For people in recovery, parties can often present a serious challenge to sober living. The combination of fun, excitement, old friends and substances has led many people to lose the sobriety they worked hard to build.
There are many techniques to help people in recovery attend parties without losing their sobriety. These can include methods such as being forthright with everyone there about being in recovery, offering to be designated driver and saying so if anyone tries to encourage you to drink, or having a trusted friend stay with you who can step in if your sobriety might be at risk. Yet to be frank, having to use these methods is not necessarily easy or enjoyable. What if you could have all the fun of the party without any risk to your sobriety?
A sober house party can be a great way to enjoy yourself and bring friends together in a safe environment. To avoid any doubt, this can refer to a party in a private residence or a party in a sober home (in which case you will definitely need to ask permission). Here are three tips to ensure your sober house party gives your friends a fantastic night with no regrets.
1. Have a guest list
Unfortunately, not everyone is a good guest for a sober party. Think carefully about whom you invite, and make it clear to invitees that there will be no alcohol or drugs served or permitted at the party.
2. Be sure to have activities
While a good sober party can be exhilarating, a bad sober party might feel like an office meeting to people who are not in recovery. A great way to engage attendees and make sure they enjoy themselves is to have a game or activity that gives people something to do. These could include board games, a murder mystery theme or a sports night, if you can host the party to coincide with a game.
3. Take the lead
A strange paradox of parties is that people don’t normally start to enjoy themselves until they see other people start to enjoy themselves. This effect can be greater than normal in a scenario where people don’t have access to the alcohol they are accustomed to. You can ensure that everyone has a fantastic time provided that you and a couple of friends are prepared to take the lead by introducing people who don’t know each other, starting the dancing and getting people enthusiastic about the game(s) you have at the party.
If you take these simple tips into account, you can give your friends who are not in recovery a fun, novel experience, while those in recovery can fully enjoy themselves without being at risk.