Journal Prompts For Getting Through Christmas Sober

It’s my first sober Christmas, and this has been the biggest test for me so far. It is extremely isolating and difficult to be sober at Christmas, and I’m feeling the pressure this week. I’ve relied on my journal this week to work through lots of difficult emotions and thoughts regarding my sobriety, so I’ve put them together in the hopes that someone else might find this useful too. Here are my favourite journal prompts for getting through Christmas sober.

Remembering Your Why

One of the best things about the ‘I Am Sober’ app I use is that on the day that I stopped drinking, it made me enter my main reasons why. Why did I need to stop drinking completely? Why am I sober? Here’s a screenshot of my key reason why:

At times like Christmas, our sobriety is truly tested. Keeping our why fresh in our minds or easily accessible throughout the holidays will help keep us motivated in our sobriety and help when our cravings start lying to us that we can handle just a little bit. Our why reminds us what happens when we allow that spiral to start again. 

If you haven’t written out your why yet, write out why you are (or would like to be!) sober/alcohol-free/clean. It’s a great tool for perspective.

You Might Like: Journaling For Mental Health: The Ultimate Guide

Setting Boundaries

Throughout getting sober or giving up booze, boundaries are everything. This applies even more at Christmas. If you don’t think you can handle an event without breaking your sobriety, avoid it. It won’t be like this forever, by next year you might find it easier to navigate these types of events sober, or you might find that the events you are going to in a year’s time might not be with people that are drinking/using heavily. 

Take the pressure off yourself. Prioritise keeping yourself safe. Stop worrying about other people’s opinions of where you go or don’t go. Set your boundaries, say no when you need to and stick with it – even through guilt trips or anything else people want to project on you.

Mantras For a Sober Christmas

Mantras can be really helpful for tough moments and keeping your self-belief up when your willpower is being tested. Think about your why, and come up with some useful affirmations and mantras that might help. You can read these in the morning, before going to events or even while you’re out to keep you on the right track. Here are some of my favourites:

• I am capable of sitting with uncomfortable feelings without numbing them.
• I am stronger than my cravings.
• I choose to create a better life for myself.
• I am healing every day.

Sobriety Safety Checklist

If we know our relapse warning signs along with key strategies that help us stay sober, we need to keep an eye on them over Christmas. This can be difficult, especially if things are feeling wobbly. But I know it helps me to really look at how I’m doing without any bullshit. Here are some questions that I find helpful to use as a sobriety safety checklist:

• Do I have everything practical in-place to keep me sober? (I.E. alcohol-free drink options to take to gatherings/parties, I Am Sober app on my phone)
• Have I spoken to my support system to make sure they know it might be a tough time for me?
• Am I being completely honest with those around me about my urges and actions? 

Sober at Christmas

If I’m honest, I’m really struggling this Christmas. I could quite easily hide under a rock until the holidays are over. But I am sober, and these are the things that help me keep that in check. I hope you find them helpful too.

Download my FREE Sober Christmas Journal Prompts PDF Below!