How to Celebrate a Special Occasion Sober

You could offer to attend the meeting so you’re there to witness when they earn their next chip. It can be hard to know how to talk to or what to do for someone in recovery. If you have a loved one with a sobriety anniversary coming up, you may not know what you should do. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Whether you attend or create an alternate plan, friends and family who love you will support you in your journey. New Year’s Eve is a great time to go check out some fun venues that may be set up to celebrate the holiday but not focused on drinking and doing drugs. Check out a late-night movie, a midnight 5K run, a local playhouse, or a comedy club. If you’re up to it, take on the task of hosting your own sober New Year’s Eve party. You get to decide who is around you when you celebrate the new year, you pick the snacks, and you don’t have to be out on the road and in the madness. No matter what stage you are at in recovery, holidays and upcoming summer celebrations can present challenges.

Cake Topper Happy Soberversary by Sober Girl Society

It’s not just your drinking buddies and drug dealers who can get you into trouble—sometimes those who are closest to you can contribute to a relapse. Some of the immediate changes you will need to make will be obvious—like not hanging around the people that you used with or obtained drugs from. After all, you can’t hang around your drug dealer or old drinking buddies and expect to remain sober for very long. The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing. This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care.

Choosing to live a life of sobriety does not mean forgoing a life of fun but rather that you will be able to remember all of the fun times. Holidays of many kinds have been celebrated throughout the ages. In today’s society, common celebrations commemorate or honor a day, an event, or a season, each with its own special meaning and reason for the festivities. Traditionally, celebrations are a joyous occasion in many cultures and communities, causing revelers to drink alcohol to enhance or prolong the merrymaking.

• However, the word is often used in different ways in different contexts.
• If you wait tables, you will walk out with a pocketful of tips to help you pay off the credit card bills from the holiday season and start your new year with a little cash in your pocket.
• You might say, “I’m really proud of you,” or “I’m so happy to see you succeed.” Avoid asking questions that are too personal or focusing on the negative aspects of their substance use.
• It is actually the life of the addict that is more predictable and dull.

Sobriety jewelry gifts for mother, aa celebration necklace for sister, love knot pendant for warrior, rehab gifts for girlfriend, sober g… If you’re involved in a 12-step program, you likely already know the importance of milestones. In these programs, it’s customary to receive plastic chips as you progress to the one-year mark, at which time you receive a bronze coin. If what is a halfway house these emotions become excessive, they can hold you back from recovery. If you are trying to maintain a sober lifestyle, those feelings can become toxic and contribute to relapse if you don’t deal with them properly. People in recovery from a substance use disorder frequently have problems meeting work-related responsibilities, maintaining employment, and managing money.

One Day At A Time (Recovery) (11oz, 15oz)

Or perhaps you have reached a sober milestone, which is certainly difficult enough work that it merits recognition. It is important for a person in recovery to celebrate special occasions in a positive, healthy, meaningful way. Find a treatment facility that can get your or a loved one on the road to recovery and long-term sobriety through the online portal.

Some definitions of sobriety call for complete lifelong abstinence while others focus on developing coping mechanisms that can reduce harm with the understanding that setbacks are common. It may help to pick a quit date, or a day when you choose to discontinue use of alcohol or drugs. It’s also helpful to change your environment—for instance, avoid going to bars. Most people in recovery will be prepared for their sobriety to be tested when times are hard.

How to Celebrate a Special Occasion Sober

You may also experience what is commonly called sobriety fatigue, which refers to the overall exhaustion that may occur as a result of the emotional and physical stress of staying sober. So, it’s extra helpful to have a support network available to you when you need it. To avoid relapse and remain sober, it’s important to develop healthy relationships.

This letter can be an incredibly powerful gift that your loved one may rely on in future moments of temptation. Often, a person who reaches a sobriety anniversary knows how lucky they are to have their support system. You can commemorate this milestone by giving back to those who don’t have such a robust support system. Volunteering together can be a great way to celebrate this special anniversary.

A sobriety anniversary is an opportunity to show your loved one how proud you are and that you support them. To make sure you honor their wishes, consider asking them how they want to celebrate this milestone. A sobriety anniversary is also an opportunity to reflect on where the individual used to be and where they are now. They can recognize and celebrate how they’ve turned their life around and how much it’s improved. The online portal of Treatment Connection will point you in the right direction to receiving the help you need today.

People expect a festive atmosphere, so plan to give them exactly that! Try some non-alcoholic holiday drinks, set up ‘white elephant’ gift exchanges, or make the preparation of the food a group activity for people to enjoy together. Add music and dancing (possibly karaoke?) and get your friends and family moving. These events are about enjoying people, not enjoying drinking. If being around certain individuals is a stressor for you, set limits on how much time you will spend around them. While planning sober activities may be a great way to manage the temptations or avoid them, if you plan to attend a party or celebration that includes alcohol or drugs, always be prepared to leave.

The best way forward for your recovery from alcohol or substance use is to incorporate a wide variety of strategies that will help foster success. Remember to care for yourself, seek supportive relationships, and consider seeking help from a therapist. But for most people, staying sober isn’t that straightforward. The more strategies you learn to identify triggers, cope with stress, and manage your new sober life, the easier it is to prevent relapse.

Verywell Mind’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Dr. Sack also advises giving back as a form of celebration; speak to those who have helped you, and let them know that you appreciate their companionship. As the New York Times once reported, volunteering is therapeutic for the volunteers too.

How to Celebrate in Recovery

Consider reaching out to a vocational rehabilitation counselor or career coach to help you update your resume, practice job interview skills, and locate jobs that match your skills and experience. But it is possible to take baby steps and get your finances in order. Just keep in mind that your improvements won’t happen overnight. alcohol cravings Having a chaotic or disorganized lifestyle can also hinder your recovery. It’s important to develop a structured daily and weekly schedule and stick to it. If PAWS is severe or if you’re experiencing prolonged symptoms, a medical professional can help you work through them and remain in recovery without relapse.

John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health . Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon the most important things you can do to help an alcoholic Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at You can get your loved one a personal token to mark their accomplishment. This could be a journal or a piece of jewelry, a watch or a key chain with the date engraved.

These individuals can later find out that it is not only possible to celebrate without alcohol and drugs, but that it is significantly more rewarding to do so. On the one hand, this is a huge accomplishment, and you’re very proud of what they’ve done. On the other hand, however, you may not know whether they want to draw attention to this milestone or an appropriate way to celebrate. The good news is that it’s not quite as difficult as it seems! Keep reading to learn how to celebrate a sobriety anniversary and some sobriety gift ideas. Holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and especially New Year’s Eve might seem tricky to plan without alcohol.