Protect yourself from the dangers and temptations of holidays, parties and family gatherings.
The holiday season can present all kinds of temptations and triggers for those who are trying to stay clean and sober.
The holidays can be a dangerous time for those who are new to trying to stay sober, but for those who have some time in recovery, the season can be once again filled with fun and joy, rather that fear and stress.
I had a choice of staying or leaving places and I had a safe, clean and sober place that I could go to.
All of us have something to give in and out of the fellowship even if all we can afford is a smile.
The holidays are hard to get through, but sometimes what I need to focus on is just staying sober and remembering that as long as I do not pick up today, there is hope.
I realized that once I got the alcohol out of my system that the blues and depression also went away so that I didn't have unrealistic expectations of the holidays.
I do 12-step calls during the holiday to help others, but more honestly (and selfishly) to keep the memory of what the first drink will do to me.
Holidays can be very hard for all of us -- just don't watch the commercials!
I tell each person the traits that I value most in them, things they have done that meant a lot to me, ways I value them as a friend.
In a word, yes, says About.com Addictions Guide Elizabeth Hartney. But whether a small relapse is helpful or not to your quitting depends on how you handle it.
Get some phone numbers of newcomers and stay in touch with them. Getting to know new people in the program can be refreshing.
As I became more engrossed in trying to live the AA way of life, I started to enjoy life and got out of myself.
On the night of the party I would have attended in the past, I made plans to be active with my family.
Going into an AA meeting where I know no one's name, but yet I know everyone, makes the holidays more bearable.
Someone suggested that anyone having a bad holiday should "get out of the problem and into the solution."
Never go anywhere alone if there is going to be alcohol. I take an AA buddy with me.
At all costs stay away from old people, places, and things you were familiar and comfortable with while drinking.
Enjoy the true beauty of holiday love and joy. Maybe you cannot give material gifts -- but this year, you can give love.
The only way the future can hurt us is if we rent it space in our today.
I am having a gratitude dinner at my house for people who don't want to, can't, or do not have any family.
My salvation was an Alano Club that was 15 minutes from where I lived at the time.
I could only stay with family for one or two hours and then leave. I made other plans to back me up.
I deal with the holidays by planning ahead. I stay inside and communicate with the elders and the kids and I do not let anything keep me from doing this.
Stay clear of HALT - don't get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired.
Sometimes a peaceful feeling comes just knowing those numbers are in my pocket.
Thank your Higher Power for your sobriety today and don't drink. Think how great it is to be sober today.
One thing I try to do during the holidays and at any other time I feel the stress is remember how it was.
It's not what's in the glass that's important, it's what's in your heart.
Go late and leave early. I have found that no one notices - or cares - how long you are there.
For me, taking a drink is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. It would be one hell of a buzz but that buzz would cost me everything I had, forever.
My first year I latched on to one of the members and didn't let go. They got me through that year and the next two.
If you drank during the holidays, focus on something else - and keep busy or entertained.
I learned that no one cares if I'm drinking or not and that what I carried in my glass was rarely noticed by anyone.
Keep in close touch with my sponsor; make sure that she knows me well enough to see if I am working a program.
I learned that no one cares if I'm drinking or not and that what I carried in my glass was rarely noticed by anyone.
If I hang with the winners I won't pick up that first drink!
My first holiday sober was very frightening. I did not have the slightest clue how I was going to stay sober through the festivities and forced contact with the family.
The holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year's in the United States - the most dangerous season of the year, for those trying to maintain sobriety and anyone driving on the public highways.
Some tips on maintaining sobriety during the holiday season from a certified alcoholism and drug dependency counselor.
The holiday season can be particularly dangerous time for people, who are in recovery, especially those in early recovery.
For many in recovery the holiday season is not depressing, it's a joyful and happy time, not a time of fear.
There are ways to organize fun, yet safe, festivities that will prevent family and friends from becoming the next alcohol- or drug-related statistic.
Tips on dealing with the pressure of the holiday season from visitors to the About.com Alcoholism/Substance Abuse site.
The holiday season, between Thanksgiving and News Year's Day, can be tricky times for alcoholics trying to stay sober, and for their families.
The Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the most dangerous time of the year on U.S. Highways. What can you do to make it safer?
Whether you are dealing with stress, depression, grief or you are just allergic to your Christmas tree, this information can help you have a happier holiday.
For children growing up with alcoholic or drug dependent parents, holidays are not the exciting time that fairy tales and television make them out to be.
The MADD ribbon serves as a symbol of the motorist's pledge to drive safe and sober during the holiday season. It also reminds other motorists to do the same.
