Holiday 12 Steps
 

12 Steps For The Holidays


Holiday parties without liquid spirits may still seem a dreary prospect to new comers. . But many of us have enjoyed the happiest holidays of our lives sober- an idea we would never have dreamed of, wanted, or believed possible when drinking.

Here are some tips for having an all-round ball without a drop of alcohol.


1. Line up extra A.A .activities for the holiday season. Arrange to take newcomers to meetings, answer the phones at a clubhouse or central office, speak, help with dishes, or visit the alcoholic ward at a hospital.

2. Be a host to A.A. friends, especially newcomers. If you don't have a place where you can throw a formal party. take one person to a diner and spring for the coffee.

3. Keep your A.A. telephone list with you all the time. If a drinking urge or panic comes- postpone everything else until you've called an A.A.Member.

4. Find out about the special holiday parties, meetings, or other celebrations given by groups, in your area, and go. If you're timid, take some one newer than you are.

5. Skip any drinking occasion you are nervous about. Remember how clever you were at excuses when drinking? Now put the talent to good use. No office party is as important as saving your life.

6. If you have to go to a drinking party and can't take an A.A. with you keep some candy handy.

7. Don't think you have to stay late. Plan in advance an "Important Date" you have to keep.

8. Go to Church. Any Church.

9. Don't sit around brooding. Catch up on those books. museums. walks. and letters.

10. Don't start now getting worked up about all those holiday temptations. Remember--"One Day At A Time""..

11. Enjoy the true beauty of holiday love and joy. Maybe you cannot give material gifts-- But this year, you can give love.

12. "Having had a ..." No need to spell out the Twelfth Step here. since you already know it.

AND..my favorite...
Remember the reason for the season!

Blessings and Ho! Ho! Ho!

Thanks for the great advice, Carol.

I wish you, and everyone here a joyfull and sober holiday season.
peace,
chip

Great advice Carol, I have 77 days and have been through 2 occasions that I had always drank to excess at (Of course I drank to excess when ever possible for 40 years!). Thanksgiving at the in-laws was the first, my brother-in-law is the only guy I have ever known that could down 2 to my 1... well they all knew I had quit drinking so his wife (I guess) told him not to drink while I was there. It was sad to see him, he was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. We went out to smoke a cigarrette and I told him "Bill if you want a beer get one, it is not going to bother me." He told me no, he was fine he didn't need a beer. LOL Sadly 5 minutes later there he was having a beer in a mug, first time I have ever in 15 years seen him drink a beer out of any thing but a can. Funny thing he quit shaking after a few.

The second instances was my son-in-law got 4 tickets to a Redskins game through his company, we had some kind of special deal where we got to go down on the field before the game and then we were informed that if we went to a certain bar in the stadium he had put us on his tab! I was actually entertained watching the drunks make arses out of them selfs, I kept thinking "So that is what I used to look like!"

I have been blessed real quickly with the ability to have others drink around me and it does not bother me. Please if you think you might be tempted by drinking going on around you make other plans.

Being sober during the Holidays is a true belssing, enjoy it. You will be amazed at how much more you will remember during the Holidays then you did when drinking. In Fredericksburg we have what we call the Alcothon every year, it is a 24 hour a day event that starts Dec. 23rd and ends Dec. 26th.

where would good ol' fashioned christmas caroling come in

All I'll say is I hope there's only one turkey at our family table....
chip

Thank You Carol -

Our party here at work is going to have alcohol ... so I'd already made it clear I wouldn't be able to attend this year. Maybe next year. So they put me on the schedule to WORK my usual shift... *sigh*
I just hope they've all gone home by then.

:)

All sound advice for setting up my mental defenses and human resources. Good stuff. But why would a recovered alcoholic need to worry about any of this? 'Having had a spiritual awakening...' means the 10th Step promises are true in my life.

You have an effective mental defense?

Thanks! Excellent advice, as always.

90 in 90 over the Holidays?
 

I had 40 days...slipped Sat. night....wasn't going to A.A. But am in Naranon. Drinking makes everything worse. I have gotten 2 1/2 years four times now...then I get sick of A.A., bored, I don't kow....quit going to meetings and ....Voila...relapse. How utterly amazing! Like how many times have I heard that meeting makers make it. Oh well...I've been beating myself up pretty good.

So I went to a meeting today. There were a couple of jerks as usual but there were a couple of nice people too....and they had good things to say. So I decided to do 90 in 90. Only problem is my 21 year old son is coming for the Holidays and wants to go skiing. How will I find a meeting at a ski resort in a tiny town in Utah?

Also saw my therapist and was very honest with her that I wasn't taking my meds because the side effects were horrendous. So I will be honest with pdoc. this wed. and allow him to help me. I focus on everyone else's problems. i have to start putting myself first. Hard for me. But today I feel like I'm trying to help myself...once again.

Today I will try and stay in today. Maybe we won't go skiing. I'm a triple winner...alcoholic, naranon and bipolar....wheeeeee!

This thread is 5 years old.

Clearly many people have already read this thread...and many more will now it's been bumped - some will access it here, some will find it on Google...

some will be in AA, some will not, some will have done the steps, some will not.

Seems simple enough to me? :dunno:

I think it's a great thread. I'm glad it's been bumped :)

D