We’ve all been there trying desperately hard to encourage our loved one—parent, friend, father, mother, sister, brother—to remain sober and enjoy their life of recovery. But it isn’t aways easy, especially when holidays come around.
It’s so easy to assume that just because others enjoy alcohol on the holidays, our loved should be “able to handle it too.” But don’t forget that for alcoholics, taking even just one drink can risk their whole recovery—and sometimes even their lives.
So how can you help? Here are four tips for helping you encourage your loved one to remain sober and enjoy their recovery on the 4th:
1. Don’t Drink Yourself
Studies show that environment affects behavior. There’s no getting around that. If you have a friend who struggles with staying sober, you can be a great help to them over the holiday by not drinking yourself.
One option is to plan a small group gathering on the holiday but instead of alcohol, offer a special non-alcoholic drink that’s specially picked for the occasion as the drink of the night. It’s not easy to go it alone. If you want to help your friend stay sober, help him out by avoiding alcohol yourself.
2. Offer to be Your Loved One’s Accountability Friend
If your friend doesn’t know when to stop drinking, and you’re worried about how this will effect their holiday celebration, offer to be their accountability friend.
You can help them by keeping an eye on their drinking and confronting them if they are headed down a dangerous path. It may not be easy to tell them to stop, but if you both discuss the issue before and agree that your intervening is for their benefit, you may save your friend a lot of pain in the long run.
3. Eat (That Shouldn’t Be Too Hard on the 4th, Right?)
If you drink on an empty stomach, your blood alcohol level will rise faster than if you drink on a full stomach. So drinking on an empty stomach is a good way to get drunk faster than you ever wanted.
If you have a friend who struggles with staying sober, eat a full meal with him or her before going to a party with alcohol. The fullness may lessen his or her appetite for alcohol.
4. Be Creative
If you know that your friend is going to tempted to drink, preemptively offer to get a drink for them. When getting them their non-alcoholic drink, spice if up a little.
Ask for something like a coke in a mason jar with a slice of lime or club soda with a twist. While being completely non-alcoholic, your friend can fool others around and avoid being pressured by peers to drink.
And don’t forget to enjoy the time with your loved one—after all, their recovery is bigger and more special than a simple holiday gathering.