It’s that time of year again. Yes, the holidays. Sometimes this season can be the roughest for newly sober people, but then again, it can be difficult for even some of the seasoned sober’ites! It’s important to always stay diligent in your sobriety, regardless of you length of sobriety or what time of the year. So, whether you’ve got a ton of sober time under your belt or just graduating from drug treatment, here’s a short list of GREAT tips to help keep you from using during the season.
Do Something
Don’t stay at home alone. This one is always tricky. I think some of us feel, “Well, if I don’t go out and I don’t have alcohol and drugs at home, then I won’t use.” Logically that might seem the right thing to do, but it’s pretty typically that a lot of us will build resentments, which ultimately lead to anger and then using again.
Find Sober Friends and Family
This is probably the best thing you can do to take care of yourself during the holiday season. Be sure you find people who support your sobriety, not those who will bring alcohol and drugs to your house while you sit there struggling in your sobriety. The people who bring alcohol and drugs are NOT supporting you no matter what they say.
Take Care of Yourself
Eat well. Get sleep. Exercise. These are the three main points of taking care of yourself at any time of the year. It’s especially important to do now. There are many stresses; family, friends, and expectations, that can lead you to sadness and possible relapse. Put you and your sobriety first.
Gratitude and Other Lists
Create a gratitude list that you can refer to. It’s important to do this because it will remind you of reasons not to use drugs or alcohol. If temptation arises, rearing its ugly head, you can refer to your list and remember why you can’t SAFELY drink or use drugs.
Meetings
Find a meeting in your area. So, even if you are travelling, you should check for meeting times and places BEFORE you hop in the car, on the train or on a plane. It’s one of the most wonderful times to share or even listen to others’ messages of experience, strength and hope.
Old and New Traditions
Typically we all have some sort of traditions to follow during the holiday season, but now that we are sober we need to consider which of those traditions are safe for us and for others around us. Be creative and have fun. If you don’t like the new tradition, you can just change it the following year.
Recovery Rob BIO
Recovery Rob is a 48-year-old man who has more than twenty years of sobriety, whose drugs of choice at one time were alcohol and drugs, and he has worked in and around the field of addiction for more than 20 years. Having just recently launched his own website, www.askrecoveryrob.com, he hopes to reach out and continue to help others who work through their process of addiction and recovery. Recovery Rob is a professional writer who has published two novels and is currently working on his third. He has been writing and working as Pat Moore Foundation’s premiere blogger and content writer, which helps keeps Pat Moore Foundation’s addiction and recovery blog top-rated.