Maintaining Sobriety During the Holidays

The holiday season is a magic time to many, with family and friends sharing special moments and gifts together. This year, in the wake of COVID-19 and the worldwide response to it, the holidays will be very different for millions everywhere. The large gatherings that typically define our holiday celebrations have been rightfully discouraged in order to responsibly combat the spread of coronavirus.

So…what does that mean for someone trying to maintain sobriety during this trying time? The holiday parties that are hugely triggering to some are in short supply. The emotional consequences of being around family will also not be as prevalent. While those obvious moments of temptation or alarm aren’t on the table, many others are.

Stay in Touch

While one may not be surrounded by chemical extravagance, the isolation of quarantine has taken a toll on many and reduced the environmental safeguards in our daily lives. With those social safeguards effectively removed, rationalizing a relapse can become easier. Staying in touch with friends, family, or safe people in our lives is a very good way to stave off the wandering thoughts that can lead to relapse and disaster. The benefit of quarantine is that everyone else is also trying to fill their time and phone calls are a great way to do that. A life lived in the shadows rarely allows for healthy behavior.

Emotional Honesty

In order to maintain integrity in quarantine, one has to be able to hold themselves accountable. Many of us live alone. Emotional honesty, the kind only you can know, is vital to maintaining honesty with others. Self-reflection in times of stress allows us to slow down the engine of our old addictive processes. Rather than dread a moment of temptation, we can draw immense benefit from asking questions of ourselves in those times. “Did I fantasize about using again because I’m scared of the future?” “Do I always feel this way after I watch the news?” These reflective moments can provide clarity.

Everything and Everyone is Online

As our society has embraced digital innovation, one could make the mistake of believing that the internet has become “real life”. Well…for all intents and purposes, in this time of quarantine, the internet IS real life. Millions of people are working from home, ordering groceries online, and coordinating virtual events in their communities. 12-step programs are no different. Almost all of them, whatever your particular requirement, have daily virtual meetings. Attending these meetings regularly will keep you grounded to the purpose of your sobriety. It can reaffirm your reasons for being sober and reconnect you to the feelings of success and strength you felt after getting sober.

Connect with Your Physicality

Though our options for exercise outside of our homes is limited, it is still very possible. Many parks are still open that allow for visitors who observe proper precautions. And nothing is stopping anyone from taking a long slow walk around the block. Whatever the case, as isolation increases, it becomes important to break our thought patterns. A quick jaunt in the outdoors, even or especially in winter, can provide a change of scenery and pace that can break up our negative processes and help reconnect us to the world at large.

As we continue to move through this difficult time in countries everywhere, it is incredibly important for our sobriety to remain connected. Though our options for physical closeness are limited, we have tools at our disposal that are making it possible to remain in touch. Embracing our limitations with the knowledge that they are temporary can provide relief.