How to Stay Sober During New Year’s Eve
The New Year is a time of great excitement, celebration, and reflection. However, if you have struggled with addiction at any point in your life, you should always have a keen focus on having a sober New Year’s eve. This is something that can be challenging for many people, particularly if they are new to the premise of being sober. However, there are several ways to set yourself up for success regardless of whether you plan to spend the night in or enjoy a night out with friends.
First and foremost, it’s critical that you surround yourself with people who will always have your best interests at heart. Unfortunately, when you are around people actively drinking or doing drugs, you put yourself in a position where you may be more prone to partake in this activity with them. Therefore, making sure that you’re around sober individuals who truly care about you is a great way to start the new year.
It’s also just as important to have a plan to maintain your sobriety throughout the night. For example, if you are going out, you may want to plan to go to an AA or NA meeting first so that you can be around people who will reinforce the same values that you have when it comes to remaining sober. One of the great things about NA and AA meetings is that they occur at nearly any time throughout the day or night, seven days a week. In fact, there are some areas that offer additional meetings during the holidays due in large part to the fact that this can be a challenging time of year for many people. There are many virtual NA or AA meetings, making it much easier for you to log into a meeting when you truly need it.
Ideas for a Fun and Sober New Year’s Eve
Although celebrating the New Year is something that may be challenging, particularly if it’s your first year being sober. However, there are several ways that you can enjoy spending a sober New Year’s Eve. Here are just a few things to consider:
- Play board games
Why not plan to be a big kid again, invite some sober friends over, and enjoy some old fashion board games? Whether your game of choice is Monopoly or Twister, there is no limit to the fun that you could have enjoyed these games as well as the company of your friends or family members. - Host your own party
Are you concerned about going to a party because you’re afraid of the temptation that will come with it? If the answer is yes, then one of the best things that you can do is to plan to host your own New Year’s Eve party. You can make it clear to anyone that you invite that this part is alcohol and drug-free and invite only people that you trust to come. - Go camping
Depending on the area that you’re from, going camping and becoming one with nature is a great way to be able to refocus yourself for the new year. There are some people who also enjoy going to the woods and spending time in a log cabin if traditional camping is too much. Remember, you don’t have to go on your own and can always invite friends or family members to come with you. - Go see a show
There are countless towns and cities that offer off-Broadway shows around New Year’s. Usually, these venues will add more shows to the calendar which makes it that much easier for you to attend one. If a musical isn’t your thing, you can always see what comedy shows are available and start your new year off with a laugh.
Worried About Relapsing on New Year’s?
Unfortunately, there is always the possibility that a person could relapse, even after being years sober. There are several steps that you should take if you find that you’re in the midst of a relapse. It’s important to remember that if you do relapse, it’s critical to get help as soon as possible as a relapse is something that can be more severe than what you experienced during your initial addiction. If you do have a relapse, you should take the following steps as soon as possible:
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- Avoid the guilt trip
It’s easy to fall further into the trap of addiction after relapse because of the guilt that you may feel as a result. However, not giving into that guilt and remaining focused on what you need to do to reclaim your sobriety should be your main focus. During this time, reaching out to friends or family members who will support you is something that will be helpful. - Get in touch with our treatment team
The main thing that you will need if you relapse is the support of an experienced treatment team. That is exactly what you will find when you make the decision to work with TruPath. With years of industry experience, you can take comfort in the fact that we will never judge you when it comes to relapse or your general recovery. Instead, we will help to slow things down and aid you in taking your recovery step by step so that you can maintain your sobriety going forward. - Spend time focusing on yourself
In order for you to truly work through the issues that you have or are having with addiction, it’s essential that you take the time that you need to focus on yourself through a personalized addiction treatment program. At TruPath, we can help you put together such a program which will help you to work through your substance abuse issues once and for all. For example, if you have suffered a relapse, an effective way for you to work toward your sobriety is through an inpatient program. An inpatient program will help you to change the people, places and things around you so that you can truly focus on healing in a safe and sober environment. Another option that you have is to participate in an outpatient program such as an intensive outpatient or a partial hospitalization program. Both of these treatment options offer more flexibility and are ideal for a person who has work or school responsibilities or simply doesn’t feel comfortable committing to an inpatient treatment program. You can always transition from an inpatient program into an outpatient program at any time during your treatment if your schedule or commitments happen to change along the way.
Setting up a Sober Holiday Plan: TruPath Can Help!
The treatment team at TruPath is available right now to help you come up with a treatment plan or assist you with ideas to have a safe and sober plan for New Year’s Eve. In fact, our intake team is available around the clock and we encourage you to reach out to us at any point so that you can begin or enhance your recovery journey. If you or your family have more questions or concerns when it comes to your sobriety or recovery, give us a call.
