New Year’s Eve is a time for celebration as we leave the past year behind and enter into a new year completely open with possibilities. While many people set up their New Year’s resolutions, drinking tends to occur alongside it and can even cause people to turn back on the very goals they just set for themselves for the upcoming year. Whether you’re currently in addiction recovery or you’re simply looking for other ways to celebrate, spending New Year’s without drinking can be an excellent way to remember those special moments with those around you. Not only that, it’s better for your health and weight to cut down on drinking, said Dr. Wyatt from the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center on Health.com.
If you’re looking for some alternative ways to celebrate, here are some excellent ideas to get you started:
- Celebrate with non-alcoholic beverages. Mocktails, non-alcohol champagne, sodas, juices, and lemonades are all drinks you can make a serve to friends without being worried about drunkenness.
- Host a sober party. There are many people who don’t want to drink for New Year’s, so hosting a sober party is one of the best way to get all of these people together! By doing this, nobody will feel pressured to drink, thus going back on their recovery goals.
- Get a group together and partake in activities that don’t involve drinking. Bowling, ice skating, you name it – Groupon may even have some great deals for sober get togethers.
- Meditate on your New Year’s resolutions. A new year means more opportunities to work towards your recovery goals. Spend the evening really honing in on the strength that it takes to achieve these goals. You will feel so refreshed and focused the next morning!
- Watch a movie at home or at a friend’s house. Since drinking is often involved, the streets may be really dangerous to drive around late at night anyways. Watch a good movie at home or with a friend, and enjoy the good feelings that come with staying true to your recovery goals.
TV host Craig Ferguson once stated, “I got sober. I stopped killing myself with alcohol. I began to think: ‘Wait a minute – if I can stop doing this, what are the possibilities?’ And slowly it dawned on me that it [recovery] was maybe worth the risk.”