March brings about a fun drinking holiday that promotes green shamrocks and could be destructive for someone who struggles with addiction. Most people who celebrate the drinking holiday, St. Patrick’s Day, celebrate with an overabundance of drugs and alcohol because of the social aspect surrounding it. Parades are thrown, bars promote drink specials, and people with an addiction are overlooked for overindulging because they tend to fit in with everyone else.
The problem with just fitting in is that someone with an addiction will usually have ongoing consequences instead of having ramifications from one day of overdrinking and overusing. Even though anyone can make bad decisions under the influence, a person with an addiction will continue to drink and use regardless of the wreckage they have caused. People who are not addicted often use the negative experiences they have endured from drinking and using to learn their lesson. For the consequences of addiction to stop altogether, your using and drinking must also stop – even on drinking holidays.
You have a better shot of remembering the day.
How many times have you come to after a blackout or passing out wondering what happened, where you are, and where you have been? None of that has to happen now that you are sober. You just get to be part of the fun and have a blarney blast. If you are somewhere you can see others who are drinking and using, you may feel envious at first. After you see what they do under the influence, you can thank your lucky charms that you are not like that anymore.
You have a better shot to do something productive.
Instead of holing up in a bar or at a house party, you can get out and do something that is healthier. Take a hike. Have a picnic in the park with Reuben sandwiches. Attend your local parade by riding on an actual float. The sky is the limit in sobriety, and you can do more things than you ever imagined without making a fool of yourself from the effects of drugs and alcohol. Taking on new adventures will make sobriety fun and rewarding.
You have a better shot at being present.
There is nothing like being in the present moment. When you use drugs and alcohol, you are not in your right mind and are probably reliving the past or worrying about the future. Being drunk and high definitely takes the possibility and enjoyment out of what is going on right then and there. All mind-altering substances do is shift your focus so that you do not have to concentrate on what you really have going on. Putting off today what will affect your tomorrow is a mistake. Take charge today so that you can keep working towards getting that pot-of-gold at the end of the rainbow – recovery.
You have a better shot of keeping the peace.
Chaos surrounds addiction. Even though you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day does not mean that a Leprechaun will protect you from your inebriated choices that could wreck your whole world. Staying sober does not mean you will find complete peace. You will, however, have a better shot at finding genuine placidity by ending your drug and alcohol use. Serenity comes from working a program of recovery. From your recovery will stem principles that can keep you in line and guide you towards the solution.
You have a better shot to be socially accepted.
Being a sloppy, slurry, stumbling mess is not something people usually approve of although on St. Patrick’s Day that seems to be the norm for a great number of people. You will have a better time being sober and alert rather than drinking and using. Remember that most likely you will not just drink or use on St. Patrick’s Day, but probably every day after that until something so terrible happens that you will hit another bottom. That bottom may not even be the one that gets you to stop using and drinking because addiction makes you prone to having the worst bottom of them all which is dying. While you may be using the rouse to go out to happy hour with everyone for St. Patrick’s Day, you are really letting your addiction have power over you. Please think about spending this year working for recovery and you see how fulfilling life can really be sober.
Sobriety, in lieu of participating in your addiction, actually rocks. You will be so pleased in the long run that you took the time to enjoy this St. Patrick’s Day without drugs and alcohol bringing you down any longer. In fact, you should be proud of getting through another one day at a time sober – Erin go Bragh!
We have fun at Valiant Living while we work towards gaining your freedom from drugs and alcohol. We offer a full range of recovery and mental health services intended to enrich our clients’ minds, bodies, and souls. Our staff is here to assist you by giving you the solution to your personal recovery so you can stay sober for the long haul. Call us today to get started: 303-536-5463
