The holidays can be a difficult time for all of us. Where some people experience joy and happiness, others may experience increased stress, anxiety or even seasonal affective disorder. For those recovering from alcoholism, coping with these emotions can be especially challenging. Factor in the pressure to consume alcohol at family gatherings, and you’ve got a potential recipe for disaster. But, celebrating the holidays without alcohol is not only possible – it can be fun and refreshing!
If your spouse, parent, child or sibling is recovering from alcohol addiction, help them enjoy the holiday season with these sober holiday ideas.
4 Alcohol-Free Holiday Ideas to Enjoy this Year
1. Give Your Family’s Alcohol-Free Holiday Gathering a Theme
While you may not be able to host a large holiday party with extended family and friends this year, you and your loved one can still have a small holiday gathering of your own. To make it even more enjoyable, give it a theme!
Your loved one and immediate family can have an “ugly” sweater party where you create your own ugly sweaters using arts and crafts. Or, if ugly sweaters aren’t your thing, pick a movie or TV show you all enjoy. Maybe you dress up as the Friends characters or Marvel superheroes. Be creative! Give your intimate holiday celebration a focal point other than alcohol and your loved one won’t even miss it.
2. Stock a Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Bar
Just because alcoholic beverages won’t be on the menu doesn’t mean you and your loved one can’t enjoy a selection of tasty drinks. Search online for fun recipes that call for delicious ingredients like fresh juices, flavored sparkling waters and zesty garnishes. You can even create a signature drink just for Christmas Eve! Set all of the ingredients out, along with directions for assembling the drinks, and invite your loved one and immediate family members to build their own creations.
3. Focus on the Food
Instead of making beer, wine or spirits the center of the holidays this year, flip the script and put the spotlight on healthy and delicious food. Better yet, make it an interactive experience for your loved one. You’ll save yourself some of the prep work involved in making a holiday dinner and your loved one will have an opportunity to get creative. Here are two ideas to get you started:
- Cookie decorating: Everyone loves holiday cookies. Bake a few batches of sugar cookies but leave them bare. You and your loved one can then decorate the cookies together, using frosting, sprinkles and other toppings of your choice!
- Pot-luck buffet: Who says you need to do all the cooking yourself? Have your loved one and other immediate family members create their favorite holiday dish and share it during dinner. Everyone will have fun sampling the wide variety of food and sharing their delectable creations.
4. Plan Fun Sober Activities
Party games are a great way to spend the holidays, especially this year when going out is ill-advised. Trivia games will challenge your loved one and classics like charades will get them laughing and forgetting about any alcohol cravings they may have. You and your loved one may also enjoy playing Cards Against Humanity or Apples to Apples with your other immediate family members. Whatever games your loved one enjoys, be sure to include them in your holiday game night!
Happy Holidays from The Raleigh House
At The Raleigh House, we’re wishing all of you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season with your loved ones. If your loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction or a dual diagnosis disorder, we can help.
With over 10 years of behavioral health care experience and a gold standard continuum of care, we can help your loved one safely detox from alcohol, address the reasons why they drink and learn healthy ways to manage alcohol cravings.
If your loved one needs alcohol addiction treatment this holiday season, contact our admissions team today to get started.
