It’s not a typo; the word thrival felt aligned with the message here. We are not simply surviving summer, we’re THRIVING in summer (and all the seasons for that matter!).
Lo and behold, the season of sunshine, warmth and celebration is upon us. Many of us consider this to be our favorite time of year, but summertime also comes with its own variety of sobriety challenges. Cookouts, beach parties, vacations- while enjoyable- can also be triggering.
Here are my top five tips to have a fabulous sober summer…
1.Spend some time with Mother Earth. Listen, peeps, it’s science that spending time outdoors benefits all areas of your life. Fill this joyful season with long walks, a beach day, spend plenty of time outside with your feet on the earth and the sun on your skin.
2. READ! Reading is one of my absolute favorite summer activities. Here are a few of my recommendations, separated by category. (Because, let’s be honest, not all sober people ONLY read about sobriety.
Easy Read/ Girly Fun:
Creepy Murder/ Kidnapping/ Mysteries:
Change the world/ personal development:
Recovery Goodies:
Spiritual Guidance and Awesomeness:
3. Be an early bird. Arrive to parties and BBQs first. YES, first. This allows for so many beautiful things to happen. First of all, you get to all the food first.(Van I get a hallelujah for being able to actually taste food?) Plus, you get to have quality conversations with people before they get sloppy and/ or you feel triggered. Lastly, you can leave as early as you want because you were the first one there. Arriving early lets you retreat to your bed at a reasonable hour to curl up with a book- maybe even one I suggested above.
4. BYOS-(Bring your own seltzer.) ‘Tis the season of treating yo’ selz. Bring your own so you know you’ll have something yummy to drink. This way, you’ll feel way less tempted to drink the devil’s juice.
5. Set boundaries. This topic got it’s own post a few months back, read it in it’s entirety here. Know that boundaries are about keeping you safe, happy and healthy. If that means saying no to every single social offering this year, you have permission to do that. My first sober summer was spent at home, eating ice cream and snuggling with my family. I simply was not ready to partake in the summer BBQs and keg parties.
Being sober makes summertime (and allllll the times) better, shinier and more joyful!
Cheers sister. Happy sober summer!
Sober Witch 