Planning a Sober Holiday Morning
A holiday can take away the ordinary cues that get you out of bed, fed and in touch with people. Decide what the first hour will look like while you still know where you’ll wake up and who will be around. Leave room for the rest of the day to change.
Plan the hour you actually have
If you are waking up at home, put out what you need for breakfast the night before. If you’re staying with family, ask when people expect to eat and whether you can make something earlier. A cup of tea and a place to sit may give you enough room to decide what comes next.
Choose an activity that fits the setting. A short walk in an unfamiliar area needs a route you can find. If everyone is sleeping, you might read or write in a room away from the bedrooms. Put your shoes, charger or book where you can reach them quietly.
When you are staying overnight for a gathering, use the sober Thanksgiving visit guide to talk through the household arrangements. A morning plan can be as small as knowing when the kitchen opens and where you can make a private call.
Confirm one point of contact
Ask a person if they will be available and agree on a time. “Are you free for a quick call between eight and nine on Thursday?” is easier to answer than “Can I call sometime?” Check the time zone if you’re traveling. If they’re busy, arrange a different time or decide where you’ll look for another option.
If a meeting is part of the plan, check its holiday hours and format. The AA holiday alkathon guide explains what to check when a local group runs a longer holiday gathering. Save the address or access instructions before the morning so you can find them even if the day starts early.
For a trip where group plans are built around drinking, our wine country weekend guide covers agreeing on independent activities and ways to rejoin. Confirm the first place you need to be before committing to anything else.
Decide where the morning plan ends
Give yourself a time to check the family schedule or begin getting ready. If you’re hosting, tell another person which task they can take while you make your call or eat. Keep the request short enough that it can be acted on while people are doing other things.
If the first plan falls through, choose the next action that still fits. If the call moves later, have breakfast and set a reminder. If the meeting time changed, check the new details and decide whether a different time is realistic. One change doesn’t have to decide the shape of the whole day.
A holiday sometimes overlaps with a sober date. Use our guide to an anniversary during a work shift for ideas on picking a quiet time and keeping any public recognition separate from your other commitments.
Write down the first three actions you want to take. For example, have something to eat, send a text at eight, then check when people are leaving. Put the list where you’ll see it in the morning. If one item is already handled, skip to the next.
Medallions to consider
If a holiday is also your anniversary, decide privately whether you want a numbered keepsake or another way to mark it.
The photos show sample milestones. Confirm your choice in the Sobriety Time selector.
Tricolor Opulent Deep Blue Diamond Sparkle
Elite deep-blue design with a stone-set triangle. The selector lists 18 months and annual milestones from 1 to 65 years.
Tricolor Glittering Silver
Deluxe silver-colored design. The selector lists annual milestones from 1 to 40 years.
Common questions
Do I have to wake at my usual time?
Pick a window that makes sense for the day ahead. Keep the parts of your routine you’re likely to use.
What if others are already celebrating when I get up?
Choose somewhere you can settle for a few minutes. Tell the host when you’ll join if they’re expecting you.
Keep reading
Compare designs and milestone options in Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins.
If you’ll see relatives on screen, our short sober holiday call guide has wording for agreeing when to start and finish.
