As Spring approaches, now is the ideal time to get your hands dirty and breathe in the fresh air. A friend of mine’s been using his local garden for years now and has a wonderful new group of older lady friends who’ve been teaching him Spanish. The Royal Palms is a 21+ Shuffleboard Club located in Gowanus.
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If you experience setbacks during the holiday season, it’s okay. Acknowledge your successes and thank yourself every time you take a positive step in your recovery journey. Volunteering to be the designated driver for friends and family during the holiday season is a win-win situation. By offering transportation to and from holiday parties and gatherings, you not only ensure your sobriety but also contribute to the safety of others. For people with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders, such as addiction and depression, drinking or drug use may have been a way to self-medicate. Sarah Rollins, a licensed social worker, said that staying sober during the holidays can be difficult for a few reasons.
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- Stress is a common trigger for relapse not just during the holidays, but at any point in the recovery process from alcohol or drug addiction.
- The majority of guests are members of a 12 step program, but it is not a requirement.
- By implementing these practical strategies, you can confidently navigate holiday events without compromising your sobriety.
- Marvel at scenic Nile River views in luxury, enjoy regionally inspired entertainment and savor the flavors of both local and Western cuisine on board.
- Each holiday season, millions of Americans successfully maintain their sobriety by having a plan in place to avoid and manage triggers.
Call us to learn more about your treatment options and how to start your recovery journey. Stress-reduction techniques provide a simple, yet essential strategy for helping to prevent relapse in addiction recovery, especially during a busy or stressful holiday season. Staying sober from drugs and alcohol during the holidays, for some, is only half the battle for staying grounded sober holidays and secure in recovery. Stress is a common trigger for relapse not just during the holidays, but at any point in the recovery process from alcohol or drug addiction. It’s common for people who are in addiction recovery to feel heightened anxiety regarding their sobriety around the holidays. You don’t want to change your focus to thoughts of your drinking or using days.
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If you are interested in discussing a holiday at New Life Portugal please contact us at CATCH Recovery. We will take your details and pass them over to New Life Portugal who can contact you directly about their holidays. “Ask for a nonalcoholic drink like a mocktail or something that might look more alcoholic so no one knows that you’re not drinking,” Rollins said. Rollins said that having a nonalcoholic drink in hand all night can stop others from offering to fetch you a drink or pressuring you to have a full glass. If you become a ball of wretched energy during the holidays, perhaps your own expectations have become your downfall. Family members expect holiday perfection, and they often demand every ounce of your time and energy—and patience.
How to Stay Sober During the Holidays: Our Top 10 Tips
“Attend gatherings with a friend who’s also sober or understands your journey,” Sultan said. Several strategies can help mitigate the temptation to drink with family, friends, or coworkers. When you take the opportunity to connect with others—to see, value and honor their experience—you exercise empathy. You exist outside of yourself, and you begin to notice all the blessings your life already contains. And it doesn’t get more human, or more recovery, than that. If you come prepared to protect your sobriety, you should be able to outmaneuver addiction and avoid any potential relapses.
- Instead of gazing longingly at mom’s mulled wine or sipping on champagne as the clock strikes midnight, create some sober traditions.
- To put it another way, rather than powering through tough situations, you’re being honest about what you can handle.
- “Anything we put in front of our recovery will lose,” Rollins said.
However, they’re also some of the most popular times for alcohol consumption and, unfortunately, drug use. It’s no wonder that this month-long stretch can be an especially challenging time for those in recovery. On our Sober Village there are 5 scheduled meetings each day. On other trips, there are usually between 1-3 meetings a day.
How to Stay Sober During the Holiday: Mindful Approaches
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- It’s no wonder that this month-long stretch can be an especially challenging time for those in recovery.
- Rollins said a concept learned in recovery can be a useful reminder to stay sober.
- This may also mean that the old friends that are still using or are participating in trigger activities will need to be avoided.