Social events offer people a wonderful way to cut loose, have fun, and interact with others. Unfortunately, many of these events often involve, or even revolve around alcohol consumption. If you, a friend, or date are the sober ones in the crowd, your stance may potentially prove difficult to maintain. Fortunately, our drug rehab counselors have some tips up their sleeve…
Communicate!
Ask your friends for support. Communicate your commitment to maintaining your sobriety, and request they respect your decision. Though you may miss out on some wacky stories, you’ll also avoid placing yourself in an awkward and potentially hazardous situation. Bring the topic up on your own before making plans rather than letting yourself become resentful.
Fun!
Make your own plans and ask others to join in! Take the leader role, and suggest something casual and fun like a play, coffee, or a movie outing. This way, you will avoid being pestered into visiting a location where drinking is the main focus.When a get-together places an emphasis on drinking, attention is ultimately placed on what you can’t have. As such, it can be easy to become moody, withdrawn, and even angry at the party you are associating with. It’s a lose-lose situation, which can easily be avoided with proper planning and forward communication.
Find Tasty Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Throw your own party centered around non-alcoholic beverages. Stock your bar with an assortment of juices, waters, smoothies, etc, and ask your friends to contribute to the pot. If you have friends who still enjoy a drink every now and again (and most of us do), do your best to avoid placing the focus on booze. Offer a cocktail hour that includes karaoke, poker, video games, movies or Pictionary. The options are virtually endless
Be Smart
Avoid placing yourself in situations that you know will be tempting. Meeting your friend for a glass a wine is a far cry from a full-blown backyard kegger. Use your intuition and ask yourself whether you’d be comfortable maintaining a sober mindset throughout the occasion.
Laugh!
If you happen to be caught in an alcohol fixation occasion, such as a wedding or family reunion, you’ll need to warp your thinking. Though drinking may be a large part of the event, there are ways to avoid relapse while taking focus off of your sobriety. Dance, talk, socialize and enjoy! Boredom and insecurity are by far two of the biggest reasons people utilize alcohol in social situations. By taking matters into your own hands, the power to enjoy is your own. Plus… there’s certain to be plenty of drunken entertainment to help validate your decision throughout the evening J
Need Help?
If you’re struggling with alcoholism, our addiction specialists are on-hand to answer and address your concerns. Call our rehab center in Los Angeles, CA today, and get on track towards the healthy, happy and sober lifestyle you deserve!