7 Tips for Staying Sober over the Holidays
 

Don't Have a New Year's Eve Relapse! 7 Tips for Staying Sober over the Holidays

Don't Have a New Year's Eve Relapse! 7 Tips for Staying Sober over the Holidays

The holidays can be tough for the newly clean and sober, and New Year's Eve is probably the toughest day of them all. It's a day when it can be very hard to avoid temptations to use or drink again.
But although it's a day rich in temptation, it's also a trigger to use or drink that you KNOW is coming, and so although you know it's going to be a tough day it's a day you can get prepared for.
Here are a few informal ideas to help get you thinking about staying clean and sober over the New Years holiday period.

7 Tips for Staying Sober on New Year's Eve

In no particular order
1. Don't Stay at Home Alone
Make a plan to do something. Don't think that you'll avoid temptation by just sitting alone at home – make a plan to stay busy and involved on New Year's Eve night. Stewing at home while everyone else has fun is not a recipe for success.

2. Spend Time with Sober Friends and Family
Surround yourself with others that strive to stay clean and sober or those who support your sobriety. New Year's Eve is definitely a day for sharing in the support and strength of a group.

3. Don't Go to a Bar or a Party!
This one may be a no-brainer…but over confidence is the downfall of too many attempts at getting and staying clean. It's probably not a good idea to think that you can go to the party and just "not drink" if everyone else is. Why put yourself at that kind of risk? And would it be fun anyway to be surrounded by people getting drunk or high all night?

4. Take Care of Yourself!
This one should never get restricted to holidays only, but since you're at extra risk of relapse during this period, you have to ensure that you stay healthy, rested, well fed and strong during these temptation filled days. Sleep well, eat well, exercise well and feel great. You will be stronger for it.

5. Have Fun!
You quit drinking or using drugs because you wanted a better life – and a life without fun isn't much of a life. New Years Eve should be fun, so make sure you make a plan to get out there and have some! Eat a great meal, go to the movies, go star-gazing, spend time with the kids…whatever brings you happiness.

6. Make a Full Plan for New Year's Day
Wake up feeling great on New Year's Day. Most people may suffer a sickly New Years morning, but you'll be ready for fun. Make sure you have a full day of enjoyment planned to keep you motivated on getting to bed the night before!

7. Write Out a List of Why You Quit in the First Place
Spend a few minutes to write out an honest list of the reasons why you quit in the first place. Then, if temptation starts to get to you, refer to your list and remember why you can’t have just one drink or hit or toke.

Have fun and Happy Holidays!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Staying-Sober-over-the-Holidays

The season is starting. We need to look at it one day at a time, stay in today and don't look forward with fear, you are not the person you were when you were using, you have a program, you have your God, and if you do the do things, you can walk in faith.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-...idays/0020.gif

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked
'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 1oz to 25ozs.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.'
So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
And some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
If you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"Recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone £20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way,
You're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colours, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Have a Fantabulous day and know that someone has thought about you today... I Did XxX .

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