Travelling with those who you trust, have a https://ecosoberhouse.com/ strong connection with and understand your sobriety can mean the difference between having a great first sober holiday and feeling triggered into relapse. Sober Holidays Tip #8  Do a Recovery Zone ReCheck before the holidays get started. Think about the events coming up in the next few weeks. What situations could possibly set you on the road toward relapse?

Avoid Triggering Situations

However, by planning ahead, you can find the joy in the season and maintain your sobriety. You don’t want to change your focus to thoughts of your drinking or using days. Although these tips can be helpful, family can sometimes be the biggest challenge when staying sober during the holidays. It’s important to have open and honest communication to make this season enjoyable and safe. If you’re struggling to get through the holidays while staying sober, you’re not alone.

Alcohol Detox Center

Some people drink or use drugs when they’re lonely or sad. Addiction is also often a lonely and isolating disease. People in early recovery who have spent a lot of time in treatment recently may sober holidays be especially burdened by financial issues this time of year, causing added stress. Norwegian Cruise Line, for its part, earned recognition for having the best adult alcohol-free beverage program at the 2023 Vibe Vista Awards.

Tips for a Merry, Sober, and Safe Holiday Season

In other words, it’s easier than ever to cut back on alcohol or avoid it entirely when you travel, without making compromises on the overall experience. Alcohol-free options that go beyond a can of soda have taken off on airlines as well—at least in the front of the plane. Virgin Atlantic, for instance, has stocked the bar of its upper class cabin with alcohol-free beer. And if you’re flying first or business class on Emirates, the flight attendant can serve you a tasty zero-proof cocktail such as an orange fizz or virgin cucumber gimlet. At the recently opened Club Med Magna Marbella in Spain, the all-inclusive property has a Zen Pool with a bar that only offers alcohol-free cocktails for guests who want a break from drinking. New alcohol-free options have also popped up at conventional hotels and resorts.

Nourish your spirit, too, through personal reflection and connection with those you love. Find some quiet time each day for relaxation and meditation—if only for a few minutes, no matter how busy you are. If you want to stay sober during the holidays, look for every opportunity to be of service. Serve a meal at a homeless shelter, reach out to a newcomer at a meeting, spend time with an elderly loved one or neighbor. There are a million different ways to give back, pay it forward and be of service, and each opportunity guides you further away from resentment, self-pity and fear.

How To Set Boundaries With Your Loved Ones

If someone pushes your boundaries, don’t feel bad about stepping away or leaving the situation altogether. Whether it’s no alcohol around you, needing to leave an event early, or avoiding specific topics of conversation, be specific and clear. You, nor your loved one, are under any obligation to commit to a Legacy Healing Center treatment program when calling the helpline. Relapse among people with substance use disorder is not uncommon.

How to Stay Sober During the Holidays

Early signs of a relapse or slip may be identified by family members, friends, or other loved ones, such as a spouse. Turn off the TV, turn down the lights, read a book, or drink a cup of calming noncaffeinated tea. All these things can be part of a healthy bedtime routine.

Winter solstice darkness and drabness can be psychologically (and physiologically) depressing. Please add your thoughts in the comments below or on one of our social media pages. Or send your tips to us at (we’re happy to credit you or post them anonymously). Use “I” statements like “I feel uncomfortable when…” or “I’d prefer…” to clearly communicate needs without unnecessary drama. Most importantly, avoid accusatory or judgemental language.

• Try some of these festive holiday activities that don’t involve alcohol.
• It’s important to have open and honest communication to make this season enjoyable and safe.
• Sober Holidays Tip #11 Be sure there is plenty of light in your life.
• Alpas Wellness offers Drug & Alcohol Addiction, Dual-Diagnosis & Mental Health Treatment to individuals struggling with addiction issues.
• If you do accidentally take a sip of an alcoholic beverage, don’t panic.

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. For a gift exchange, it can be fun to have a white elephant grab bag where everyone brings a gift for under ten dollars. Some standard excuses are that you have to get up early the next day, you can’t mix alcohol with your medication, or you have to pick your child up on the way home.

While you don’t owe anyone an explanation for your healthy choices, filling your glass with a nonalcoholic beverage is one way to avoid drink offers. It also gives you a way to occupy your hands, helping you side-step your alcohol cravings. Here are some of the fun activities you can enjoy that do not result in waking up drooling in a Bushwick warehouse. Whether you fancy a break from alcohol or simply want to supplement your drinking time with other fun pursuits. Check out this list and let me know if you have other suggestions for our readers to explore soberly. 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.