Staying Sober During Thanksgiving

The holiday season can present pitfalls for someone who recently attained sobriety. Everywhere you look, marketing messages combine alcohol with big meals and family gatherings. Besides that, your own family might routinely serve alcohol at the feast. Because it’s tough to deal with the onslaught of temptation, here are some tips for staying sober during Thanksgiving.

Deciding to Stay Sober

Staying sober during Thanksgiving festivities starts with your personal decision. You choose not to drink. You decide that you won’t have even a little sip. Therefore, you’re in charge of your destiny.

The hard part of this decision is follow-through. If you realize that the temptation is too high, remove yourself from the situation. There’s no shame in leaving with a polite excuse to the host. Decide ahead of time at what point you’ll go and what you’ll say.

Communicating with Loved Ones

Thanksgiving is a family affair. Your loved ones may have been part of your addiction recovery efforts at a rehab facility. Therefore, they should already know that you don’t want to be around alcohol. The host will hopefully honor your request and stock up on non-alcoholic beverages instead.

Staying Sober during Thanksgiving When Triggers Abound

In spite of your best intentions, you may feel a strong temptation to use again. Almost everyone experiences triggers and stress around the Thanksgiving table. Because many people abused alcohol as a way of dealing with them, the gathering can be dangerous. Even here, you have choices.

When you went through rehab, you learned how to disarm triggers. Fall back on these techniques now. Practice meditation and mindfulness training as you prepare yourself for a visit to the gathering. If all else fails, it’s okay to feign illness and sit this one out.

Many 12-step recovery programs and other sober living groups host their own holiday outings. The goal is to provide you with a way of celebrating that respects and protects your sobriety. If this is your first year, it might be the safest way of celebrating. Similarly, it gives you a way to be around others who’re also committing to sobriety at this time.

Entering Rehab before the Holidays

Do you worry about drinking too much? Now is an excellent time to join one of the abstinence-based addiction treatment programs. Learn how to overcome a dependency on alcohol. Most importantly, get the tools you need to stay sober even when it’s tempting to go back to using.

Possible treatment approaches include:

• Detox programs for overcoming withdrawal and doing so pain-free
• Men and women’s individualized treatment that focuses on your strengths
• Group therapy as a way to practice coping skills
• 12-step accountability for long-term sobriety

Behavioral therapy that prepares you for changing out dysfunctional patterns with healthy ones

Commit to staying sober during Thanksgiving. Start with rehab, and use the coping skills you learn. Certainly, Beaches Recovery wants to support you at every step of the way. Call 866.605.0532 today!