Holidays may be a very stressful time for those who are fighting addiction and living a sober life. The Fourth of July is no different.

The Fourth typically hosts a variety of celebrations such as- BBQs, parades, carnivals, booze, fireworks, concerts, and more booze. You may remember celebrating this holiday with your friends and a lot of drinking (for hours and hours) and you cannot imagine what it would be like sober. You feel like being sober will make you miss out on the “true” celebrations, but you also know you do not want to fall into your old habits. It is important to plan accordingly for such holidays and understand it is okay to lean on someone for support during this season.

There are many ways to celebrate the Fourth of July sober and listed below are just some of the fun & safe ways to celebrate your 4th of July:

Plan ahead∼ bring a sober friend or attend a party where people support your sobriety, have a mocktail ready, and be ready to say “no thank you”.

Prepare yourself mentally∼ here are some great ideas from Buzzfeed on how to survive a party without the “party drinks”

Bring back the fun from your youth∼ go to the fair or carnival, roast some marshmallows, watch fireworks, go swimming, play football, cornhole or ultimate frsibee, or have a water fight! Be creative!

Get fancy glasses and make mocktails∼ if you are empty handed people will more likely be offering you drinks, so be prepared and have a mocktail or beverage in hand at all times.

Just don’t go∼ this may sound like the least fun tip, but it may be the most important- especially if you are new to sobriety. I am not saying sit at home by yourself, but you can attend a meeting, start a new tradition (ie: go bowling, go on a trip, go to the movies), or throw your own sober party with all your sober friends!

Don’t suffer in silence∼ reach out to a friend or family member and ask them for support in celebrating the 4th of July sober. Remember, you are never alone in your sobriety. Sobriety is the real freedom you are celebrating every day, so do not let a holiday take that freedom from you!

July 4th may be a fun holiday, but there are also many injuries that tend to happen because of excess drinking. Accidents including, but not limited to:

• Fireworks
• BBQs
• Pool parties
• Driving

“As the 4th of July  weekend approaches, the media will be entirely too busy reporting on drunk driving fatalities. This is one of the deadliest weekends throughout the year for alcohol-related crashes. During the four-day holiday in 2014, 164 people were killed in drunk driving crashes – a 50% increase over an average day.” Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers

Please stay safe and stop while you are ahead of yourself!

Here are 100 ideas for sober fun! There are no excuses because we did the research for you!

PS: Don’t drink and paddle! Here’s a little secret, the best view of the fireworks is from the ocean. Have a fun & safe 4th!

You can find out if Addiction runs in your family by checking out our partner resource at Know Your DNA