Maintaining Your Sobriety on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and many people are looking forward to the opportunity to enjoy their favorite dishes and gather with family and friends. However, if you’re working on your recovery, you might be dreading Thanksgiving and all the pressure it brings.

Even if you have successfully stayed substance-free for several months, holidays like Thanksgiving often represent a unique temptation to drink. How can you enjoy the long holiday weekend without jeopardizing all the hard work and progress you’ve accomplished up to this point?

1. Bring a Non-Alcoholic Drink

Many Thanksgiving hosts consider it polite to offer their guests a choice of alcoholic beverages. Someone might thoughtlessly hand you a beer without realizing what a risk that could represent for you. To combat this, arrive at the gathering with a cooler full of your favorite non-alcoholic drinks, and be sure to keep your beverage of choice close to hand at all times.

2. Have an Exit Strategy

Gatherings like Thanksgiving can be stressful and triggering for many people. Plan what you’ll do if you start feeling overwhelmed and need to take a moment to yourself. For example, you might find a quiet area where you can sit and practice deep breathing techniques until you calm down. In some cases, you may even decide to leave early. Have a polite excuse planned ahead of time, and if you drive yourself to the get-together, make sure you park somewhere nobody else is boxing you in.

3. Be Grateful

Don’t lose sight of the true spirit of Thanksgiving: practicing gratitude. Make a list of everything you have to be thankful for this year – improved physical and mental well-being, new friendships and the opportunity to make a fresh start in your life. You can even begin or end your day with a gratitude meditation to help you count your blessings and reflect on the things that bring you joy.

4. Rely on Your Sober Support Network

A sober supporter can keep you grounded and remind you of your goals to remain substance-free this holiday season. If you can’t find a friend to attend your Thanksgiving gathering with you, ask if they’re willing to respond to your calls and texts during the day. Attend a group meeting or schedule a therapy session before or after Thanksgiving dinner to stay on the right track.

5. Offer to Help

Staying busy is one way to keep your mind off any cravings that might arise. Before dinner, offer to pitch in with tasks like last-minute decorating or food prep. After the meal, lead the cleanup efforts by doing dishes, taking out the trash and tidying the kitchen. The host will appreciate having an extra pair of hands, and you’ll be able to demonstrate your commitment to your recovery by showing everyone how much progress you’ve made.

Cutting-Edge Addiction Treatment

If you’re exploring addiction treatment facilities and are looking for alternatives to traditional 12-step therapy, consider the holistic approach. At Complete Harmony, we provide a range of evidence-based options combined with complementary therapies that will start you on the path to a mindful, well-rounded recovery. Connect with us when you’re ready to learn more.

Strategies for Navigating Holiday Highs and Lows

For many people, the holiday season conjures mental images of warm family dinners, holiday parties, gift exchanges and crackling fires. However, for others, this time of year can bring sadness, loneliness, tense family dynamics, financial strain and a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder.

If you struggle with emotional ups and downs during the holidays, you are not alone. In one survey of 1,000 people, nearly half of them said they would prefer to skip Christmas altogether to avoid the finance-related stress the holiday creates. That eye-opening number shows how ill-prepared we often are to cope with the unique stressors of this time of year.

Stress is a significant relapse trigger for many people. However, your time in recovery has provided you with all the skills you need to protect your sobriety – you just need to know when and how to use them. Here are our top strategies for making it through this holiday season with your sobriety intact.

1. Remember You Aren’t Alone

Because addiction can have long-lasting effects, going through a recovery program does not “cure” you of your disease. Instead, it teaches you to manage the symptoms. However, learning how to balance your emotions and make good decisions is an ongoing process.

When you were in active addiction, you may have developed a habit of secrecy and isolation, but now that you’re working on your sobriety, you must learn how to come out of your shell and share your feelings with people you trust – especially when you’re feeling down. If you’re struggling, you don’t have to do so in silence. Others can offer valuable advice to help pull you out of a rut.

2. Don't Take Time off From Your Recovery Routine

Though holidays may be special occasions where you get to prepare your favorite foods, spend more time with loved ones and maybe enjoy a few days off work, you still need to engage in your recovery routine just like you would on any other day. Even though the holiday season can feel different, you can’t skip the things you consistently do to stay on track and maintain your emotional well-being, such as journaling, meditating, exercising, sleeping well and going to therapy.

3. Learn to Leave Your Past Behind

The holidays might bring back repressed memories of how you behaved when you were in the grip of your addiction. For example, maybe you drank too much at Christmas dinner one year and started an argument with your grandfather about your opposing political beliefs. Though you can use your past to reflect on the many good reasons you chose to pursue sobriety, it isn’t productive to dwell on embarrassing things you did or said.

Sobriety is an opportunity to make new memories and forge new traditions during the holidays. It’s also a time to recognize that you are working to be a better person, and that your past does not define you. Embrace the holiday season as a present you have given yourself.

The Greatest Gift Is Your Sobriety

This holiday, put yourself and your needs first. You decided to walk the path of sobriety, and while it is not always a smooth or straight one, there are countless rewards along the way. Don’t let stress get the better of you during this emotionally challenging time of year. You know what’s best for you, so now, all you need to do is act on it.

If you’re seeking a holistic route to recovery outside the traditional 12-step approach, Complete Harmony can help show you the way. To discover the benefits of our healing center, contact us today.