July is Freedom Month at Centered Recovery
With the temperatures rising and the sun shining, it is almost time for Fourth of July celebrations to commence! With the extra day off of work, many Americans love to gather with friends and families for parades, fireworks, and cookouts. However, it is all too common for people to find themselves drinking alcohol on this special day. Being in recovery during holidays such as the Fourth of July can seem challenging and overwhelming. Memories of past holidays and being around triggering environments with alcohol can be extremely dangerous for those in recovery. Furthermore, cravings and relapse are all too common during holiday celebrations! Centered Recovery is here to help you with practical strategies to staying the course in your recovery during this holiday, and finding freedom within yourself!
Celebrating the Fourth of July in Recovery
Celebrating holidays in recovery can be challenging, but also extremely rewarding. Talk about a confidence boost in your abilities! Centered Recovery emphasizes staying mindful during the holiday celebrations and creating memories that empower you in your own sobriety. To embrace your own personal, internal freedom this Fourth of July, here are some helpful tips to put into practice!
Plan Ahead
Knowing that you are choosing to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday sober means making the effort to make plans that align with your goals for recovery. Maybe this year will look different than other years by going on a daytime picnic or going to a community event that puts less pressure on social drinking. With this purpose in mind, plan how you wish to spend your holiday to make it as enjoyable as possible for you!
Have a Support System
Spend your holiday with your support system that is respectful of your recovery. Use the support of your family, friends, and recovery communities to keep a strong mentality for the holiday. Maybe even make time to attend a support group meeting that day for extra attention to your goals. You are only as solid as the company you keep, so stick close to your support system this holiday.
Be Mindful
Take the time to truly focus on what matters this holiday through mindfulness of your thoughts and feelings, mentally and physically. Keep yourself grounded by taking the time to meditate or breathe when needed. Remember, it’s okay to take a break and separate yourself from your environment if needed. Stay mindful of what your thoughts are and try to stay present in the moment and enjoy it!
Try Making Mocktails
Make the day a little extra fun with holiday-themed mocktails that everyone can enjoy! For instance, you can use your creative side to make yummy drinks for all of your friends and family to keep everyone included in the fun. We even have some mocktail recipes below for you to try!
Inform Others of your Sobriety
If you feel comfortable, be open and honest about your choice to stay sober this holiday. As a matter of fact, you’d be surprised how many people are supportive and understanding of this decision! Maybe it can be used as a time to educate others on how to make a social environment more inclusive for alcohol-free attendees! Having accountability is also a helpful step in prioritizing your needs throughout holiday celebrations.
Take Time For Yourself
Your well-being comes before any holiday celebrations or traditions. Whether you need to step away, leave an environment, find some alone time to breathe, or need to call a friend – you can take the time that you need to stay committed to your recovery. When you are taking care of yourself, the celebrations become more enjoyable and memorable.
Mocktails for Your Fourth of July Holiday Celebration
Just because you are in recovery, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the holidays and make your experience fun! Here are some fun Fourth of July mocktail recipes to show your red, white, and blue pride.
Red, White, and Blue Layered Flag Mocktail
Ingredients:
- Ice
- Cranberry Juice
- 7-UP
- Blue Powerade
Directions:
- Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice.
- Firstly, Pour the cranberry juice about one-third of the way up each glass.
- Secondy, Slowly pour the 7-UP another third of the way up the glass.
- Thirdly, Slowly pour the blue Powerade into the top of the glass.
- Insert a straw and serve!
Firework Mocktail
Ingredients:
- Lemon-Lime Soda
- Blueberry Drink Mix
- Pineapple Juice
- Light Corn Syrup
- Red Pop Rocks Candy
Directions:
- Coat the rim of a glass with light corn syrup. Allow the corn syrup to sit for a minute to ensure maximum stickiness.
- Pour red Pop Rocks into a small plate and roll the edge of the corn syrup-coated glass rim into the Pop Rocks. Set aside.
- Combine 16 ounces of lemon-lime soda with 1 individual-sized packet of blueberry drink mix in a large glass over ice.
- Add a splash of pineapple juice.
- Strain into a Pop Rock-rimmed glass and enjoy!
What is Freedom in Recovery?
