Top 10 Tips for Surviving Your Family Christmas without Alcohol

SYDNEY - Dec. 22, 2015 - PRLog -- The family Christmas gathering can be a very difficult event for the person who has decided to quit drinking. The combination of alcohol and the people who know how and what you like to drink can be a potent mix designed to break even the strongest person’s resolve.

An addictions expert has provided a list of 10 techniques to help those who don’t want to drink this year avoid the pressure to have ‘just one glass’ at the family celebration.

“It might be easy enough to decline a drink at a social event or the work Christmas party, but when you celebrate with your family, the pressure to drink can be much stronger,” Director of Beat Alcohol & Drug Addiction, Jenny Tinworth, says.

“These are the people who know you best and what you drink. They may even regard you as the life of the family party, once you’ve got a few drinks under your belt. If so, you can bet they won’t want you to stay sober!

“And they won’t hesitate about giving you their opinion.”

Ms Tinworth has provided a number of techniques to help non-drinkers navigate the family Christmas gathering successfully.

1. Prepare and plan ahead
Take some time in advance to think about the family gathering. Think about how you might respond to different situations. What will be the drinking trigger points? What pressure do you think different people might place on you? Work out how you will respond.

2. Don’t make a big deal about not drinking
Be discreet about avoiding alcohol and have a non-alcoholic drink in your hand at all times. The odds are that a significant number of family members won’t even realise you’re not indulging.

3. Health reasons
There are plenty of reasons to avoid a Christmas drink – a cold, headache or prescribed medication are all sensible excuses to skip the grog. Or you might prefer to say you are dieting or giving your body a month-long ‘detox’.

4. Avoid the drinking spots
If there are times and places where your family drinks, avoid those areas. For instance, they might drink around the barbecue while the meat cooks or while everyone is lounging around post-lunch. That might be the time to be busy in the kitchen or playing a game with the kids.

5. Alternative drinks
Often it’s not what you are drinking that matters, just that you have a drink or your hand. Fill your glass with something non-alcoholic, sip it slowly, and many people won’t realise it’s not the real thing.

6. Other commitments
Tell family you have to focus because you’ve got to work, train or study in the morning and you will need a clear head.

7. Be firm
If you need to give a reason for not drinking, say it with confidence. Don’t stammer or mutter a half-hearted excuse. Look the other person in the eye, and state clearly why you aren’t drinking.

8. Get support
Enlist the support of another family member who will be sympathetic to your cause. Brief them up in advance, so they can tactfully change the subject or call you away if someone is giving you a difficult time.

9. Use humour or sarcasm
If being serious isn’t getting you any peace, perhaps it’s time to make a joke of the situation or try a little sarcasm. Not many people will know quite how to respond if you turn to them and say “Last time I had a drink, I felt like getting an axe and murdering someone. That’s not on my bucket list today”.

10. Have fun
It’s a bit sad that so many people seem to think that alcohol is required to have a good time. A common complaint about non-drinkers is that they are ‘no fun’. Show your family this is not true. Make the occasion fun – get out a board game, play some table tennis, tell old family stories, or do whatever non-drinking activity your family enjoys.

For more information, visit www.BeatAlcoholandDrugAddiction.com.