12 STEPS TO CHRISTMAS SOBRIETY.

One of the most testing times for anyone in recovery from alcoholism comes over the Christmas and New Year period.

If you find yourself struggling over Christmas or want to minimise the traditional annual risk, always remember that you are not alone – help is only a phone call or an AA meeting away. Here are 12 helpful, practical suggestions (call it a programme if you like) to help you to keep away from that first drink (the one that gets you drunk).

1 – Plan each and every day of your holiday.
Plan to spend the majority of your time with the friends and family members who are supportive of your recovery. If you have to go to a party or any gathering where you know the booze will be flowing, make sure you have an escape route and try and take with you a friend who is also in recovery.

2 – Find AA meetings in your area.
Many local AA groups hold meetings on Christmas and New Years eve and day. To many, it is a special time when members get together for a couple of hours to celebrate their sobriety and to give support to those going through their first Christmas without drink. Everyone is made welcome; for details of Christmas holiday meetings, call the AA Helpline on 01384 482929 or 0845 769 7555*.

3 – ASK for support from family and friends.
Those who are truly supportive of you will understand and help you through the holiday. Be totally honest with them about your apprehension. They will understand. Do not isolate.

4 – Have a list of people you can call.
Take it with you – everywhere! On your mobile SIM or written down. The urge to drink, as you know, may be powerful and can leap out and bite you on the bum at any time. PICK UP THE PHONE IF IT DOES!

5 – Exercise regularly.
Exercise is an essential component of any balanced programme of recovery. When you‘ve extra time on your hands, exercise can fill the gaps. Walking, with or without dog; jogging; cycling; yoga; pilates; the gym; swimming – even any activity in which you don‘t normally participate – will serve you well.

6 – Stay away from 'wet‘ places.
Don‘t fool yourself. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to pop in to your old haunts to give 'seasons greetings‘ to your old drinking mates who will undoubtedly be there, talking the same old bull***t, pushing you to .go on, have a drink, it‘s Christmas!. And we never know (or do we?) where that Coke or orange juice may lead if you hang around just for the craque?

7 – Create new traditions, replace old drinking patterns.
Plan to do some things over the holiday that you wouldn‘t normally do. Go skating. Take your family to a panto. Walk up Mount Snowdon. Use your imagination. Cash permitting, if you ain‘t drinking, you can do anything.

8 – Write a daily Gratitude List.
The fastest cure for holiday blues and the bite of past craving is to count your blessings. Be grateful for what you have and for what you‘ve achieved. Write a daily gratitude list and keep reading it throughout the day.
9 – Volunteer for Christmas charity work.
There are people within our, your, community who are homeless, hopeless and hungry. Why not volunteer for service at a soup kitchen or at one of the special Christmas meals they lay on for those less fortunate than us? If you need support to do this, team up with a sober friend. You‘ll not only be helping the needy but also yourself.

10 – Avoid H.A.L.T.
Never become Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Keep it simple – if you‘re hungry, eat; if you‘re angry, talk to someone; if you‘re lonely, get yourself to an AA meeting (even if you‘ve never before been to one) and if you‘re tired, get your head down for a while.
11 – Write a letter to 'Changing Times‘.
'How I coped /am coping with Christmas‘: you can even keep a full diary of your Christmas and send it to us: your experience will be welcome and, if published and shared through these pages, could offer hope and help to many others.

12 – Live Christmas One Day at a Time and enjoy sobriety.
Live IN, not FOR the moment. Have 'present time consciousness.‘ 'Be in the now.‘ These are different ways of saying the same thing. Live one day at a time, just as you‘re urged to do for every other day of the year. On Christmas day, don‘t worry about Boxing Day. On New Year‘s Eve, don‘t fret about New Year‘s day. Enjoy each day. Live every day. Celebrate each and every moment of your sobriety. For people going into their first sober Christmas, it works if you work it. Have FAITH, because faith overcomes FEAR and each day, any day, without alcohol is a growth day.

*Calls charged at LOCAL rates