When you first stop drinking, it’s usually best if you don’t spend any time around other people while they’re drinking at all. In fact, we recommend to the clients in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program that they stop spending time with anyone who isn’t supportive of their recovery. But it’s not fair to ask all your friends and loved ones to stop drinking too just because you’re going through our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program. At some point during your time in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program, you’re going to have to go to an office party or social function where others will be drinking. How will you resist the temptation to drink?
Have a Plan
Resisting the temptation to drink in social situations is easier when you have a plan in place beforehand. You may want to talk to your counselor in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program about your personal relapse prevention plan in social situations where others are drinking around you. Read on to learn more about how you can stay sober in the face of temptation.
The worst thing you can do when you’re still in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program is go into a situation where you know people will be drinking without a plan to keep yourself safe. You should be using your time in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program to learn the coping skills that will keep you sober for the rest of your life. If you’re going into a drinking situation during your time in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program, know what nonalcoholic beverage you’re going to drink, how long you’ll stay, and when and how you’re going to leave.
Focus on Being Present
The reason you’re in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program to begin with is because alcohol has prevented you from being truly present for yourself and others in your life that you care about. Focus on being with your friends and loved ones and co-workers – that’s more important than drinking.
Have Someone to Call
You can’t be successful in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program unless you have support for your recovery goals. Have someone you can call – a 12-Step sponsor, a graduate of our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program, or a counselor from our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program – if you feel like you can no longer resist the urge to take a drink. Having someone to talk you through your craving and remind you why you entered our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program in the first place can be crucial to your long-term outcome.
Learn How to Say No
Knowing how to turn down a drink is one of the hardest parts of being in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program. Should you explain to the person offering the drink that you’re a recovering alcoholic taking part in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program? What will people think if they know you’re going through our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program?
While these are common worries for everyone who goes through our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program, the good news is that you don’t have to volunteer any information about why you’re refusing a drink. In fact, instead of explaining to a co-worker or a stranger at a social event that you’re a recovering alcoholic in our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program, it’s often easier to just say, “No thanks, I’m not drinking tonight.”
Qualifying your statement with the word “tonight” might feel like a lie, but it’s not – we encourage people going through our outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program to take sobriety one day at a time, after all. It also has the advantage of saving you from having to explain yourself – people will just assume that “I’m not drinking tonight” means you’re on medication, have to get up early tomorrow, or are a designated driver. Unless the person in question is someone close to you, there’s no need for him or her to know you’re in an outpatient alcohol treatment Florida program.