199 - How to stay sober during the holidays199 - How to stay sober during the holidays
Real Recovery Talk
Tom Conrad shares practical strategies for staying sober during the holiday season, focusing on planning, communication, boundaries and support. The episode highlights how the holidays can shift from a trigger to an opportunity for gratitude, connection and service in recovery.
24:40•9 Dec 2021
Staying Sober Through the Holidays: Planning, Boundaries and Real Talk
Episode Overview
- Go into the holidays with a clear plan, including how you'll respond to offers of alcohol or drugs.
- Prioritise recovery meetings when travelling home and collect phone numbers for local support.
- Communicate expectations and boundaries with family in advance to reduce awkwardness and pressure.
- Choose to spend time with relatives who support your sobriety and limit time around those who don't.
- Treat the holidays as a chance to practise gratitude, rebuild relationships and give back to others in need.
“Your sobriety is priceless. There's nothing on the face of this planet that is worth more than your sobriety.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol during the most boozy season of the year? This holiday-focused episode of Real Recovery Talk zeroes in on exactly that question, speaking directly to people in early sobriety who are dreading family dinners, boozy traditions and awkward questions.
Host Tom Conrad, a recovering alcoholic and certified addictions counsellor, talks straight about how emotionally loaded holidays can feel when past years were fuelled by “a lot of alcohol, a lot of drugs, and basically just got through it any way that we could.” Now sober, the challenge is staying that way without hiding in the car or white-knuckling through dinner. Tom breaks things down into practical, doable steps.
He stresses having a clear plan before travelling home: where you’ll go straight from the airport, how you’ll respond when a relative offers you a drink, and which meetings you’ll hit while you’re in town. He suggests making support a priority, from finding local recovery meetings to deciding which family members are safe to stick close to. Communication is a huge theme.
Tom urges people to set expectations with family ahead of time about drinking, boundaries and support, rather than letting everyone walk on eggshells. He’s clear that you don’t have to sacrifice your sobriety to keep the peace, and that it’s okay to skip gatherings that are saturated with drugs and alcohol.
There’s also a positive spin: the holidays can be a chance to rebuild relationships, show up as the “new person” in recovery, and even be a quiet example for relatives who might be struggling themselves. With talk of gratitude, service, and the simple joy of remembering the day, Tom reminds listeners that “your sobriety is priceless” and that this season can be “an awesome time of year” rather than a trap.
If the holidays make you nervous, could this be the year you go in with a plan, instead of just hoping for the best?
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