Top Of The Mornin’ To Ya! Who is Ready for a Sober (Yet, Fun) St. Patrick’s Day?

Holiday Triggers are Normal

I’ve spent many a St. Patrick’s Day out of my mind drunk.

I’ve embarrassed myself every year in one way or another due to my drinking.

Sobriety is not normally on people’s agenda when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day.

This particular holiday is mostly associated with binge drinking and public intoxication.

This is an especially challenging holiday for those of us in recovery.

I’m part Irish, so my relationship with the holiday is tricky.

It wasn’t until my recovery program at Emerald Isle that I began to see things differently.

In the past, I saw St. Patrick’s Day as a way to blend in with the crowd.

I looked forward to the fact that I wasn’t the only one walking through the street completely intoxicated.

One of the things you learn in sobriety is the power of excuses.

We come up with all sorts of excuses in order to further our sickness.

Holidays are the ultimate excuse.

There is usually alcohol available at every party or get-together you go to.

For me, St. Patrick’s Day was the best holiday possible.

Knowing that everyone else would be getting just as drunk as I was a comforting feeling.

After being out of that haze for as long as I have, it’s shocking that I ever felt that way.

One of the unfortunate things about this holiday is that this sort of behavior is not only acceptable but also encouraged. We laugh off all the public drunkenness that we witness and we chalk it up to people having a good time. How can you celebrate a sober St. Patrick’s Day when seemingly everybody else is drinking their faces off? It can be pretty difficult if you are newly sober or have been struggling to stay sober. Luckily, the program at Emerald Isle taught me that there are ways you can not only stay sober but also be able to enjoy the festivities without slipping up.

Everyone’s Path is Unique, No Need for FOMO

Some of us can be around others who are drinking while others can’t. We all have different triggers.The program at Emerald Isle taught us to identify our triggers. I’ve found that I am ok around others who are drinking, as long as they aren’t visibly intoxicated. I can’t go to a bar and order juice or water. The way the inside of a bar smells takes me right back to my drinking days, especially St. Patrick’s Day, and I find it extremely unpleasant.

How you celebrate on this holiday is all dependent on where you are in your recovery. I’ve known people who have been sober for decades and just being around someone slightly buzzed makes them uncomfortable. I’ve also known sober people who can hang out in a bar all night and drink soda. Again, everyone’s personal experience is different.

If you are someone who can’t be around drinking at all, consider having an intimate night in. Invite some sober friends over for a game night or a movie. There is always an expectation around the holidays for people to go out in order to have a good time.

There’s no reason you can’t have fun staying in for the night with friends or even by yourself. One of the big parts of recovery is just being comfortable doing your own thing. You don’t need to go out and party to feel accomplished. We all feel a certain amount of FOMO (fear of missing out) at different points in our lives. If we don’t go out and socialize, we feel like we missed out on something. It’s often the case that what you’re missing out on is regret and a bad hangover.

Emerald Isle’s amazing program taught me to always have a plan. If you are going to go out and be around other people drinking, have an exit strategy. If you feel triggered at all, don’t worry about being the one that leaves without saying goodbye. Your sobriety is worth a lot more than sticking around the party because you don’t want to feel weird about leaving. Better yet, have someone you can call to talk things out with. The longer you stay in an uncomfortable situation, the more likely you are to slip up on St. Patrick’s Day or other drinking holidays. This is why it is essential to have an aftercare addiction treatment plan to avoid relapse.

Clarity Goes a Long Way

While St. Patrick’s Day is rife with bar-hopping and loud parties, there are a lot of events that don’t consist of binge drinking. There are a lot of options when it comes to sober events, and they aren’t difficult to find. This particular alcohol rehab does a great job of providing me with a list of year-round sober get-togethers. There are a lot more of them out there than you think. When I was new to sobriety, I used to avoid these events because I was afraid they would lead me back to drinking.

How fun can a sober event be? I was scared that if there wasn’t alcohol, I would be bored to tears. It’s amazing what a little clarity will do for you. After regularly attending sober dances and other events, I have been able to drastically alter my idea of fun. I used to think that getting fall-down drunk and not knowing where I was the next morning meant I had a good time. That seems like fun when you’re in the thick of your addiction, but when I look back on those days now, I can’t believe that was where my mind was at.

One of the things I often tell people who are struggling to get clean is how quickly your thinking can change when you get sober. When you’re using, a lot of your decision-making is not your own. You are under the control of the drug, and it dictates almost everything. I used to be afraid of going to new places because I didn’t know if there’d be a bar or liquor store nearby, especially during well-known drinking holidays like St. Patrick’s Day.

Free Insurance Verification for Alcohol Rehab After A Relapse on St. Patrick’s Day

Once you remove that from your lifestyle, your mind is clear and open.

Your idea of a good time changes, especially for St. Patrick’s Day, and you are left shaking your head at what you used to think was a good time.

It sounds crazy to anyone who is in the thick of their disease, but once you can get out from under it, everything changes.

And you deserve that change.