Contributor: Kelly Everson, MA, contributor for Addiction Hope
Overview
Sobriety is the state of being sober. It can also be defined as the situation of not having any measurable levels of drugs i.e. being alcohol free. A person is said to be sober if he/she is physically, mentally and spiritually sober on daily basis.
Work holiday parties, also known as holiday office parties, where certain departments in a particular company decide to have a party. These are normally either at the end of the year or at mid-year. Some holiday office parties may be so good while others may be a nightmare depending on how you plan your party.
Benefits of Sobriety
- You will make new Friends – There is a maxim that people have about getting sober that many people will not want to hang out with you anymore. When you are sober you are able to meet friends who had isolated you because of your behavior. Some old friends might reappear now that you are not constantly slurring words. Now every person might want to be associated with you since nobody wants to be associated with a drunkard. Actually when drinking gets to its worst, most of the people are much isolated by even their close friends.
You look good – Once you are sober, you look better compared to when you were a 24/7 drunkard. You begin to receive compliments from friends on how good you look. One thing of sober person is that he/she is physically clean and their skin looks amazing. You can also adopt behavioral changes that will improve your personal image. In addition to physical changes, you find yourself happier and more radiant now that you do not have hangover every day.- You become the person People Reach Out for Help – When you are sober many people might look after you either for a of piece advice, financial support since you are their role model. You might even without realizing, other people might begin to see you as an ideal person who can be relied on. Due to your good behavior people will look up to you as someone who demonstrates the type of character they themselves strive for.
- You will save Money – Many people do not realize how much they spent on drinking until they stop. When you are sober your mind is fresh and you can save the money you used to spend on drinking. This money saved is a long term investment which will be used by your next generations. A sober mind generates great ideas rather than those impulsive late-night trips to ATM
- You will have a good relation with other people – A sober person is well behaved and well-mannered and there is no way he/she will collide with other people due to use of abusive language. Sobriety creates peace, unity and harmony in a society and in a country at large. Eventually a friendly relation is built between people who were previously enemies because of one’s behavior.
Safeguarding Sobriety: Handling Your First Sober Holiday
There are some helpful ideas which you can apply to prepare and protect yourself as the holiday approach. They include:
- Have plan for Holiday Parties: As you attend you must have in mind that the party will comprise of many different kinds of people, so you must have a definite plan. This plan will help you to know how to respond when a person offers you a drink. The best plan is to organize/invite a sober friend who will give you a company so that you do not feel isolated by others.
- Create New Traditions: This is by finding new holiday activities that do not involve drinking e.g. if you have kids take them to see Santa, have a sober get-together and gift exchange were you can enjoy yourselves soberly.
Remember self-care: It is very important in everything you think of doing to first ask yourself what is the impact of my health if I do this? Self-care is vital to our daily life. Do not do something if you know well it will affect your health in one way or the other.- Be grateful: It’s good to make a gratitude list and carry it with you. You should understand that you have many gifts in your life, the possibilities and opportunities ahead. When you are sober, you can do anything and be anyone.
- Do not put your sobriety on the line at family parties: Sometimes is good to enjoy as much as you wish to restore key relationships, but do not put your sobriety on the line. Every time you go for a get together ask a friend to be on call for you just to be checking on you during the get together for additional support.
Conclusion
Work holiday parties are of great importance since they allow one to interact with other people during and after the party and this bring oneness among the teammates hence making the work so simple in the company.
Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!
What has been your experience with holiday work parties and staying sober? How did you prepared for holiday parties to avoid relapse in recovery?
About the author: Kelly Everson is an American author and has an MA in English literature. After spending time as a writer in some of Health Industries best websites, she now works as an independent researcher and contributor for health news related website like Consumer Health Digest. In her spare time, she does research work regarding Beauty and Women Health, Fitness and overall health issues, which acts as a fuel to her passion of writing. When she is not researching or writing, you can find Kelly staying active, whether it be practicing yoga or taking swimming classes. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of addictions. These are not necessarily the views of Addiction Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Addiction Hope understand that addictions result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an addiction, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on November 16, 2015
Published on AddictionHope.com