I don’t know about you, but for me, it seems that once mid-October hits I am in this constant battle between the diet I want to follow and the constant barrage of food that is placed in front of me.
Between fall break, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve with all the celebrations that come with them it can feel near impossible to make wise dietary food decisions.
For some, it is related to a desire for weight loss but for others who have illnesses, like diabetes, the need to avoid overindulging can be more serious. Beyond the diet issues, there are those who have substance use disorders, and the holidays are a tough time to try to maintain sobriety without a good plan. Whether food or alcohol is the issue, here are a few tips to help make it through the holiday season
Food
1. Pregame Before Events
I know that young people have a slightly different definition of "pregaming", but it is the same concept. Eat something that is within your diet's limits before you go out so you're satisfied when you get to your destination. This allows you to still enjoy the company of others without feeling the need to nibble at the party.
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2. Be Potluck Prepared
Come up with a few healthy recipes that you can easily prepare for those potlucks that you are invited to. It helps if it's a meal in a dish that you can make your primary entrée for the potluck with any other food being sides.
3. Preplan For the Day
If you know that you will be going to an event where you will choose to overindulge, you could make some changes early in the day to compensate. Consider having a protein shake instead of the usual breakfast and lunch to decrease excessive carbohydrate consumption for that day.
Alcohol
4. Be Strategic About the Events You Attend
While you can’t completely isolate yourself, we all know that holiday parties vary greatly in how rowdy they can get. Some holiday parties get out of hand and may not be the best environment for your sobriety efforts. If you know that a particular event will be a trigger for you to drink, then you may decide to sit that one out.
5. Connect with Your Support Group
Those loved ones who support your sobriety should be leaned on a little harder this season. Take along a buddy who will remain sober with you to provide support. If you are formally involved in a 12-step program and have a sponsor they can be a good resource this season. If you don’t have one, now may be a good time to connect with one.
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6. Plan for the Expected
People love to pump other people full of alcohol at holiday parties. If you are walking around with what looks like a soda or water, some people will not let that suffice. To avoid the awkward “why aren’t you drinking?” interaction, I recommend that you prepare a tasty beverage that would appear to be an alcoholic drink to keep those people away.
Drinks like sprite with a splash of cranberry or sprite with limes in the glass can be easily be disguised as vodka and cranberry or vodka tonic to prevent all the questions and avoid people bringing you multiple drinks.
Dr. Nicole Washington is a board-certified psychiatrist, speaker, author and host of The C-Suite Confidant, a biweekly podcast covering topics pertinent to mental wellness for the high performer. She enjoys discussing and providing education on all things mental wellness in hopes of decreasing the stigma associated with mental health issues.
