With Thanksgiving recently passing, currently celebrating Hanukkah, and Christmas and New Year’s quickly approaching, the holiday season is filled with excitement, joy, and promise of a festive few weeks and a new year to come. However, for many people, the holiday season can also be synonymous with excesses and indulgence, especially related to alcohol or drugs. Families also can feel stress during the holiday season, preparing to deal with a loved one’s addiction or alcoholism.
Embracing a Sober Approach to the Holiday
On a more positive note, in recent years there has been a growing movement towards embracing sobriety during the holidays, with trends like “Sober October” or “Dry January” getting popular, and more people seeking sobriety. This often is due to problems with drugs or alcohol, especially for people in the grips of active addiction, but also by people simply realizing that alcohol or recreational drug use is not a positive influence in their lives and rather looking to lean into a healthier lifestyle. People are seeking a more mindful, thoughtful, and intentional approach of celebrating the holiday season with friends and family. Fortunately, there is little argument against the benefits and considerations of adopting a sober approach to the holiday season, and sobriety certainly has a positive impact on the physical well-being of individuals, their relationships with others, and the overall experiences that they can have while experiencing the festivities of the holidays.
The Pressures of Holiday Excess
The holiday season often brings with it societal expectations to indulge in excess- be in the form of lavish feasts, extravagant parties, or copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. Certainly, celebrating and enjoyment are natural parts of the holiday season, and it is important to note that embracing sobriety does not mean living without fun or lack of enjoyment. On the contrary, sobriety doesn’t have to be, nor is meant to be, boring. However, the pressure to partake in excessive drinking, drugging, and partying can have detrimental effects. Alcohol-related incidents tend to spike during the holiday season, with an increase in drunk driving accidents, drunk driving fatalities, cases of alcohol poisoning, drug overdoses, and strained relationships due to intoxication. In light of all these issues that alcohol and drugs can create, embracing a sober approach to the holiday season becomes a conscious decision to prioritize one’s health, well-being, decision-making, and the health and wellness of others.
Physical Well-Being and Mental Clarity
Probably the most immediate and tangible benefits of sobriety are the positive impact it will have on a person’s physical well-being. Alcohol consumption, especially in excess, can take a toll on a person’s body, leading to dehydration, disrupted sleep, a weakened immune system, emotional dysregulation, and an increase in mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Making a choice to embrace sobriety allows individuals to feel better physically during the already stressful holiday season, including waking up feeling more refreshed, maintaining a good energy level, and fully engaging physically and emotionally in the festivities with a clear mind and heart.
Additionally, the mental clarity that comes with a sober approach to the holidays can enable individuals to be fully present in the moment and appreciate the true meaning and essence of the holidays. Without feeling physically rundown, and free from the haze of intoxication, a person can savor the important moments and memories created at family gatherings. They can experience the true joy of giving and receiving, giving back to others, and the overall beauty of this time of year. This heightened awareness not only enhances the overall experience of the holiday season but also can contribute to a more profound sense of gratitude, thankfulness, appreciation, and connection with others.
Strengthening Relationships
While the holiday season typically is a time thought of to strengthen bonds with family, friends, and loved ones, alcohol and drugs have the opposite effect on relationships. Drugs and alcohol strain, damage, or break relationships, often beyond repair. Therefore, approaching the holidays sober can significantly contribute to strengthening the quality of relationships, deepen the value and meaning of relationships, or actually help to repair relationships that have been strained due to someone’s past behavior due to addiction or alcoholism. Alcohol-induced behaviors often lead to misunderstandings, miscommunication, arguments, fights, family tension, and regrets. Therefore, choosing sobriety fosters open and better communication, mindfulness, genuine connections, and a deeper understanding of each other.
Additionally, celebrations attended when embracing sobriety can help create an inclusive environment. Approaching the holidays sober can create a safe space for others who might be in recovery from addiction, may be quietly having problems with drugs and alcohol that they are ashamed of, or for those people who do not want to drink but can often feel pressure to do so at holiday parties and gathering. In a society where alcohol is often central to socializing, adopting a sober approach during the holidays promotes empathy, community, and inclusivity, reinforcing the idea that meaningful connections to not need to depend on alcohol or drugs.
Breaking the Cycle of Excess
A sober approach to the holidays can be a great way to break the cycle of excess that is usually par the course for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, etc. For many people, the holidays can become a cycle of overindulgence, leading to guilt, regret, and even a sense of dread as the new year approaches. Embracing sobriety during this time of year offers an opportunity to break this cycle and approach the holiday season with purposefulness and intentionality. When someone makes a conscious choice to be sober during the holidays and focus on the joy of togetherness and connection, the spirit of giving, and the beauty and memories of traditions, others can be positively impacted. When one person leans into sobriety during the holidays in order to break past negative behaviors and, therefore, a previous pattern of excess, it allows others to do the same. This allows everyone, if need be or if choosing to, the ability to create a more sustainable and fulfilling holiday experience.
Moreover, the decision to break away from the often-overwhelming societal pressure to consume alcohol excessively and every holiday event empowers individuals to redefine for themselves and others the meaning of celebration and enjoyment. Sobriety is not boring, and sober people often feel more comfortable in their own skin and, therefore, truly learn what they enjoy doing for fun. Sobriety during the holiday season does not imply a lack of fun, enjoyment, or excitement; rather, it encourages the exploration of true bliss, alternative activities and traditions that bring joy, how to truly loves others, and learning what real and meaningful connection is, all without the need for drugs and alcohol.
Cultural, Religious, and Personal Reflection
The holidays are deeply rooted in cultural and religious traditions. Adopting and embracing a sober approach during the holiday season allows individuals to engage in a more profound reflection on the meaning and significance of these festivities. It allows individuals to lean into past traditions that they may remember fondly that were handed down to them from their grandparents. It allows them to explore their connection more deeply to their religion, family, and community. Sobriety provides the mental space and emotional readiness to explore and connect with the spiritual, religious, and cultural aspects of the holidays. It also allows for the creation of new memories and traditions.
On a personal level for each individual, a sober approach during the holidays can allow for an important time of self-reflection and introspection. The holiday season and the end of the year often allows for the opportunity to examine the past year, as well as holiday seasons of the years past. It allows for people to examine their values, priorities, and goals, and then paves the way to make decisions to support personal growth and a renewed sense of purpose. Being sober can also help someone identify areas of improvement for themselves, or areas where they may need to take steps to heal. Breaking free from the need to engage in drinking or drugging, and the many distractions of excess during the holidays, allows people to focus on what truly matters, which can then lead to fostering a vital sense of fulfillment and contentment.
If you or someone you know needs help with addiction or co-occurring disorders, please give us a call. Innovo Detox offers the latest in evidence-based medical, psychiatric, and clinical care for those in need of detox and medical stabilization in Pennsylvania and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or a loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a detox, rehab, treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (717) 619-3260 or email our team at info@innovodetox.com.