5 Tips to Protect Your Sobriety Over the Holidays

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, the holidays often represent times of gathering, feasting, and, yes, plenty of drinking. Under the best of circumstances, holidays can be somewhat stressful. If you’re trying to hold on to your hard-fought sobriety at the same time, the challenges can be even more significant.

There are nearly 30 million people who struggle with an alcohol use disorder in the United States. If you’re trying to distance yourself from this statistic, the team here at Conduit Behavioral Health, under the direction of Dr. Temika Heyward, applauds your brave decision. 

While we’re here to help you every step of the way, no matter what time of the year, we also acknowledge that holidays can be veritable minefields when you recover. We pulled together a few best practices here to help you better navigate these tricky waters.

1. Have a plan going in

It’s a good idea to see us before the holidays so that we can make sure you have the tools you need to get through the holidays. For example, if you’re taking medications like naltrexone, we can ensure your prescriptions are current.

During this preemptive visit, we can also review great coping strategies, such as deep breathing exercises and meditation techniques that will help you manage any cravings that may pop up.

2. Set firm boundaries

It can feel like there’s a lot of pressure around the holidays — pressure to attend every event, participate in every activity, and smile and be merry.

You must set very firm boundaries and stick to them – your sobriety is far more important than potentially offending someone because you arrived late or left early. 

So, if you feel the celebration is getting too “Boozy” for your liking, just leave. If you know that a certain event will be mostly fueled by alcohol, take a pass. If someone pressures you about having a drink, be firm with your No. 

And remember, “No” is a complete sentence, and you don’t owe any explanation.

3. Stay connected

It’s important to stay connected with others in the same position as you, and there are plenty. There are nearly 65,000 Alcoholics Anonymous groups in the US, and they’re very active during the holidays.

If you don’t participate in support groups, stick close to a sober friend or family member. When it comes to protecting your sobriety, there is safety in numbers.

4. Take care of yourself

The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that 3 in 5 Americans find that their mental health is negatively impacted by the holidays. If you add battling alcoholism to the mix, the holidays become all that much harder.

So, it’s essential to make time for a little self-care. Treat yourself to a massage, sleep in, or curl up with a good movie or book — anything that makes you smile and relax is well worth the effort.

5. Get moving

There’s a great expression about the benefits of exercise regarding your mental health — Move a muscle, change a thought. 

If you find your mind spiraling and obsessing about drinking or it’s full of negative thoughts, get up and move. Go for a walk or a run. Play a game of pickleball with some friends. It doesn’t matter what you do; it just matters that you physically move. This movement can change the chemistry in your brain as you exchange stress hormones for the feel-good hormones released when you exercise.

While the above tips safeguard your sobriety, we can devise a personalized plan to give you more confidence heading into the holidays. To get started, please get in touch with our Baltimore, Maryland office to schedule an appointment.