How to Get Through the Holidays Without Drinking Alcohol
By Adrienne Kaliszak
The holiday season is upon us, and chances are we’ll be hosting or invited to some holiday parties or gatherings where there may be cocktails served or expected to be served. So, what do we do when we’re newly sober to avoid the temptation of imbibing with spirits, beer, or wine?
If you are hosting the gathering yourself, you can choose whether or not you will have alcohol at your home for your guests. If it is too much of a temptation for you right now to be around it at all, just don’t serve it. Have other drinks for your guests to enjoy that don’t include alcohol. If these people are truly good friends and loving family members, they will understand and support your decision.
Another option if you are having guests at your home would be to have them bring their own drinks and make sure they take any leftovers home with them, to keep that temptation away once the party is over.
You can have fun with it too if you’re hosting. Create a table that has delicious, fun, and fruity punches, and mocktails. Go all out and make the non-drinkers and drinkers alike excited to try the alcohol-free concoctions you’ve created.
If you would like to find some recipes for mocktails you can find some great ones at 30 Best Mocktail Drink Recipes (thespruceeats.com).
If you are heading out to a party for the holidays, and you know there will be alcohol being served, make sure to plan ahead. Think through what you will say when someone offers you a drink. A simple “No, thank you”may work but if they begin pressing you, you can say “No, thanks, I’m driving”, if you are indeed driving. Another response may be, “I’m taking a break from booze tonight, not in the mood to drink”. Or if you’re feeling really bold you can be straight up and say loud and proud, “No, thank you. I no longer drink”.
That may be met with disbelief or questions or just a simple “Good for you”. Be prepared, know what you’ll say or do before the time comes.
Make sure to have your own alcohol-free drink in your hand at the party, it will be less likely you’ll be bothered or pressured to drink if you’re already drinking something else of your choosing.
Bring your own tasty alcohol-free drinks to the party. I do this often, and I never feel like I’m missing out. I usually drink AF beer and the bottles look just like a regular beer, you’d never know it was AF unless you looked close enough or I told you.
Make sure to have an exit strategy at the gathering in case it gets to be too much for you. You can simply thank your host for the great time, but you’re tired and ready to go home- or something along those lines. Or if it’s a big party you can simply leave, if everyone’s drinking you may not even be missed.
The important thing in all of this is to enjoy yourself. It shouldn’t be about the alcohol at all, it should be about making memories, enjoying loved ones, and having a good time, and you CAN do this without alcohol.
Happy Holidays!!!!
'Your windshield is bigger than your rearview for a reason; the mirror is there to help you glance back at where you’ve been, but if you focus too much on it, you’re going to crash.
We are ALL affected by our past and we are ALL reminded of it now and again, but we cannot live in it unless we want to repeat it over and over again. We need to learn from it, take lessons from it, know what’s good (and not good) for us, and adjust accordingly. Mistakes are only mistakes until we learn from them and then they become lessons.'
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Read more...Repost @sheldon.press
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