Trick or Treat Archives - Visions Treatment Centers

How To Have a Safe, Sober and Fun Halloween

Happy Halloween (Photo credit: Professor Bop)

Did you know that more people drink and drive on Halloween than many other holidays?
“Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that Halloween is among one of the most deadly holidays for drunk driving. For the holiday period — from October 30 through 5:59 a.m. on November 1, 2011 — 74 people died nationwide in a crash involving a drunk driver, a 21 percent increase over the average number of drunk driving deaths per day.” via MADD

We understand that Halloween can be a trigger for some people, particularly those who are newly in recovery, so it’s important to create some guidelines and parameters with which to navigate the holiday. If you were once an enthusiastic celebrant of Halloween, doing it sober may cause you panic and despair. Don’t worry, below are some safe, and fun suggestions. Remember, if this holiday is too triggering for you, you can make it a non-event: go to a meeting, hang out with friends, and keep it simple. If it creates stress, it’s not worth it.

Plan something with people who are committed to being sober
Surround yourself with people who can hold you accountable.
Be honest with yourself and with those around you: talk about your triggers if you have them!
Don’t go to a party where you know there will be drugs and/or alcohol.
Create a relapse prevention plan using tools you’ve learned at Visions to create a good exit strategy if you should need one.

There are an abundance of sober activities you can do on Halloween, especially as part of the young people’s fellowship. You can:

Be of service to your family: take your little brother or sister out to trick or treat.
Have a scary movie night
Have a monster themed dance party
You can go on the Haunted Hay Ride with sober friends
Some fellowships may have a Halloween themed dance or event.
Host a sober Halloween party with spooky treats and an eerie Halloween music mix
Make a creepy, crawly scavenger hunt

This list can go on. I trust that you can come up with a fun sober activity! The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself, stay accountable in your recovery, and endlessly tickle that funny bone. Embrace this new side of yourself. Being present and aware is a wonderful thing to behold!

Boo! It’s Hallow’s Eve!

Ah, Hallow’s Eve, the one day during the year where one can don masks, dress like anyone

or anything they want, and of course, eat lots and lots of candy. To celebrate this phenomena, there are parties galore, some of which happened this past weekend, and some that will occur this evening. Here are some reminders for party savoir faire:

Bring your own drinks if you’re concerned that there won’t be any non-alcoholic treats for you.
Make sure you have sober friends with you or are surrounded by people who respect your sobriety.
Let your sober network know where you’ll be.
Does your destination have a high-relapse factor? Rethink your plans. Maybe there’s something else you can do instead.
Have fun. Sobriety doesn’t mean you get to lose your sense of humor. Trust me on this. I act silly all the time, and I’m in my sober teens!
Have a plan. Parties and social events aren’t the time to try flying by the seat of your pants. When confronted with temptation, we’re not always skilled at making the best choices.

Most important thing of all? Have a good time. Sure, the times of trick-or-treating may be in our recent past, but dressing up and laughing until your belly hurts is never out of style.