Summertime activities can be challenging for those of us walking in sobriety. These activities are even more challenging this summer with the challenges and special health precautions needed during the Covid-19 pandemic. With these special challenges still ahead of us, here are some tips that will help you be a Sober Summer Star this year:
1. Your sobriety must come first: Recommit to your recovery program. Make sure that recovery comes before all else. Keep to your meeting schedule during the summertime (even if it means attending virtual meetings), and continue working your steps and staying involved in recovery work. The more you’re involved with people in recovery, the better.
2 Attend meetings: During the Covid-19 pandemic, many are hesitant to attend regular meetings. But you do have options. There are many socially-distanced and online meetings going on in your area.
3. Plan ahead: Even during the pandemic, friends and family are still having gatherings and other occasions (hopefully socially distanced) where alcohol is served. If you are (carefully) meeting friends or family this summer, plan appropriately. Don’t be caught in a situation where it’s hard to resist cravings. Consider bringing non-alcoholic refreshments to the (socially distanced) gathering so that you have your own tasty options available.
4. Serve yourself: At any gatherings, don’t let friends or family dictate what’s on the table in front of you. If being around alcohol makes you uncomfortable, serve yourself. You should be the one to choose what you drink and how you drink.
5. Use the buddy system: If you’re worried about how you’ll behave at a gathering, ask if you can bring a sober family member or friend. That way, you know you’ll have someone who isn’t indulging in alcohol or drugs.
6. Plan safe & sober fun: Who says that your friends who aren’t in recovery get to plan all the fun? Take the lead and plan some sober (and safe) fun during the summertime. A socially distanced way to do this is by arranging a virtual movie night. Get all of your sober friends together online, login to Netflix, and watch the movie together via Zoom.
7. Pace yourself: Former addicts tend to be people of extremes. Pace yourself on any (safe) vacation or activity. It’s easy to get carried away when you’re in a wonderful place or when you’ve got time off from work. Remember the acronym HALT: never let yourself get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired.
8. Don’t focus on old memories: It’s easy to “romance drug use” or to mull over fond memories of summers gone by when you thought you could indulge to excess. Summertime may trigger these memories, especially if you’re traveling to areas you used to frequent during your using days. Avoid dwelling on those memories.
9. Become a summer volunteer: Volunteering, both during recovery meetings and to others outside of recovery, is an important 12-step tool. Consider finding a cause that is near to your heart and is allowing help during this social distancing time.
10. Relax a bit: Sometimes expectations about an event like a summer outing or vacation make it seem more stressful than it really is. Add in the health precautions you need to take during the pandemic, it can turn to a very stressful situation. Try to let go of your expectations about the perfect summer outing or trip. The more expectations you place on yourself, the more stress you add.
11. Shut out the negativity: Most importantly, try to shutout any outside noise that could derail your sobriety. This includes not focusing on the tragic circumstances of the current global pandemic. You cannot control any of these circumstances, but you can control how you let it affect your life and personal wellbeing. Do take the proper health precautions to protect your health and others, but what is happening in the world around us must not stop you in your hard-earned sobriety path.
If you or a loved one is struggling with sobriety, we are here to help. Please contact us online here or call us at (760) 342-6616.
