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.
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.