Ideas for a Sober Friendly Valentine’s Day

Celebrating Valentine’s Day in Recovery

Valentine’s Day is a holiday centered around demonstrating your love for someone special in your life. For some, it may be a time for you and your significant other to go out and celebrate the strong bond and loving relationship that you have with each other. Others may take the opportunity to have a first date with a potential love interest. Valentine’s day can also be a challenging holiday as there may be unfavorable memories associated with it or enhance feelings of loneliness should you not have a partner. Regardless of your specific situation, Valentine’s day is commonly associated with substance use whether you are celebrating the holiday with a fancy meal accompanied with wine or champagne or some will turn to alcohol or drugs as a means of coping through a holiday that is triggering to you. 

Celebrating Valentine’s Day in whatever fashion suits you can be conducive to your recovery needs and enjoyable. There is a multitude of options for individuals wanting to celebrate Valentine’s day that move away from substance use and engage you and your special someone through healthy activities and social events.  

To help set yourself up for an enjoyable, sober Valentine’s day, it is important that you think and plans ahead for the date that you want to have that will support your life in sobriety. Resurgence Behavioral Health is dedicated to supporting patients to identify their needs and potential triggers surrounding this holiday in order to help them stay focused and on track with their recovery goals. 

Creating Relapse Prevention Plan

You and your loved one will be able to have Valentine’s day that is meaningful and special without having to resort to alcohol as a method of celebration. The key to successfully making it through the holidays without experiencing relapse is properly planning ahead and setting up safety measures that will ensure you are able to stay true to your sobriety while still having an enjoyable Valentine’s day together. The best way to ensure your success is to develop a relapse prevention plan that will help you think of any potential barriers to success or unforeseen triggers that could arise so that you are equipped with the tools and skills to mitigate these bumps in the road during your Valentine’s plans while ensuring that your sobriety is maintained. 

The key to developing a successful relapse prevention plan is being self-aware of situations, emotions, and individuals that may create negative responses or emotions within yourself. Each person has their own set of unique triggers and it is important to be aware of your own potential triggers as you get ready to plan for Valentine’s day. As you are planning your Valentine’s day, it is best to know the places or environments that may produce unpleasant feelings or responses that are associated with alcohol use. For example, if you frequented certain restaurants when you were drinking, it is best to avoid these as it brings back memories from your addiction and produces cravings or triggers. Others may associate certain places with their drinking behavior or may run into other people that you used to engage in substance use with. Knowing the places that are safe and neutral for you is crucial for your sobriety. If possible, for some, it may be ideal to choose a location for your Valentine’s date where there will be no risk of alcohol or other substances being present. Holidays often bring a new set of challenges for many individuals.  

Life can be unpredictable and there will be times where triggers arise including while you are trying to celebrate Valentine’s day with your significant other. Being prepared with the tools for emotional regulation is essential for you to handle any unexpected stressors that arise. Through methods of mindfulness, conscious breathing, and meditation you will have the necessary skills you need to be able to manage temptations while remaining focused on your overarching goal of living in recovery. Your confidence in yourself is key. You have the capability to achieve the life you want in sobriety and you have already put in the effort and work within yourself to make the huge life change of leaving your life of addiction and dependency behind you to embark on a whole new way of life. While it may feel in moments of weakness that these triggers are too hard to overcome and that you don’t have what it takes to avoid triggers, in those moments, it is crucial to remember how far you have already come in your journey to living in sobriety. You have what it takes to avoid relapse and stay focused on your recovery. You and your loved one deserve a happy Valentine’s day together and achieving that is within your reach. 

Speak To Your Date Ahead Of Time

It has often been said that the key to a healthy relationship is open and honest communication with one another. To start your Valentine’s day off in the right direction, it is important to be transparent about your need for a sober Valentine’s day together. As you open the lines of communication, you would be surprised to see how receptive others can be to accommodate your needs and brainstorm ideas for an enjoyable, sober date together. You and your date can create a plan together for a special, romantic day together that is focused on enjoying each other’s company and getting to know one another better. 

Speaking to your date beforehand will benefit you to ensure you are choosing the right partner for yourself and for your recovery. If your need for sobriety is not able to be honored on a date, it will help you determine if this is a relationship that is worth pursuing. Choosing a partner or potential love interest means that you are choosing someone that is supportive of your needs and wants including wanting a life in recovery. Knowing how to express your feelings and concerns with a potential love interest will help set you off on the right foot for a happy, healthy life for you and within your relationships. 

Sober Friendly Valentine’s Day Activities

The unique thing about Valentine’s day is that it is a holiday centered around love and there are so many ways to express your love for someone that goes beyond the typical Valentine’s date that is centered around alcohol consumption. You and your significant other or potential love interest have the capability to choose activities for your date that will peak both of your interests and engage you both in fun activities that will facilitate feelings of connectedness.  

When choosing your Valentine’s day activities, there are ample opportunities for sober activities to do together including:

The options are endless for an engaging, romantic date for you and your love interest. Be open-minded and you will find that there is an abundance of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day while maintaining the hard work you have put into your recovery. 

Resurgence Behavioral Health Relapse Prevention

Resurgence Behavioral Health supports patients throughout their rehab journey to learn the necessary skills and tools to effectively manage any distressing triggers that arise. We empower our patients to see their own worth and ability to achieve their overarching goal of sobriety. Through the comprehensive methods of addiction treatment, you will gain perspective on what has been at the root of your addiction and understand how to identify triggering emotions, thoughts, or situations in the future. Our compassionate counselors are dedicated to supporting you in developing new tools for emotional regulation and mindfulness that will have you feeling connected spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally to your recovery and recognize your capacity to achieve your dreams. 

Looking to celebrate a sober Valentine’s Day? Here are some tips on how to do so! #resurgence #valentinesday #soberfriendlyhttps://t.co/ePwwFqqbaB

— Resurgence Behavioral Health (@RBHRecovery) February 7, 2022

Josh Chandler
After growing up in Chicago and North Carolina, Josh chose to get help with substance use disorder and mental health in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than five years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for four years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. Josh remains passionate about the field because he understands that one phone call can alter the course of a person's life.

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