How to have a Sober Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is coming up fast and with that, staying sober on and around this holiday is extremely important to those in recovery. If you’re recovering from an alcohol addiction, you know that Cinco de Mayo is one of those holidays where alcohol is the main focus for many. There are many tips to help you prevent relapsing and avoid having to go back to rehab. If you want to have a sober Cinco de Mayo, the tips we’ll talk about today may be able to help.
1. Avoid Triggers
The number one tip for having a sober Cinco de Mayo is avoiding triggers. Since this is a holiday where alcohol plays a major role, it is important to keep your distance from any parties where you suspect or know there will be drinking during this time. Now, you can hold your own sober party but going to parties where others are serving alcohol or out to clubs, may not the best idea. Other triggers may be stress and work. If you are feeling overwhelmed around the holiday, you may be more likely to relapse. Find ways to reduce your stress such as giving yourself a break, taking a nap, making a nice dinner for yourself or hanging out with someone else in recovery.
2. Try New Things
When you are trying to have a sober Cinco de Mayo, another of the many things you can do is to try new things. What can you do instead of partying and drinking? Well, there are many things you might enjoy. Going on a hike, going camping, trying out a new restaurant or going to another town to explore are all great ideas. Trying new things allows you to see that living sober can be exciting. It can bring new experiences and memories into your life as well.
3. Host a Sober Get-Together
To have a sober Cinco de Mayo, you can host a sober get-together. Invite friends and family members from your support network, and bring other people in recovery from your support group or from AA meetings. Getting together with those who support your recovery can be great. It can help you to stay focused on what is important, preventing another rehab stay. Your sober get-together can be one that helps everyone create amazing memories. You can serve food, sober drinks and have entertainment too. Playing music or games can be a great addition to the sober get-together.
4. Going Shopping
You may want to make another tradition for this holiday. Before you got sober, drinking may have been the main event of Cinco de Mayo. It doesn’t have to be any more. Since this is a Mexican-based holiday, what if you were to go shopping? Find some stores that promote Mexican ancestry and sell that style of clothing. It could be a lot of fun. You can invite other recovering addicts or people from your support network. Alcohol recovery can be tough. However, it also gives you the chance to make new memories and traditions which you can grow to love.
5. Eat Mexican Food
Another way to have a sober Cinco de Mayo is to eat Mexican food. There is something therapeutic about eating, especially when you do it with loved ones or people who support your recovering lifestyle. There are many Mexican recipes you could make. It might be a great idea to get your family members and friends together to make some foods you haven’t tried yet. There are many Mexican traditional dishes which are made on Cinco de Mayo you may want to try. If you don’t want to go through the detox process again, this may be a way to spend the holiday this year.
6. Go on a Small Trip
If you want to stay sober this year on and around Cinco de Mayo, it might be time for you to get away for a bit. Sometimes staying home can bring on more of your triggers. If this is the case for you, maybe you want to go to a new town, an amusement park, a hotel or on another small trip. This will allow you to create new memories and get away from the things which may be triggering you to drink again. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive or a long trip. You can go away for the day or for the night.
Cinco de Mayo can be a trigger for any recovering alcoholic. If you used to drink on and around this holiday, you may want to try any or all of the above-mentioned tips for this holiday. By trying to take on these tips, you can create new traditions for the holiday, so you don’t relate it to drinking and partying. In addition, using these tips will allow you to have a great time while sober as well. Creating new habits, trends, and traditions can help you not only on Cinco de Mayo, but throughout all of recovery as well. Good luck!
