For those in recovery, even joyous occasions such as Christmas as well as other holidays may present as tempting and difficult times. Maintaining sobriety after all, particularly Los Angeles sober living, is never easy, especially if one had just come from treatment or is not in a sober living environment. Los Angeles sober living is difficult because over 50 percent of men and almost 46 percent of women aged 12 and above are drinkers. So if you are planning on having an alcohol- and drug-free holiday, you can try the tips below to help you deal better with the pressures of the season.

1. Stay connected.

 If you have made a commitment to staying sober all year round, then you cannot let the holidays become an excuse to fall off the wagon. You have to be consistent and not lose your connection to your sober friends and your sober coach. Understand that even though everybody is on a holiday, your dependency is never on leave, which means that you will need all the help that you can get.

2. P is for Plan B not Party.

There is no rule saying that you should not attend parties. However, if you know that alcohol will be served, then you need to be with a friend or a relative who can accompany you and stay with you, especially when someone offers you a drink. It would be better if you can tell the host beforehand that you are uncomfortable around alcohol so that if you have to leave, he or she will understand why you felt the need to do so.

3. BYOB.

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to bring your own beverage at a party. You can even use it as an excuse to stay away from the bar and to say, ‘No, thank you,’ when you are offered a drink.

4. Keep busy.

So you’re in a party and you’re determined to have a good time and not drink or get high. Admittedly, the latter would be more of a high-risk situation if you do decide to attend an event where you know that drugs will be readily available. The best thing for you to do is to not go to such a party at all and to maybe just hold your own alcohol-free celebration with close friends and family, who support your recovery efforts.

5. ‘Tis the season to give back.

No doubt, there are plenty of things you can do to give back. You can visit the alcoholic ward at a hospital, promote Los Angeles sober living by throwing a party for your AA friends, volunteer for Church activities, and so on. Of course, doing good deeds should be more of a daily practice instead of a strictly-for-Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Day thing.

6. Create new traditions.

We all know that holidays foster togetherness especially among family and friends. The problem is, if your bonding moments with your friends consist of getting drunk or high, especially during the holiday season, then you will need to find new ways for celebrating. For example, if you like to welcome the New Year with a champagne toast, then you can maybe substitute sparkling grape juice, while keeping everything else the same.
Stay tuned for Part II of this post.