The last few months of the year tend to go quickly because of the year end holidays. First there is Thanksgiving, then Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, and then New Year’s Eve. This can be a very rough time of year for anyone who has an alcohol addiction because many parties and celebrations during this time offer alcoholic beverages for guests to enjoy. This doesn’t mean that you have to relapse during this time though, there are many things that you can do so that your recovery is not jeopardized and you abstain from alcohol completely. Some tips that you can use to do this include:
- Make sure that you are getting plenty of rest each night. When you are tired or stressed you are more likely to relapse.
- Take time for yourself. Don’t feel pressured to say yes to every holiday party or event that you are invited to.
- Discuss your recovery with the party host before you attend the event. Make sure that there will be beverages that are non alcoholic. Mocktails can be a great choice because no one except for you and your host will realize that you are not drinking.
- Attend extra support meetings during the holiday months so that you stay strong and you are less tempted to relapse.
- Remember that you can not have even one drink or food item with alcohol in it. Rum balls, brandy soaked cakes, flambe desserts with cognac or other spirits, and any food items that contain alcohol need to e completely avoided because they could tempt you to fall of the wagon and go back to your previous destructive ways.
