The Challenges of Staying Sober in the Summer Season
No matter how long you’ve been sober, there will be situations and times of the year that challenge your commitment to your recovery. For many people in recovery from substance use and addiction, summer can be a tough time to avoid using drugs and alcohol.
Substance use disorders often sit at the center of summer activities like weddings, bonfires, road trips, vacations, beach days, and sporting events. But you can still have many enjoyable sun-soaked days without alcoholic summer drinks or drug use.
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Relapse Prevention Plan: 5 Tips for a Sober, Fun Summer
Whether it’s your first sober summer or your thirtieth, the temptation to use can be overwhelming. But here are some strategies to help you stay on track.
1. Stick To Your Recovery Routine
Everyone has different practices that help them maintain their sobriety. For some, it looks like going to church and community events. For others, it looks like going to regular 12-step meetings like AA or NA.
It may not feel like a big deal to deviate from your structured relapse prevention routine if you’re on vacation or the weather is nice, but routine is one of the things that keeps recovery on track. Group meetings happen all over, and a quick online search can help you find sober events or a gathering for you to attend.
2. Remember Your Goals
A big part of maintaining your sobriety is remembering what you’ve been working toward and why you got sober in the first place. Maybe you got sober because of your family, your health, or something else. Either way, trying to remember those motivators in times of struggle can help you recall everything you’ve hoping to achieve.
It’s important to celebrate your milestones in recovery, and you can use these as reminders of your progress. Seeing successes can be one of the motivating factors that encourage you to stay on your path even in times of temptation.
3. Plan Ahead
The world around you is full of triggers. While indulging over the summer break may seem fun, giving in to cravings will do you more harm than good. You can, however, protect yourself to some extent by carefully planning.
Simple actions like avoiding going to bars with friends, not hanging around groups of people that you used to do drugs with, and not walking down the beer or liquor aisle of your local grocery store are all easy ways to avoid some potentially triggering situations.
4. Have an Action Plan
If you face a trigger, which is very likely, there are lots of things you can do to walk yourself through the challenge. Having a metaphorical “toolbox” of things you can do in case you do face a trigger is a great way to feel prepared.
Things like DBT skills, carrying a journal, or practicing mindfulness are all useful ways to slow down the racing thoughts that can come with a triggering situation. It can also help to have a sponsor or sober companion to call in a crisis if you need guidance.
5. Surround Yourself With Sober Individuals
When beginning recovery, it can be difficult to find new friends who aren’t using drugs or alcohol. Hanging out with people who are still using is only going to be detrimental to your physical and mental health and could cause relapsing. As you attend sober community events and 12-step meetings (or their equivalent), you will meet people also seeking sober friends.
It’s also a good idea to let the people around you know that you’re not drinking or using drugs anymore. This helps avoid the possibility of them pressuring you to drink or offering you a substance. If they aren’t willing to support you in your sobriety and recovery, they likely aren’t someone you need to have in your life.
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Benefits of Not Using Drugs or Drinking in the Summer
Staying sober throughout the hotter months may give you the summer blues, especially if you’re newly in recovery. It may feel harmless to only have one drink or just smoke one joint, but one can easily turn into ten, and ten can turn into a relapse.
Instead of focusing on what you’re missing by not drinking or using drugs, try to focus on the positive parts of recovery, and applaud yourself for staying strong even through a challenging time.
Let’s explore some benefits of no drinking:
1. Positive and Healthier Relationships
Alcohol and drug use impair your emotional capacity and judgment. An inability to access emotions and make smart decisions harms genuine connections. When you’re sober, you can devote time, attention, and emotions to the people in your life and who you want to have deeper connections with.
2. Better Decision Making
Drinking and using drugs affects every part of your brain. In particular, substance use affects decision-making skills and impulsivity. The longer you are sober, the more clarity you have to make positive choices and explore healthier activities, like water sports, camping, or other safe summer activities with your loved ones.
3. You’ll Save Money
Mixed drinks, a few glasses of wine, a joint or three, or a bag of heroin—whatever the substance, it has likely cost you a lot of money. When you get sober, you’ll start to realize just how much money has gone toward destructive habits. Saving can help you work toward better financial management that can facilitate positive lifestyle changes.
4. No Hangovers
No matter the drug of choice, that hangover feeling happened in one form or another the next day. Waking up and being able to start fresh and live your life without having to wait for the hangover to finally disappear is one of the best benefits of being sober. You can use this newfound energy to try healthy hobbies and spend time with loved ones.
Stick With Recovery and Make Summer Memories
No matter how many substance-free summers you’ve had, there will be daily challenges that you face. Living your life without drugs or alcohol sounds hard, especially when you’ve been dependent on various substances for an extended period. Addiction can take over every aspect of your life and sap happiness and freedom.
As you go through summer and work to maintain the sober life you’ve established, try to focus on what you have already accomplished instead of what you’ve yet to achieve. Getting sober is no easy feat, but you did it, If this is your first summer without alcohol or drugs, know you are not alone. Reach out to Sandstone Care for a helping hand.
