If you are newly sober and Halloween is your favorite fall holiday, you may be nervous about going out to celebrate with your usual spooks. Just like any other holiday, people use alcohol to celebrate while addicts may use this as a chance to justify drinking alongside normies. Chances are if you are alcoholic, then you will not be able to drink normally and make a “ghoul” out of yourself. Staying sober on such a social holiday certainly has its challenges, but it can be done by keeping your sobriety first.
Distracting yourself with activities that will help maintain sobriety is really important. There are many entertaining events to choose from on Halloween that may be abstinent of alcohol. For those events that do include alcohol, you must decide if you are ready to venture out into the realm of having others drink in front of you.
- Talk to a friend, sponsor, or therapist to see where they think you are in your recovery process. See if they think you are ready to be where alcohol is being served or consumed.
- Be honest with yourself about how dire it is that you attend social functions this Halloween season. Ask yourself if it will really be the end of the world to miss an event which could be all the protection you need against relapse.
- Get a call list together before you go out and be willing to use it in an emergency situation.
- Make putting your head on your pillow sober at the end of the night the biggest success of the day.
- Hook up with sober folks and let yourself have fun doing Halloween stuff together in the spirit of sobriety.
- Hand out Halloween candy to people in costumes.
- Go trick or treating in costume with some friends that are staying sober.
- Buy pumpkins, carve them, and then have a contest to see who has the best creation.
- Bake and decorate Halloween cookies to devour.
- Download or rent scary movies to have a Halloween movie marathon.
- Host a sober party and bob for apples or have a cake walk.
- Get a group of sober friends to go on a Haunted House tour.
- Dress up in your Halloween costume and go to a 12-Step meeting.
Have fun on Halloween, but your sobriety should be your number one priority. Drinking on Halloween may enhance the event for some people, but for an alcoholic it may be another just another black out.
You deserve to be ADORNED in your recovery. Life skills, coping tools, education, holistic healing, and a sober support system will help you gain long term sobriety. Serenity Oaks Wellness Center offers a comprehensive treatment program for recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Call us today for information: 844-720-6847
