Going to the Stagecoach Music Festival this year? Here are some tips on how to plan an unforgettable experience while staying sober:
1. Make The Trip With Other Friends In Recovery
Don’t go alone. Plan to attend with other community members who support sobriety. When surrounded by others who share the same mission, it’s much easier to resist the temptation to drink. Not to mention, if a craving gets triggered, you can discuss the moment with someone who understands and supports your decision to remain sober. Alcohol isn’t required to have a good time. Being surrounded by the right people, though, can make all the difference.
2. Have An Escape Plan
If the atmosphere becomes too overwhelming or tempting, have an escape plan figured out ahead of time. This could mean driving separately so there’s always a way out without being dependent on another group member, having a nice quiet place to come back to at any point during the day, or simply hailing an Uber or Lyft. You may experience some FOMO (fear of missing out) in the moment when leaving friends behind, but you’ll be glad you did.
3. A Friend Is Just A Phone Call Away
Having a fully charged phone is of paramount importance. The most important thing is that you have easy access to other recovering people in order to express the feelings of being overwhelmed, of being triggered by seeing people use — by all of it. You’ve got to be able to communicate your feelings and your thoughts.
4. Basics, Basics, Basics
In Alcoholics Anonymous parlance, HALT — hunger, anger, loneliness, and tiredness — mark four pillars of well-being that must be addressed to prevent vulnerabilities to relapse. In a music festival setting, this means eating nutritious and regular meals and snacks and drinking water. Avoid isolation and loneliness by choosing the right people to have by your side, while using your phone support network to vent anger and frustrations that might arise, say pushy crowds or a rude fan. And finally, do get some sleep.
5. Have Boundaries
It’s important to know your own limits because at the end of the day you’re responsible for your health and sobriety. By setting yourself up to take care of the basics, engaging support networks, acting on escape plans as needed, and picking the right people to travel with, you’ve got a great head start. From here, rocking out during a weekend of unforgettable music without drinking is definitely attainable. Just keep your goals top of mind.
6. Find A On-Site/Local Meeting
As awareness about substance abuse issues and recovery grow, so do the resources for those looking to have a great experience and maintain their sobriety. Enter on-site festival 12-step programs and other resources.” For example, MusiCares’ Safe Harbor Room program will be available at many major festivals throughout the U.S. this year, including Stagecoach, which provides 12-step meetings and an information booth for those attending festivals. If you can not find an onsite meeting, contact us at (760) 342-6616 to find out about our meeting schedule.
