With the government plans for easing the lockdown so far remaining on schedule, as of this week, we can start to socialise inside pubs again, not just outside of them! Whilst pubs and bars have now been open for a few weeks, the weather has not been on their side, so the temptation to want to go back to the pub still isn’t there for a lot of people. However, from this week, this issue is removed with being allowed to gather back inside once again. If this has you feeling nervous about how it could impact your sobriety as you know there will be times in the not so distant future where you will find yourself back inside a pub or at a social event with friends and family, then you are certainly not alone.

Whilst the lockdown has had a negative impact on a vast number of people who have adopted drinking to get through the past 14 months. On the flip side of this, it has also helped others remove the temptation to drink as they found that the majority of their drinking problems occurred when socialising with others.

There was a time when we were younger where we use to be able to go to events and socialise without alcohol even being a part of the equation. However, for anyone who is now trying to recover for an addiction to alcohol, there may have been a span of years in-between where you have never been to a social event where alcohol hasn’t been there with you. Therefore, knowing how to now cope at social events and even enjoy being there will likely feel impossible and something completely alien to you, as alcohol is engrained in any social function. I know this struggle all to well and when first starting out on my sobriety journey, the thought of not being able to drink alcohol in a pub or at an event filled me with dread. However, looking back now, going to an event and having a drink isn’t something I can comprehend. The big question then, how did I get there? How had I turned 20 years of drinking off and started to actually enjoy going out to social events and not drinking?

I know that thinking about going to the next social event can be an anxiety-inducing situation. If you have been on your road to recovery, then you will want to protect it. Never going to a social function again is not an option, whilst this may work in the short-term, it is better now to start to implement strategies for learning how to cope when the real-world wants you to drink. Here are some of my top tips on not just surviving social functions without alcohol but also enjoying them!

#1 Non-alcoholic drinks

Take this time now to start experimenting with non-alcoholic drinks and find ones that you really enjoy. My best advice here is keeping a few of your favourites just for special occasions and social events, so you are looking forward to having them and still feel like you are treating yourself without your mind wondering about alcohol.

There are so many options now with alcohol-free ranges really expanding into the market place, whether you previously drunk beer, wine or spirits, each type has a diverse range of alcohol-free alternatives which taste great.

#2 Don’t worry about others

I remember when I first started going to social events having adopted an alcohol-free life and being really nervous about how other people would react to me not drinking. I use to get so anxious about it that it would make me not want to go as I didn’t want to face a barrage of questions and peer pressure to drink. However, like most worries, this was built up as a lot bigger deal in my own mind than it was in reality. Most people either didn’t care what I was or wasn’t drinking, others didn’t notice at all. Anyone who did notice and questioned it, I gave my excuses for not drinking that evening and that was the end of the matter. Once you have then been to events more and more often socialising, this becomes a much lesser deal in your own mind.

#3 Start small

If you are feeling nervous about going out and socialising or you are convinced you just won’t enjoy your time out now you are not drinking, plan your first few social events to be shorter meetings. If you have in your mind that you are only going to go out for an hour, then it doesn’t become such a big deal. It will hopefully be the case that you end up having such a great time you don’t even think about alcohol or the time. However, if you do struggle on your first few social outings, then you can slowly start to build up how long you are out for, reducing the pressure and stress on yourself.

#4 Support buddy

The benefits of having support from someone else when you first start going back out to social events really can not be understated. If you have confided in certain people about your sobriety and you know that they will do everything they can to help support you along this journey, then have them with you at the next social event. Not only will they be there making sure that you are OK, but assuming you get on well together, you will have someone to help take your mind and focus away from drinking alcohol.

Life is here to enjoy and whilst socialising at the moment can feel daunting, when all you want to do is protect your sobriety, you will want to go out again soon and meet other people to create memories, have fun and generally enjoy your life. Although it may not feel like it now, you will be able to go out socialising without alcohol and enjoy being out as well.

I would love to hear from you in the comments whether you are concerned about going out socialising now or if you have now been out, enjoyed it and what your top tips are for not having alcohol ruin the show.