For individuals who have struggled or currently struggle with substance use, understanding how to maintain sobriety during the summer months is incredibly beneficial and essential. The arrival of the summer season is often filled with anticipation and excitement, but for many, these months can bring forth several challenges in maintaining sobriety. To ensure that you are prepared for these challenges far before they arise, here is some insight into how to maintain sobriety year-round and why the summer can be so difficult for individuals with a history of substance abuse.

Why is Maintaining Sobriety During the Summer Challenging?

Staying sober in the summer can be understandably difficult to accomplish, especially when looking at the common factors and temptations that coincide with the warm season. These can include things such as:

• Alcohol-Related Gatherings – Between Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, outdoor parties, barbecues, and other festive events, the number of alcohol-related gatherings increases in the summer. This makes avoiding alcohol and maintaining sobriety during the holidays more difficult.

• Vacations – The summer is often the most popular time for families to go on vacation, and these trips can support substance abuse.  Many getaways capitalize on alcoholic drinks for vacationers, making staying sober in the summer much more difficult.

• Longer Days – Summer days are longer than the winter and fall, which means those struggling with substance abuse need to resist temptations longer each day than in other months.

• Busy Schedules – Our schedules tend to become much more action-packed during the summer, with trips, excursions, festivities, and other family endeavors taking place more often than usual. In turn, adults can feel bouts of exhaustion, which can potentially lead them to turn to a drink or a stimulant to wind down.

Tips For Staying Sober in the Summer

An important notion to keep in mind when analyzing tips for staying sober in the summer is that maintaining sobriety should never feel like a punishment. No one can expect to shelter themselves from potential temptations from June to September, and it’s best to stay aware of your situation while still going about your days in a positive light. Here are some helpful tips for staying sober, especially around enabling conditions:

• Monitoring Emotions – As stated before, the summer can be a doozy to our emotions, leaving us stressed, anxious, exhausted, or upset. For this reason, prioritizing your sobriety and emotional state is so important, as well as understanding how these changes in our mindsets can be a result of the summer and not our own fault.

• • Say “No” – It is perfectly okay to say “no” in a tempting situation. Whether it means saying no to a concert invite or saying no to someone offering a beer at a barbecue, keeping your mindset focused and where it needs to be is the best way to stay sober.

• Don’t Give in to FOMO – Fear of missing out (FOMO) amplifies in the summer, especially during fun events with friends and family. Even if you feel like you may be missing out big time by skipping an event, it’s important to ignore these feelings of FOMO and hold firm on your decision not to attend. 

• Balance Schedule – Your calendar may be filled with parties and vacations, but why not balance it with activities that benefit your mindset? Fill in dates with non-alcohol-related adventures like a camping trip, bike ride, or a day at the museum.

• Ask For Help – Your journey of staying sober in the summer doesn’t have to be alone. If maintaining sobriety is growing difficult, it can help to speak with a professional counselor or someone close. 

• Plan Ahead – Maintaining sobriety during the holidays and other festivities can be easier by planning ahead. This can include having an exit strategy during an event or having someone nearby who can help you if temptations do arise.

South Beach Detox

As a leading dual diagnosis treatment center in Florida, South Beach Detox offers multiple medical and clinical care levels to provide comprehensive addiction and mental health treatment programs. Our unique and nurturing support-based environment is readily available to individuals seeking inpatient medical detoxification and related services.

If you need extra support while maintaining sobriety this summer, contact us today to learn more about our programs, or for any additional questions.