{"id":612,"date":"2024-08-02T18:16:41","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T18:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/?p=21"},"modified":"2026-02-11T16:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T16:36:09","slug":"all-i-want-for-christmas-is-to-be-sober","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-to-be-sober\/","title":{"rendered":"All I Want for Christmas is to Be Sober"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Remaining sober can be especially hard during the holidays.\u00a0 Family\u00a0gatherings, holiday parties, and other social occasions can be very difficult for someone who is in early recovery.\u00a0 Thoughts of past holiday occasions often bring up memories of celebratory drinking, drugs, or social Anxiety.\u00a0Although it can be very hard to get used to the idea of a sober holiday season<\/a>, especially when other people around you are seemingly having a great time celebrating by using substances or gambling, remember this is not all that everyone does. They eat, they talk, they dance, and they watch and play football and go to dinner and movies and outings. They play with their children and shop and enjoy each other\u2019s company. As addicts and Alcoholics we think all that anyone does is drink and drug and that is just NOT TRUE<\/strong>.\u00a0 So, don\u2019t miss out on all the great things there is to do. All we cannot do is 1<\/strong> thing!!!!\u00a0 Keep this in perspective!! Embrace who and what you are and your world will open up like you cannot imagine!!!<\/p>\n

Take this opportunity to celebrate not only the holidays, but also your new life of sobriety, which is something really worth celebrating.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0If you find yourself struggling during the holiday season, please remember that you are not alone.\u00a0 Help is only a phone call or meeting away!\u00a0 Here are some helpful and practical tips to make staying sober easier:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Plan each and every day of your holiday season:\u00a0 <\/strong>Plan to spend the majority of your time with friends and family who are supportive of your recovery.<\/li>\n
  2. Find a meeting in your area:<\/strong>\u00a0Many groups have special meetings during the holidays to share their experience, strength and hope. Check the online \u00a0for a meeting in your area.<\/li>\n
  3. Ask for support from family and friends:<\/strong>\u00a0Those who are truly supportive of your recovery will be happy to help you throughout the holidays.<\/li>\n
  4. Have a list of ten people you can call:\u00a0<\/strong>Make a list and check it twice. Carry your cell phone and list of names at all times.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t forget about regular exercise:\u00a0<\/strong>Regular exercise is an essential component of any balanced recovery program.<\/li>\n
  6. Stay away from slippery places:\u00a0<\/strong>There is absolutely no reason to ever check out your former favorite establishments.<\/li>\n
  7. Create new traditions to replace your old using patterns:<\/strong>\u00a0Buy a new board game or take the family on a sleigh ride.\u00a0 Use your imagination, be creative, & have fun.<\/li>\n
  8. Write out a daily gratitude list:<\/strong>\u00a0The quickest cure to get you out of the holiday blues is by counting your blessings and being grateful for what you have every morning.<\/li>\n
  9. Volunteer your services to a charitable organization:\u00a0<\/strong>There are many people in your community who are less fortunate than you. You will be helping not only the needy but yourself!<\/li>\n
  10. Write a letter to yourself \u2013 \u201cHow I stayed sober over the holidays:\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0The act of writing your ideas on paper is very powerful. Write down all the activities and events that will help you have a healthy, happy, and sober holiday season.<\/li>\n
  11. Avoid H.A.L.T. (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired):<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0If you are hungry, get something to eat. If you are angry, talk to somebody about it.\u00a0 If you are lonely, go to a meeting or call a friend.\u00a0 If you are tired, get a good night\u2019s sleep.<\/li>\n
  12. Live one day at a time and enjoy your sobriety:<\/strong> Stay in the moment and live one day at a time. Never mind what happened or what could happen. Enjoy today. Live today. Celebrate your sobriety!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    From all of us at Principles Recovery Center<\/strong>, we wish you a safe and sober holiday season filled with happiness, love and new memories. Please remember we\u00a0are available 24hrs a day\u00a0to assist with questions, admissions or if you just need to talk \u2013 call (855) 744-1056 or (954) 368-1344.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Remaining sober can be especially hard during the holidays.\u00a0 Family\u00a0gatherings, holiday parties, and other social occasions can be very difficult for someone who is in early recovery.\u00a0 Thoughts of past holiday occasions often bring up memories of celebratory drinking, drugs, or social Anxiety.\u00a0Although it can be very hard to get used to the idea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":22365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recovery-from-addiction"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47084,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612\/revisions\/47084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebrandsmen.com\/principlesrecoverycenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}