New Year’s Eve is a great time to reflect on the previous year, imagine the coming year’s potential, and have a great time with friends and family. However, if you are in recovery or drinking isn’t your thing, it can be hard to find suitable activities for a sober New Year’s. There are lots of ways you can enjoy New Year’s Eve without drinking, even if they might take a little planning to put together.
For more tips for a sober holiday, reach out to Lakeview Health online today.
4 Alcohol-Free New Year’s Eve Activities
Generally speaking, the purpose of alcohol is to make a dull activity or location seem less dull. This is not an especially groundbreaking observation, but it can give us insight into how we can make drinking unnecessary simply by choosing locations and activities that are inherently fun and engaging. Among the ideas you should consider are:
1. Organize a Destination Party
Any place you and your friends like to go ordinarily could be an excellent destination for a New Year’s Eve get-together. You could organize a meet up at a local amusement park or organize a bonfire at a local beach, local regulations permitting. You could invite everyone to meet up at a skating rink. There are plenty of outdoor activities and areas to go to see friends safely while keeping a social distance. You could encourage your friends to show off and one-up each other. Consider a late-night soccer match or basketball game. The bright lights will suit the New Year’s mood well.
The more engaging the activity and the more stimulating the location, the less likely anyone will feel that drinking is needed to fill in the gaps.
2. Plan a Themed Party or Costume Party
With a themed party for your family or small group of friends, you can turn your home into a veritable smörgåsbord of activities and areas in which to partake of the theme at hand. The theme could be a popular film. It could be an area of interest like space exploration, sports, or whatever is close to home for you and your friends. You could set up a gaming area, a movie lounge, a tea room, a badminton court, or anything else that strikes your interest.
Alternatively — or in addition — to your themed event, you could throw a costume party. The costume party could be part of your theme party, or it could just be all about the costumes. Whatever mix and match of themes and costume fun you aim for, just don’t forget the karaoke.
3. Hold a Game Night Competition Party
If your group of friends has a competitive streak running, then starting up a trivia night competition is an excellent idea. Encourage people to form small teams, offer prizes for the winners, and keep a running score sheet. This is a great way to get people’s brain juices flowing. If it goes over well, you’re likely to get them on board for a recurring series of trivia showdowns.
If your people are more physically oriented, then why not set up a bowling team? Or, if you’re more of an action-oriented crowd, consider paintball or laser tag. On the other hand, video games or table-top role-playing games might be a welcome break from reality.
If you choose to have your gaming activity outdoors, consider a location near your local fireworks show.
You can also move this online to Zoom or other online meeting platforms to stay safe while staying connected.
4. Get In Touch With Nature
Have a semi-remote location you’d like to see and haven’t had the chance to yet? While workplaces and shops close down for New Year’s Day, this could be an ideal opportunity to take a drive up the coast, visit a favorite lake or mountain range, or just enjoy the open road with your favorite playlist.
Don’t Take Addiction into the New Year
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, the team at Lakeview Health is here to help. Our Jacksonville, Florida location offers highly individualized service with an integrated medical model for total healthcare. We are 12-step integrated and provide evidence-based treatment for all stages of recovery.
Reach out to Lakeview Health online today and leave your dependency behind.
