7 Ways to Celebrate Your Sobriety

Your sobriety is a huge accomplishment, and you should celebrate it every day. Honor your commitment to yourself and your wellbeing by recognizing how far you’ve come and maintaining your sobriety.

Recognize that sobriety is an ongoing celebration rather than a one-time event

Anyone in recovery will tell you that you don’t just achieve sobriety one day and have that be the end of your recovery journey. You will always be an addict, and you will always be in recovery. This mindset is important when celebrating your sobriety, because it must be remembered how easy it can be to deviate from your path. You make a choice every single day to confront your addiction, reject the cravings and temptations and refrain from having a drink or using drugs. This is what you should celebrate – your resilience, tenacity and dedication.

Remember and celebrate the anniversary of the day you last had a drink or used drugs

Even though you are sober every day and there isn’t a single event that marks your sobriety, the day of your last drink or last use of drugs is one to remember. This day marks your decision to make a positive change in your life in the face of addiction, a veritable disease of the brain. Plan something extra special for your anniversary to celebrate, either solo or with your loved ones.

Ask your 12-step group to celebrate with you

It is common among 12-step groups to celebrate members’ milestones. If part of your recovery includes attending 12-step meetings or something similar, share the anniversary of your last drink so that your friends, mentors and sponsors can celebrate with you. You could go to breakfast together, have a movie night or volunteer to a cause that is meaningful to you. Recovery and sobriety are much easier with the support of a group that understands what you are going through and working towards.

Give back to your community

Volunteering on the anniversary of your last drink or use of drugs is a common way to honor how far you’ve come with the support of your community. Donate your time to an organization that supports sobriety and recovery like a sober living home. Pick a cause that is meaningful to you like an animal shelter, food bank or homeless shelter.

Become a sponsor for someone else in recovery

You will have had to complete the 12 steps yourself in order to become a sponsor for someone else in recovery so that you are equipped to mentor someone else, but once you have, becoming a sponsor is a great way to celebrate your own sobriety. You can share learnings with your sponsee as well as help provide coping skills for relapses and even just the hard days. You may be surprised at how much you have learned about yourself and sobriety during your recovery.

Acknowledge and affirm your file

You are healthy, and most importantly, you are alive. Do things that make you feel alive. Either alone, with loved ones or with members of your 12-step group. Spend some time doing things you love – hiking, camping, running, swimming, making music, crafting or even walking around your neighborhood.

Tend to your sobriety every day

Remaining committed to your sobriety looks a bit like continuing to take prescribed medication for a chronic condition even if you feel better. People who have diabetes take their prescribed dose of insulin every day, even if their blood sugar is stable and not just when they are having a high or a low. Your sobriety works in the same way. If you only go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after you have relapsed, you’re not really getting to the root cause of the relapse to prevent the next one. Stick to your treatment plan, whether that includes regularly attending group therapy or a 12-step program or just having a plan for when you experience triggers. Celebrate your sobriety by respecting, honoring, and committing to it.

October Road offers both outpatient and inpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment, depending on your needs. Reach out today at 888-201-5086.