15 Tips for Staying Sober During the Holidays

Drinking is a holiday culture in the UK– whether you are with your family, friends or at weekend get-togethers. Refraining when everyone around has drinks or offers you a drink can be tough. It is common to crave alcohol in such situations, especially when you are actively trying to cut down your alcohol intake. If you want to be sober during the holidays, keep yourself busy and schedule your weekends.

• 51% of young adults are more likely to drink on a holiday than at home.
• 40% cannot avoid peer pressure to drink from friends and family.
• The NHS and police are more occupied with drinking disasters during the festive season.

When to say no…

Holidays can easily get uncomfortable. It is important to say no when you feel uneasy in family drama, pressure or a direct obstacle to sobriety. If holidays turn into festive disasters or booze binging occasions, it is time to say no. It is natural to get carried away with friends and fall prey to wine experimentation. If your family history has no traces of a sober holiday, learn to say no to drinks or to the invite altogether. Take a stand because you don’t need to explain yourself when you want to stay sober during the Holidays.

Drinking has been noted in instances of seriously compromised judgment. You could wake up in a foreign country or end up hospitalised. Such situations affect your finances, mental health and your loved ones.

Find other activities to plan your holidays. Set your priorities and stay sober during the holidays. Keep your mind busy. It is high time you replace wine with chocolate and enjoy quality time with kids and family.

Tips for Staying Sober During the Holidays

Once you succeed in preoccupying your mind with other things, you’ll find resisting temptation easier than you thought.

1.    Find your favourite non-alcoholic drink

There are plenty of good mocktails, non-alcoholic beer, and spirits that can satisfy your cravings and taste better than before. Remember to check the alcohol percentage, if any, because even a minor content can trigger a relapse.

2.    It’s OK to say no

Many people link drinking to camaraderie, amiability, and Christmas. Don’t hesitate to say no to someone offering you a glass or even exiting if drinking situations around you get too tempting to avoid.

When trying to stay sober during the holidays, be assertive– to yourself and others. Find your ultimate phrase to denial– inform them beforehand before things get too awkward.

3.    Find a recovery group

Find people who are recovering from alcohol addiction just like you, and stick to them. Helping people in a situation similar to yours will encourage you to shut down your own inner voice. Join a local recovery club, community drives, homeless shelters, and volunteer to help everyone stay sober during the holidays, including you.

4.    Plan your weekend or holiday

• 64% of drinkers are likely to drink more during the holiday season, like Christmas. It means more unplanned drinks, especially during December.
• Social pressure to drink with work partners increases during the festive period.

Find fun activities to keep you occupied during the weekends or holidays. Plan a beach day, go hiking, camping, swimming, baking, binge-watching with family or whatever you want. When you plan your way, your brain doesn’t find an opportunity to crave alcohol.

5.    Commit to your safety

Sobriety is important for driving and avoiding accidents or other mishaps. Some places outside the UK may even have stricter legalities for drinking, so you should be prepared for that. Drunk driving is a common cause of holiday accidents, so think of safety as a distraction from drinking. Offer to drive the car on a road trip to stay sober during the holidays. This mentally prepares you to avoid a relapse as a result.

6.    Create a support system

Step out of a group of friends who encourage you to drink. Support is necessary in social activities. Prioritise healthy choices and those around you who encourage it. Talk your way out of emotions instead of burying them, which increases stress.

7.    Stay Motivated

Remind yourself of the milestones you achieved. Maybe a week of sobriety, and feeling refreshed when waking up? The more progress you make, the better it gets– both the process and your mission. Relapse will increasingly become a distant concept.

8.    Practices to avoid party drinks

Instead of lurking in a corner, inviting someone offering you drinks, catch up. Engage in games, drink mocktails, play games, sing karaoke, or get on the dance floor. Research some party ideas that could be more fun than a gloomy alcohol party.

• Outdoor movie
• Pool party
• Baking with friends
• Games and sports
• Karoake
• Barbeque party
• Picnic

9.    Stick to some fun activities

Young adults in the UK find it much easier to stay sober during the holidays when engaged outdoors. Find the adventurer within you– make a circle and step out.

• Hiking
• Camping
• Barbecue with friends
• Swimming
• Fitness clubs
• Yoga and mindfulness
• Gardening
• Concerts and music festivals
• Road trips
• Other favourite hobbies
• Games with friends
• Restaurant hopping

10. Know what triggers you

Maybe a cold gust makes you crave a warm glass of beer, or just watching everyone ‘let loose’ makes you want to join in. There might be a place or group that you visited in the past that may trigger you because you drank there before. Avoid things that your mind associates with drinking– if loneliness triggers you, call a friend. Reward yourself, and develop new, healthier habits to stay sober during the holidays.

With time, your alcohol tolerance will reduce, and so will your alcohol dependence.

11.  Be proud of your recovery plan

Appreciate little things about your recovery routine– how it makes you feel refreshed, energetic and healthier from within. Be proud of the milestones you achieved with this routine. Some activities that can be part of this plan to stay sober during the holidays are:

• A nutritious food that you like
• A consistent and healthy sleep pattern
• Reduce negative feelings.
• Find someone that supports you, and you can talk to– don’t keep your feelings buried.
• Mindfulness for awareness
• Fun activities that keep you occupied

12.  Foods that control alcohol cravings

Nutritious foods can help reduce your cravings because of the replenishment it provides. Feeling full means slower absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. If you are  experiencing withdrawal and want to stay sober during the holidays, eat foods like:

• Fruits– bananas, strawberries, oranges
• Greens like spinach and broccoli
• Smoothies, nuts and dairy products
• Proteins like non-vegetarian options
• Replace alcohol with carbohydrates
• Avoid sugar, salt, or fatty acids

13.  Increase quality sleep

Patients of alcohol withdrawal are at a higher risk of relapse if they are sleep-deprived. The prefrontal cortex doesn’t work normally when a person is sleep-deprived. This disrupts your control and recovery process. Coping with stress hormones as a result of exhaustion can also lead to relapse.

14. HALT technique

Counselling is a great option to manage such situations and stay sober during the holidays.

• Hunger: Hunger disrupts the chemical balance in your brain, reducing your judgment and decision-making ability. It lowers your blood sugar levels and makes you impulsive. Such hormonal upheavals are causes of relapse.
• Anger: Resistance becomes difficult, impulsiveness makes it harder to process things, and judgment becomes cloudy.
• Loneliness: Support is very important to a patient in every life situation. It helps you out of peer pressure and provides mental resilience. It makes you feel better and emotionally regulated.
• Tiredness: It is the main culprit for mismanaged control, regulated systems, and resistance. It makes you hypersensitive and emotionally unstable.

15. Mindful, natural, and adventurous trips

Plan relaxing and engaging trips like therapeutic sessions, yoga classes, and meditation sessions with your friends. Such trips not only release your stress and open up your minds but also restore your internal systems. Natural locations and adventure, like hiking and camping, clear your head to stay sober during the holidays. Natural euphoria releases the good brain hormones, which are good for those avoiding alcohol and relapse.

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