When you think of freedom, you likely think of the Declaration of Independence, the Fourth of July, and the abolishing of slavery, right? Maybe you think of our rights as free individuals within a democracy. But freedom in recovery means something completely different! Freedom in recovery encompasses many other ways of being and living.
When in active substance use, the individual’s life lacks freedom. The life of active addiction revolves around the constant use of substances and avoiding withdrawals, regardless of the other areas of their life that may suffer. Even more, there is a continuous revolving door of serving jail time or being in and out of treatment centers.
Ultimately, finding freedom in recovery means living a life of joy, fulfillment, meaning, and hope. Those who can find freedom in recovery have broken the chains that have been tying them to their way of life. Without a doubt, freedom in recovery means true internal happiness and satisfaction. These people can overcome their struggles and grow as people, cope in healthy ways, and feel self-worth and self-confidence.
However, this freedom takes time, effort, and support to build and receive. Centered Recovery is committed to you and helping you find your freedom in recovery to be free of the limitations of substance use. All in all, you are capable and the rewards are endless!
Why Centered Celebrates Freedom in Recovery
Centered Recovery thrives on recognizing our clients’ freedom from mental and behavioral roadblocks as they progress through our program. We celebrate all of our clients, current and former, and their efforts to find freedom in recovery and live a centered life. Most importantly, this Independence Day, we declare to you the opportunity to be free!
Our Freedom Month Declaration to You
“The Unanimous Declaration of Me, Myself and I
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the oppressiveness of addiction which have connected them with unhealthy substances and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness to live addiction-free. — That to secure these rights, I will seek to understand how my thoughts, actions and feelings are created, thereby removing the compulsion to follow through with every urge, craving or unhealthy thought, which grants myself once again the free will to make healthy choices for myself at all times, and to try at all times to shed the Presumptions of Truth that disallow me to Learn New Ideas.
That whenever any Form of Thinking becomes destructive of these ends, it is my Duty to recognize it for what it truly is, and to take steps to either institute new Thinking or simply allow Destructive Thinking to Pass, — That I am no longer a Slave of Thoughts or the Tyranny of my Past, and henceforth every day will be a New Beginning, which allows me the ability to enjoy Life Itself from a clear and present point of view.
I will not Take Personally the Musings of my Family or Peers, understanding that they themselves are just having Thoughts, which may or may not be true or based in an accurate perception of reality and have Compassion for those around me who are not in their Best Mental Health, and that I will strive to remember that my own Thinking may or may not be accurate based on my Mood and Quality of Mind at any given moment, thereby not Taking My Opinions Seriously to the point of discomfort or argument with those around me.
I will remember that my Innate Nature is to be Healthy and Content, and any deviation from this Center of Health is in fact cause for dis-ease within myself, both mentally and physically, and will strive to maintain the Balance that is Within through Mindfulness, Ability to Let Go of things which are discourteous to my Well-Being, and remembering that I am Only Human and therefore will Occasionally Make Decisions which are not the Most Intelligent, and Allow Myself both Grace and Amnesty when this occurs, with the Intentions of returning to my Balanced Well-Being as soon as is humanly possible.
On this, the fourth of July, 2024, I declare myself free.”
*Adapted from the original Declaration of Independence.
Contact Centered Recovery to Find Freedom Today!
Centered Recovery Programs is a mindfulness-based outpatient drug and alcohol treatment program that can help you find freedom in recovery! We offer our clients various levels of outpatient care, including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient services. For clients who have attempted sobriety in the past and were unsuccessful, our program utilizes an entirely fresh approach. We believe that support, understanding, and compassion are key to helping clients find a permanent, lasting solution that comes from within.
As a mindfulness program, we offer an incredibly effective treatment for clients struggling with depression, anxiety, and stress as well. Helping our clients see the root cause of their pain allows them to discover the key to moving beyond it. The unique program integrates common sense with cutting-edge neuroscience to illuminate how to find resilience even among the chaos, both from the past and in the future.
Are you ready to find freedom in recovery? Contact Centered Recovery drug rehab and alcohol treatment center today and embark on your journey towards freedom. Call us today at 800-556-2966 to speak with an admissions counselor!
Written by Jennifer Lopes, BS Psy
