Navigating Your First Sober Christmas: 5 Pieces of Advice

Christmas time is supposed to be a time of joy and giving. However, it can be a time of struggle and pain. People recovering from addictions can especially struggle over the festive season, even when they are sober and thriving.

But for people who are experiencing their first Christmas in recovery, this time of year can be a time of great fear and uncertainty.

Recovery is a journey, and Christmas is a stop that you’ll have to visit time and time again. Below is some important sober Christmas advice that can help you celebrate the holidays in a way that feels right for you and your sobriety.

Why Christmas Can Be Challenging for Those in Recovery

The Christmas period can be emotionally and socially challenging for people in recovery. It’s a time of year when you’re supposed to be happy, you’re supposed to be with family, you’re supposed to be celebrating.

Instead, it can be a time of year that throws up a lot of triggers for people new to sobriety. During this time, there is a focus on drinking alcohol with others, which is largely down to our drinking culture here in the UK and how we associate it with celebration. A recent study even found that people who drink alcohol are planning on consuming more this year than ever.

There is also a lot of stress over Christmas. What to buy for people, how much things cost, cooking and making everyone happy. These types of stresses get to everyone but can be amplified if you are also struggling with the desire to drink during your first sober Christmas.

Family is a large aspect of Christmas. Even in healthy family dynamics, there can be issues, but if you have to navigate around people who know you best, relationships can be particularly complex.

While it can all feel overwhelming, recognising these as challenges you’ll face is the first step to overcoming them.

1. Preparing for the Festive Season with a Sober Plan

Like any good Christmas dinner, the key to staying sober at Christmas is preparation.

On leaving rehab, you should have a relapse prevention plan. This is a good resource for you and can be tweaked to help you during Christmas. A sober plan should include:

• Identifying triggers: knowing what could trip you up may not mean you avoid triggers altogether, but it can help you deal with them. If you are prepared, then you won’t be surprised.
• Setting boundaries: be clear on what you will put up with and communicate it clearly to other people. If you don’t feel you can go to some event then don’t, just explain to others why not.
• Have a support system: Christmas is a time to lean on others, and you’ll need your support network at this time of year. Go to group meetings before big Christmas events, and reach out to friends and family for support. Don’t go it alone if you don’t have to.

Going to events especially requires a plan. You can’t predict everything, but if you have an exit strategy or a sober companion, you can go to Christmas events without the stress of not knowing how you’ll cope if things get difficult.

2. Creating New Christmas Traditions

Your Christmas after alcohol rehab may find you feeling adrift. Perhaps you don’t want to impose your new way of living on others or you are unsure of how to celebrate Christmas.

Rather than worrying, you should embrace the change and find new ways to celebrate the holidays. Not all celebration has to revolve around substances. Turn festive cooking into the focus, bringing fun into the situation. Watch your favourite films and play games with your loved ones.

You could host a game night, go hiking or carolling and turn to arts & crafts. Christmas is also the time of giving, so consider volunteering and helping people who are less fortunate than you.

Volunteering and focusing on enjoying time with others will help you express your gratitude and build meaningful experiences. Keep a journal to express your gratitude and tell it to others, reinforcing your connection to loved ones.

3. Dealing With Social Pressures During Christmas

The worst pressure can come from others. In a party situation, people may not maliciously put pressure on you to loosen up and think that not drinking equals not having fun. Nights out around Christmas can also mean dealing with drug pressure as casual drug-taking becomes more commonplace.

You should prepare for this to ease any pressure you feel. Have prepared responses to politely decline alcohol and bring non-alcoholic drinks such as mocktails to show you are in the party mood. You can also find other friends who do not drink, plan something for the next day so there’s something to look forward to and communicate openly.

Most importantly, stay connected to your sober community – your sponsor and the peer support group that you are a part of. They’ll all be going through the same thing.

4. Focusing on Mental Well-Being Over Christmas

During the course of your rehabilitation, you will have learned that taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do. Christmas can be a time of emotional turbulence, so you must be emotionally resilient and take care of yourself.

Self-care helps you to manage your emotions better, de-stress and be the best version of yourself. Practising mindfulness, journaling and engaging in physical activity are all ways to boost your mental health. With a time of year that emphasises togetherness, these activities can help you embrace solitude and be content in it.

You should continue to eat well, take time out to do things you enjoy (such as watching your favourite Christmas films) and stay connected to others.

Staying connected to others is especially important as sometimes self-care is not enough. If you do find yourself struggling, then you shouldn’t hesitate to seek professional help or reach out to peer support.

5. Reflecting On Your Achievements

Staying sober at Christmas can be especially hard as it is a natural end to the year. You’ll find yourself thinking about the past – the hurt, the ruined relationships, the perceived failures. You mustn’t push away your feelings but permit yourself to feel them.

What you don’t do is let yourself get overwhelmed by them. Don’t put pressure on yourself to celebrate Christmas in a certain way and have realistic expectations. Try to reflect instead on the achievements.

You are still on the journey, and it’s incredible how far you’ve come. You are here, and that matters. You are sober.

Get Addiction Support Today

Hopefully, those sobriety tips for Christmas will be useful for you this year. There’s no escaping Christmas, but there are things you can do to enjoy it without putting your sobriety at risk.

At Asana Lodge, we understand that this time of year is difficult to navigate for many and are dedicated to helping those who need it. We are a private drug and alcohol rehab that offers expert treatment at our comfortable facility.

For more help with your addiction this Christmas, call now at 01908 489 421.