Alcohol-Free Vacations: How to Join the Sober Travel Trend

Wynn Las Vegas launched a nonalcoholic beverage program in early 2023, incorporating health-promoting ingredients like reishi mushrooms and ashwagandha. If those thoughts begin to creep in—those rationalizations about your eminent capability to now handle your liquor—shut them down immediately. Your abstinence did not, in fact, teach you how to control your drinking, because abstinence didn’t rewire your brain to be non-addicted. Instead, talk it out with your sponsor or sober friends. A mistake is not a relapse, and it’s not going to land you in rehab, but those secrets https://ecosoberhouse.com/ might. When you take the opportunity to connect with others—to see, value and honor their experience—you exercise empathy.

Family and Children’s Programs

Genuinely effective treatment is a holistic process that addresses the mind, body, and soul. Seeing family and friends can be a blessing, but it can also bring up old emotions and dysfunctional family dynamics. The ghosts of Christmas and holidays past may also haunt those in early sobriety and bring their substance use and “good ol’ days” to the forefront of their minds. Those with SUDs also have a far greater chance, statistically, of having first-degree relatives with addiction issues.

An Upsurge in Sober Travel Offerings

Finding support after a relapse, or during times of struggle during the holidays, can be crucial. Just being around people who have gone through similar experiences, and finding a distraction away from drugs or alcohol, can offer the opportunity to ground yourself and your commitment to recovery. But these celebrations also often include drinking, making them sometimes difficult to enjoy for people in recovery.

Avoid Triggering Situations

Practicing gratitude is not an exercise in the denial of difficult circumstances in our lives, nor is it the practice of taking inventory of our material possessions. Instead, it is simply remembering that there is value in everything, that life itself is a gift, and that the humility it requires to express thanks makes us more “right-sized” in our perceptions of ourselves. Gratitude is the cornerstone of serenity which is often scarce this time of year. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp.

• For someone in an alcohol detox center, they could be there for weeks at least.
• Volunteer, serve at an event for underserved people, and make an intentional effort to express gratitude by sharing time and effort that benefits others.
• Although these tips can be helpful, family can sometimes be the biggest challenge when staying sober during the holidays.
• Packed airports, tight schedules, liquid lunch for Aunt Sally.

So although this time of year can sober holidays bring families together, substance use may also be part of the fabric of a family culture during celebratory events. Those showing up to social events sober can unintentionally hold a mirror up to those around them and lead to resistance and judgment. For individuals who have spent the past year surrounded by sober peers, having to spend this concentrated time home and with those who may not truly understand or respect their sobriety process may be stressful. Heading into the New Year can also be a time of reflection and even sadness about which direction life is going and which milestones a person believes they should have already reached. Choosing the right treatment center can be paramount in one’s chance at recovery. While the treatment facility creates a foundation of tools needed for recovery, it is truly the individual, and not the addiction treatment center that determines the end result.

Why choose sober holidays for your recovery journey?

This technique involves staying in the moment and quieting your mind. It’s about tuning into the sights and sounds around you allowing anxious thoughts to drift away. I was sober, but instead of binge drinking on the weekends, I was binge-watching Netflix and eating pizza like a champ instead. Not exactly the Eat Pray Love dream I’d envisioned for my sober self. No woman is an island I soon realized and so decided I needed to get out of the apartment and find some fun things to do before I became all Grey Gardens (minus the Hamptons location). Addiction Resource aims to provide only the most current, accurate information in regards to addiction and addiction treatment, which means we only reference the most credible sources available.

• Everyone has a wish list for the holidays, but far too often that list becomes a set of expectations rather than wants.
• Winter holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve may involve stress, which for people in recovery, can be a trigger.
• Depression spikes and relapses escalate during this season.
• If you become a ball of wretched energy during the holidays, perhaps your own expectations have become your downfall.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please contact at Addiction relapse may be identifiable by physical signs of substance use, changes in behavior, or other cognitive or emotional symptoms of intoxication. Writing down your plans ahead of time can give you a roadmap for what to do when and if you encounter specific situations. You can help people who are affected by alcoholism by making a donation to the Cleveland District Office. And sales of nonalcoholic beverages have surged over the last few years, increasing by more than 20% between 2021 and 2022.

Alcohol-Free Vacations: How to Join the Sober Travel Trend

The holidays are usually a fun, magical time, but for people in recovery, it can feel overwhelming. They may feel loaded with potential triggers and stress due to parties or family gatherings. Some families might consider the holidays an inappropriate time to help a loved one get into addiction treatment when, in fact, it could be an ideal opportunity.

Thanksgiving is known for being a holiday that features a lot of food, as well as drinking for those who don’t abstain from alcohol. With treatment, people learn how to manage co-occurring disorders without the use of addictive substances. Dealing with “the holiday blues” or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is thought to be caused by the less available light and shorter days this time of year, can also add to holiday challenges. Holiday parties often include alcohol and can be tricky to navigate for people who are in any stage of the recovery process. Many of the biggest holidays in the U.S. — Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve — take place relatively close together, bringing people together often to celebrate. Millions of Americans live with some form of drug or alcohol addiction, and many are in recovery.

Rejuvenate Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

This time of year, there are countless opportunities to harbor, nurture, and rehearse them in our minds. Everything from the extra obligations we take on to the lack of appreciation we may experience for all our efforts to create the perfect holiday backdrop for our loved ones can take center stage. The communal aspect of addiction support groups can offer comfort during the holidays, especially after a relapse, when you may not be feeling your best. There are plenty of sober holiday traditions that you and your loved ones can create together to strengthen your recovery.