Tips to Help You Stay Sober This Yuletide Season!
The Christmas season is fast approaching, which includes multiple holidays, and everyone is busy preparing for numerous events. For many of them, Christmas dinners and celebrations will wind up having tempting alcoholic drinks on the menu.
If you want to remain sober this holiday season, it’s going to be a challenging feat. It’s very likely that no matter what, alcohol will be around you at holiday events. However, don’t entertain the idea of turning down invitations or avoiding an entire celebration, especially if you’re in a fragile state of recovery. Don’t spoil your holidays. Staying sober can mean even more positive memories of the holidays that you can always remember.
These are five tips for staying sober this Christmas and New Year, strengthening your mindset, and continuing this even after the holidays. Just follow these steps and be confident that you won’t be drinking any alcohol this Christmas.
1. Be open and straightforward to your friends and family.
Be honest with people that you want to stay sober this Christmas and New Year; this is not a shameful thing to do. You can tell people around you that staying sober is an important goal of yours, and it’s going to be harder to keep with so many celebrations going on. They will be supportive and understanding and likely back off from pressuring you to drink. They will be proud of you if you get through the holiday season without falling to temptation.
2. Throw your own party.
Keeping yourself busy is a way to distract yourself from alcohol, and preparations for your own event can really help here. Try to host a party to control what activities you do, food you eat, and drinks you drink. If you’re thinking about the budget and quantity of food to prepare, you can have a potluck dinner or a sharing dinner where guests will bring food to share.
3. Ask to be the designated driver.
Telling people that you’re the designated driver will give you immunity from drinking. Being the designated driver means that you have the responsibility to drive your friends home safely after a night of partying. People should not offer you drinks in this case. As the designated driver, you will have an excuse to deny them, and it will be easier for you to come and go from celebrations or parties. It might be a heavy responsibility, but it is a surefire way to stay sober and develop your maturity.
4. Make your own fun drinks.
You can enjoy Christmas and New Year without drinking alcohol. If most people around you are drinking, there are alternatives you can drink to enjoy the night. Mocktails are popular alcohol alternatives for people who are avoiding it or too young to drink it. These are usually refreshing drinks that imitate the feeling of drinking alcohol. With these alternatives, you can now share a toast with your family and friends.
5. Ask for support.
A good tip on how to stay sober this Christmas and New Year is to spend it with your family and friends, the people who support you. These are the people with whom you will be spending lovely memories this holiday. Surrounding yourself support and trust can make you forget about drinking while staying sober, and you can come out of the whole experience stronger.
Because of all the parties, trying to remain sober this Christmas and New Year is a bigger challenge than it would be at any other time of year. Knowing how to stay sober and having a plan for how you plan to celebrate will be a huge part of that. Be strong. The New Year is also right around the corner, so starting the year sober will give you the motivation to go on and have a fresh, clean start. We hope that these tips for staying sober will help you reach your goal this Christmas and New Year. If you still need professional help and you’re looking for a drug rehab around Nashville, check Haven House, a Christ-based recovery center.