Christmas can be a very challenging time if you’re looking to cut down and control your alcohol consumption. It can feel like everyone is drinking and having a fabulous time, and if you’re not part of it then you’re missing out on the ‘perfect’ Christmas.
For supermarkets and the licensed trade, the festive season is an incredibly profitable time of year. Adverts constantly remind us that it’s the season of excess and special offers on beer, wine and spirits have become as much a part of Christmas as reindeer and mistletoe. Ads showing families smiling with glasses of bubbly or gorgeous friends on glamorous nights out may appear twinkly and glossy, but they are actually part of aggressive marketing campaigns specifically designed to encourage people to spend more money on alcohol. What ads don’t show is the darker side of drinking including booze-fuelled injuries, illness and arguments dealt with by the emergency services and risk taking such as drink driving.

Celebrate with less alcohol

One of the best ways to help control your alcohol consumption over Christmas is to be aware of what you are drinking. With office parties and get togethers with family and friends, it’s easy to lose track. Reminding yourself that’s there’s more to Christmas than alcohol helps you keep a sense of perspective.

You may have heard it before but being aware of your alcohol consumption will help you pace yourself. Aim to drink plenty of water or soft drinks in between alcoholic drinks and eat something before you go out. Taking care of yourself and staying safe means planning ahead. Think about how you’re going to get home after a night out. Don’t drink any alcohol if you plan to get behind the wheel, and think twice about driving the next morning if you have had a lot to drink the night before.

Consideration for those who don’t drink

Most of us have been in situations where people who don’t drink alcohol have been ‘encouraged’ to have a drink. This kind of pressure is unfair and can make people feel awkward and self-conscious. For anyone living with alcohol addiction, this type of pressure is also extremely dangerous. Alcoholics are unable to control their drinking; it’s simply not possible to ‘just have a couple’. Christmas can be an extremely risky time for relapse so it’s important to stay as safe as possible.

The truth is that alcohol addiction rarely happens over night. It builds up over time until it reaches a point where alcohol has taken over a person’s life. So a Christmas party binge might be a one-off at first, but it’s easy to go from drinking alcohol in moderation to regularly drinking too much. This can then lead to health, personal and professional problems and a vicious circle of drinking more to ‘cope’ with these issues.

For those struggling with alcohol this Christmas

If you are worried about your drinking (or a loved one’s drinking), it’s time to get help. Why wait for the New Year when you could begin a healthier, happier life today?

At Step One Recovery, we understand just how difficult taking that first step is. How easy it is to use an excuse like Christmas to put off recognising and dealing with alcohol addiction. Sadly, it’s not a problem that’s going to go away. But the good news is that with the right support, it’s possible to make a new start.

Many of our clients have started their journey to recovery from alcohol addiction at the Step One Recovery centre. From the moment you first speak to us, you can be certain you’re in the safest, most discreet of hands.

Our expert team of industry-leading doctors, psychotherapists, counsellors and medical staff will be there for you throughout your stay and beyond at our luxurious centre based on the Costa Blanca in eastern Spain. We’ll begin by supporting you and keeping you as comfortable as possible during alcohol detox and withdrawal.

A new beginning free from alcohol

We’ll then begin to prepare and equip you for a life without alcohol through a bespoke programme of therapies and alcohol abstinence. You’ll build awareness and understanding of AA’s 12-step programme to help you manage your addiction while resolving the issues that drive you to drink through our holistic approach to recovery. We also work on relapse prevention techniques and provide a comprehensive aftercare to help you stay sober for good and enjoy truly happy Christmases for a lifetime.