If you made through Christmas and stayed sober, good job! However, if you didn’t, it’s never too late! Begin the new year by getting sober or committing to staying sober through all the New Year’s Eve festivities. It can be a commitment to a new you, and a new way of life.
New Year’s Eve is looming and, of course, there will be a lot of celebrating. And where there is celebrating, there is drinking. For those in recovery from addiction, especially those in early recovery, planning to celebrate a sober New Year’s Eve can attend parties and stay sober while reflecing on this past year.
Instead of participating in the usual New Year’s Eve celebrations that involve alcohol, if you plan ahead, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate alcohol free.
Have A Sober New Year’s Eve
Of course, it’s a great idea to stay off the roads as much as possible, and keep your New Year’s Eve celebrations local.
A sure way to eliminate alcohol from New Year’s Eve is to host your own sober party. Having your own party with sober friends and close family members is a great way to socialize, a skill we may have lost when isolating in our addictions. Include your friends and family members that support your recovery efforts. You can keep it small, or invite as many as your space will allow.
There are many ways to make your sober New Year’s Eve celebrations fun and exciting. Instead of going out, have a movie night. Or check the website for the city you live in. Many cities host New Year’s Eve celebrations that may be close by that are family friendly and alcohol free.
A Fun Sober New Year
As always, some advance planning for New Year’s Eve can be a very effective defense against temptation, and will assist you in navigating what can be a stressful period. Just know that a sober New Year’s Eve is possible for you. Having some ideas for sober activities beforehand can make all the difference, and be a great help in maintaining your hard earned sobriety.
Don’t forget that you can still participate in many of the things you enjoyed doing before you gothad sobriety. Some celebrate New Year’s Eve and go ice skating; or, if ice skating isn’t your thing, maybe it is surfing, or how about going to a late night movie with some members of your recovery network or family members. The important thing is to enjoy your night with events that fits you and your sobriety.
New Year’s Eve Plans
We hope you are planning on celebrating New Year’s Eve and the New Year holiday safely and most importantly by staying sober.
A great way to ring in the New Year, is by going to a late night meeting. Many AA clubs have Alca-thons, which are meetings that are going every hour, for 24 hours beginning New Year’s Eve. A New Year’s Eve party does not have to mean participating in drunken debauchery.
Making it through this New Year’s Eve sober with friends and loved ones can be fun as well a new beginning to a better way of life. Make your New Year’s resolution to make more phone calls or to attend more meetings this next year, .
A Sober Friend
Sobriety can become a lifestyle if you have the tools. At midnight when the ball drop happens in Times Square try to celebrate your addiction recovery with a sober friend or two, attend a 12-step meeting and have an enjoyable experience that you will remember the next day! Your friends and family will appreciate your efforts.
Spend time with sober friends during this time of year. Developing social connections can be a big assist when your disease begins to demand you return to your alcohol addiction and abandon your recovery efforts.
Developing a sober lifestyle takes a lot of effort, but it’s worth it, and involvement in 12-step recovery is one of the most effective methods of getting there.
Six Sober New Year’s Eve Ideas
There are many benefits to staying away from drugs or booze during New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Not getting arrested being the top one. Here are some ideas that do not involve parties where there is drinking, or going to bars:
- Host your own sober party. Because our disease isolated us, hosting your own New Year’s party is a great way to be of service to others by providing a safe environment to socialize.
- Alcoholics Anonymous clubs and some other 12-step recovery groups also have celebrations so that members can participate in a sober New Year’s Eve.
- Events in your community that support sobriety – maybe holiday fundraising opportunities that include being of service will be the ticket.
- Game night, could be a theme party where board games and your favorite mocktail is served.
The point is no booze or drugs and having fun.
Leave Your Addiction Behind
Substance use and abuse has wreaked havoc on our lives and our close relationships. For the New Year, leave your addiction behind and use a support network. Celebrate the new sober lifestyle you are creating with friends that support your recovery.
- Here’s an idea: Organize a road trip or a short trip to a somewhere you have always wanted to go, but that your addiction kept you from. Go with some close friends, and, of course whatever you do, leave before New Year’s Eve!
Or you can try doing some activity that you found enjoyable in the past, but stopped doing because your addiction got in the way. For instance, go bowling with a group of people who are in recovery. That can be a fun way to experience connection and practice being social, again.
A Brand New Year
As you can see, drinking alcohol is not the only way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. If you allow it, there are a lot of fun and exciting ways to celebrate.
- Make it a New Year’s to remember. How about taking a ski trip? Even if you live in Florida there are some destinations that have indoor skiing. Of course, there are many out of state ski destinations for the more adventurous.
Sober Bars
So, in case you didn’t know this- sober bars are a thing now. Sober bars do not serve alcoholic drinks, however, they do serve mixed drinks. There are currently a few sober bars in the Tampa Bay and surrounding areas.
If going to a bar does not pose a danger to your recovery, then by all means get together with some friends and spend New Year’s Eve celebrating sobriety. However, if you feel being in a bar type atmosphere will be triggering, it may be best to make other plans!
New Year’s Eve Party
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to ring in the New Year without alcohol. If you are in early recovery especially, attending a small gathering might be more to your liking. Perhaps someone in your support group is having a party. If so, that is certainly a safe and sane way to celebrate.
Another alternative is to have your own theme party for your New Year’s Eve Celebration – For instance, what’s your favorite decade? Have your guests dress for “the look” of that period, then add some decorations and popular songs to a playlist from that time.
Game Night
A Masquerade Party can be fun. Decorate with dark colors, like black, purple and red and hang masquerade masks and streamers on the walls. The main event is when your guests remove their masks at midnight.
Some other ideas are having a game night, and play board games or games like Pictionary. Charades, using movie titles, can also be great fun.
This Holiday Season
We hope this Holiday Season is a safe and sane time for you, and that some of the information in this article has inspired you to celebrate New Year and have an enjoyable sober experience. There are of course many things to be grateful for as we look forward to the upcoming year.
Turning Point of Tampa
Located in Tampa, FL. Turning Point of Tampa has been providing addiction treatment since 1987. The program is based on a 12 step model that has been successful for millions of people worldwide. Services include inpatient medical detox, residential and partial day treatment (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) and Family Support Group. Turning Point also treats dual diagnosis and eating disorders. If you or a loved one need help – please reach out to us today.
