Before I gave up alcohol for good, I thought that if I wanted to quit, I would just stop drinking and that would be that. What I wasn’t considering was that even when I had previously tried to quit, some excuse would enter my mind and have me drinking again quickly, falsely believing there was no issue to be concerned about. Going back 4-5 years, if you had said to me that I would not be drinking alcohol throughout Christmas 2021, then I would not have believed you. Furthermore, the thought back then of not drinking over the festive period just like every other day would have filled me dread and I would have been absolutely miserable.

What I didn’t know before I quit alcohol was that it’s not just about stopping substance abuse, sobriety is a life-changing journey of both self-discovery and reflection on how my life used to be to where I am now and what my future will be. To fully understand how my Christmas’s are now, I need to look back and consider what Christmas used to be like when I was in the grips of an alcohol addiction.

Christmas before sobriety

For me, Christmas was an even bigger excuse to consume as much alcohol as possible. I could legitimately drink earlier in the day without judgement right from mid-December through to the new year, for longer periods of time and it to be more socially acceptable. It’s Christmas right, so what else are you meant to do?! Christmas was an endless round of early work finishes and straight to the pub and long nights out. Every morning was a hangover. Christmas eve comprised of drinking from as early as possible and waking up feeling awful on Christmas morning. The moment food started to be prepared, I was cracking open the next bottle of wine. Looking back now, I wasn’t even present for any part of Christmas. I can barely remember a lot of them before I quit alcohol and this drinking trend would carry on way past the new year.

Unfortunately, I used to centre Christmas around myself and what I wanted to do (drinking) and not stop to think about time with my family and friends. To me, the spirit of Christmas was consuming as much alcohol as possible and not appreciating it for what it should be – down time to spend quality time with my family.

Christmas now

Since being sober, I could never have imagined how much Christmas time has transformed for me. No longer is it a time that I put my own wants and needs first. I treat Christmas as it should be (in my opinion), a time for family, friends, creating memories that last a life time and being present in every moment to be able to enjoy the festive period without alcohol running and ruining the show.

Christmas is now a time where I can reflect on the past year. Look at what I have achieved along with my hopes and aspirations for the next 12 months ahead for myself and my family. Crucially, I have learnt that Christmas time is not just time for me but time for me to spend with everyone I care about and actually enjoy spending quality time with them and not losing days due to alcohol consumption.

For the past 3 years, for every Christmas, alcohol has not been on my radar. I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t nervous the first Christmas sober. I knew that temptation would be around every corner, from friends and family drinking through to being offered alcohol myself. The copious amounts of parties leading through to new years and the temptation to just cave and drink. I knew that first Christmas would be critical to either falling back into alcohol or knowing that if I had the strength to not drink throughout that Christmas time, then I had the strength to remain sober forever. Something amazing happened that year where I realised that I could still enjoy Christmas and in fact, enjoy it even more sober.

I would love to hear from you in the comments section below. Is this your first Christmas you will be spending alcohol-free? How are you feeling about it? If you have been sober for a number of years, please also let me know what you love now about Christmas compared to before when you were drinking alcohol.

Christmas is the perfect time to reflect, relax and spend time with the people closest to you and I really do hope that you get to spend it doing what you love and being able to do it sober. Rome was not built in a day and you need to take your sobriety one day at a time, knowing that for every moment without alcohol is a moment where you are gaining your life back into your control. I wish you a Very Happy Christmas and of course, a Sober New Year!