t mean that you have to give up these festivities entirely. If you can’t go to the Christmas markets in fear of triggers such as mulled wine stalls and pints of beer, there are plenty of ways to carry on your festive traditions without ceasing your sobriety or causing you stress! If you know you will be triggered by certain places, do some research and find an alternative place to visit. If you can, bring the
festivities to you! Instead of heading to another Christmas market or staying in while your friends and family go out to the bar to celebrate the New Year, plan something festive to do at your home and invite those you love to come and enjoy the festivities with you.

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