E114: Staying Sober During the Holidays

No matter how long you've been sober, staying sober during the holidays can be tough. So much of our lives revolved around alcohol for so long, and that seems to come on full force when the holiday season hits. Whether it's because you're socializing and celebrating, or because the holidays bring a deep sense of loneliness and grief, we want you to know you're not alone, and you CAN do this - and not just survive the holidays, but thrive through them. Listen as we chat with Austin, Billie, and Jennifer about their experiences with staying sober during the holidays, and what they've learned to make it easier.

In this episode:

• Grief during Christmas
• Facing hard memories without alcohol
• How you can start preparing for the holidays NOW
• How to handle the unknown of your first sober holiday season
• Learning how to allow it to just be hard
• Building new traditions to replace the old, alcohol-infused ones
• Start experimenting with new things
• Know your limits, and stay home if that's what you need to do.

---

Billie hails from the great state of Oregon in the greater Pacific Northwest. After a career in law enforcement, she now works as a professional elder justice subject matter expert, as well as an instructor in Oregon’s law enforcement academy. She is also a domestic violence advocate for her local police department and meets with survivors of intimate partner violence to provide resources and safety planning options. Billie continues her advocacy by being involved in her states suicide prevention and awareness programs and facilitates her local chapter of a suicide bereavement group for families who have lost their loved ones to suicide. She is wife, mom to two wonderful kids and an avid dog lover.

---

Let’s connect!

Visit our website at throughtheglassrecovery.com to sign up for our weekly newsletter, and to gain access to our FREE weekly recovery meetings.

You can also find Julie and Steve on:

 Instagram 

Facebook 

Tiktok