Sober Holiday Celebrations at Sandstone Care’s Sober Living House

“It could not have gone any better, really.”

Ben Sigley knows what it’s like to be alone over the Holidays. While active in his addiction, he had degraded his relationships with his friends and families to the point when he would make his annual holiday phone call to them; he would be iced to their voicemail recording. When he finally got into early recovery, things changed. He remembers how important it was to be surrounded by people who cared for him, especially around the Holidays, which we all know can be challenging times.

At Sandstone Care, we recognize the importance of your recovery community over the holiday season, and we strive to create that same feeling for the people in our sober living houses at Sandstone Care. Ben Sigley is one of the Residential Managers for our men’s sober living house in Denver, Colorado. Along with several other members of the team, Ben put together a grand Thanksgiving feast this past year which was one to remember!

Most of the sober living residents at Sandstone Care chose to celebrate Thanksgiving at our residence and invited their family members to join in the celebration. The women from our Boulder sober living home joined us as well.

A Sober Thanksgiving Feast

This year’s meal was prepared by Sandstone Care’s very own Brian Hager, our Academic and Vocational specialist. He has a passion for gardening and cooking, so he volunteered to cook the meal with his wife and kid. The sense of community, comradery, and gratitude filled our men’s residence, turning what can typically be a difficult time for individuals in early recovery into a time of joy and celebration.

After a communal blessing of the food, everyone dug in. There was more than enough food for the large group, and the conversation lasted well past peoples appetites. One noteworthy aspect of the evening was the cohesive nature of the group. Ben noticed that everyone was focused on engaging with everyone there and sharing in the celebration of gratitude and recovery.

Resilient and Healthy in Connection

These experiences of feeling connected and having fun while sober are the foundation of resiliency and health. Facilitating these experiences is how we can help people thrive in recovery and have the connections to fall back on when they hit a rough patch.