Sobriety is the state of living life free from alcohol and drugs. Millions of people around the world grapple with some kind of addiction. People not only suffer from addiction but has some mental disorders due to the prolonged use of drugs or alcohol. The new year is around the corner and it’s high-time to make new year resolutions.

New year is the opportunity to indulge in fun and feast. There are lots of treats around cakes, buffets, and alcohol. But probably you don’t want to start the new year unhealthy. Many people resolve for better health, new career, and a new life. They mark the calendar for January 1 and start preparing for their goals. New year resolutions can be sometimes tough to accomplish. People resolve to follow their goals and stay in track for 2 or 3 months. Later they get distracted and never bother their resolution.

You can achieve your resolutions only with firm determination

The determination is the key to achieve any goal of life. Living sober is a challenging task for those struggling with addiction. Many people experience stress and depression in life and turn back to their addictive behavior. Therefore it is imperative to tolerate emotions, stress, anxiety, depression, and boredom. Otherwise, addiction will feed your emotional needs. If you have resolved to stay sober this new year, this article will walk you through the essential ways to live a completely sober life.

New year eve- Break the temptation

 For sure, your cupboard is chock-full of new year invitations. People think there are no parties without indulging in alcohol. If you have planned to attend the new year eve party, then definitely you will be tempted by the champagne. Instead of champagne, you can choose alternate drinks and have a sober celebration. If you are not self-determined and go cold turkey, it is a wise idea not to attend such parties. If you can’t resist yourselves, you can choose to attend alcohol-free parties.

 A little self-control can save you a lot of time, and errors.

Sober new year eve celebration is possible. Make new sober friends, create fun ideas to celebrate the party. Lighten your mood with several entertainments and don’t skimp music. The perfect idea is to invite recovering addicts and host your own new year eve celebration. This gives a special chance for the recovering addicts to socialize themselves and share their knowledge on addiction recovery.

Identify the triggers

 Identify the factors that spur you to drink or abuse drugs. It can be a peculiar place, thing, mood, loneliness or anything that triggers your addictive behavior. When do you seek drugs the most? What situations provoke addictive behavior? These are the questions to ponder yourselves. Identify the triggers and assume it as a high-risk scenario. Get rid of certain situations that intensify your cravings. Avoid friends that recalls your thoughts to drink alcohol. Remembering your past will negatively affect you and will trigger depression which later develops your addiction.

Emotional and physical feelings may trigger addiction

 Physical symptoms fatigue, vomiting, and tremors may also trigger addition. Recovering addicts face withdrawal symptoms- the unpleasant mental and physical symptoms. Many individuals return back to their addiction owing to the withdrawal symptoms. This is because they have a lack of self-control over themselves and fall prey to the withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms and relapse are very common among recovering addicts. Admitting and analyzing the addiction triggers would work wonders for every individual who aspires to stay sober.

Marathon meetings

 The best way to stay sober is to attend a marathon meeting. This is a part of the twelve step programs which offers meetings for the recovering and recovered addicts. There are organizations especially dedicated to people with varied substance abuse issues. They follow the 12 step program and are called Alcohol Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Nicotine Anonymous and many more. Holidays can bring stress and depression to the addict, hence these meetings are held at holiday times. Marathon meetings are held during the holiday of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New year and are held on other occasions too.

Group meetings will help cope with relapse and withdrawal symptoms

 Addicts can find these meeting beneficial for them, as they meet other recovering people and get valuable ideas and resources. These meetings will provide faith, confidence and guiding principles to achieve a sober life. Being in a group of like-minded people with the same goal will enhance one’s mentality towards the road to recovery. Marathon meetings are built on the twelve steps where a person is spiritual, physically and mentally awakened. Hence it is a good idea to attend these meetings to curb the holiday temptations and to stay sober.

Avoid cross-addiction

 Some people abuse other substances, after stopping the primary addiction and this is called cross-addiction. As a result, the victim gets addicted to multiple substance use disorders. Cross-addiction is common among the recovering addicts as the new drug abuse provides the same effect as the previous one abused.  A person who has a heroin addiction might start abusing prescription painkillers(opioids). Therefore it is essential to be cautious about using any prescription drugs like benzodiazepines, opioids, stimulants, and narcotic painkillers.

Learning to tolerate physical and mental emotions will help with cravings

Sef tolerance is essential to control the physical and mental emotions which increases the cravings and the likeliness to relapse. Long-term multiple addictions will definitely hamper the brain’s functionality. Hence it is imperative to seek addiction treatment, where you get comprehensive care to recover. Addiction rehabilitation centers will offer various therapies, counseling and twelve-step programs to combat addiction and stay sober.

The Takeaway- New Year; New You

 Heck, it’s time for the new you! Achieving sobriety is possible. The new year will give you a lot of opportunities to transform your life. Always remember you are sober and go ahead in the right path. Identify the root causes of your addiction and be in-line with your new year resolution. Don’t let the withdrawal symptoms and relapses overtake your life. Try different and unusual things to celebrate this new year.  There is surely a light at the end of the tunnel. Remain cheerful and embrace yourselves. Finally, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”.