Valentine’s Day is a holiday where you celebrate love with the people that you love. You may have thought that you loved drugs and alcohol but it ended up being a poisonous relationship that left you sick. It is important that you find sober ways to enjoy yourself on Valentine’s Day that do not involve drugs or alcohol, and focus on loving people and yourself. Coming up with nice ways to spend the day is also helpful if you’re dating someone with addiction.
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Staying Sober Over Valentine’s Day
One idea is to go to a museum in your area to explore the art and culture around you. Look at different works of art by different artists who have different emotions and ways of viewing the world. Take notice of the colors they use, the patterns, and what they may have been thinking when they created something like this. These are things you may not have noticed when you were under the influence. The best thing about museums is that you can spend as much time as you want there and to stay until closing.
You can also invite some people to come over and cook together. Make everyone’s favorite foods with no alcoholic beverages in sight. Or, you can make a new recipe that no one has ever had before. Dedicate the day to making a full course meal with appetizers, salads, the main course, and dessert. You will surprise yourself by how much you have accomplished and how yummy your creation tastes.
Picnics
Another romantic idea is to plan a picnic. Get some sparkling grape soda instead of bringing a bottle of wine. Bring your favorite dishes to share with that special someone along with some lit-up candles. Pick your favorite spot in your area to have this picnic. Maybe you can find an area that has a great view, like the beach, a park, or your favorite spot in the city that has the best sunset.
Going Out
There is also nothing like going to dinner and a movie. When you go to a restaurant, make reservations and immediately tell the person you are speaking with not to serve you or place a drinks menu at your table. Make sure it is somewhere intimate where it is not too noisy and where you and your partner can have polite conversation.
Go to a movie theater that does not serve alcohol at the concession stand. If you are worried that the only movie theater near you has alcohol and will feel triggered, have your partner order your snacks while head over to your seat. Going to a movie will give you the opportunity to laugh at the spectacle displaying on the big screen or maybe you will get scared if you are watching a horror film. Either way, it will be a memorable experience that you can share with someone.
A coffee shop is another place you and your loved one can go to where you can order a hot cup of coffee or an ice cold drink. Here are two excellent ideas:
- Bring a pack of cards to the coffee shop and sit on a comfortable couch or chair rather than the barstools at the bar.
- Go to a coffee shop that has live entertainment, like a band or spoken word poetry to soothe your ears. You can feel more relaxed and drink a beverage that will not destroy your health, work, or social life.
Local Events
Check your area to see if there are any local events occurring near you, such as a carnival, a concert, an art showing, or anything else where you can make memories with your significant other.
Bowling is a fun sober activity as you can cheer victory whenever you knock the pins down, get a strike, or a spare. And you can laugh when the ball does not touch the pins. You can make it competitive and pick teams to make the game more fun.
Since it is never too late to learn anything new, you can take a class in ballroom dancing, cooking, painting, etc. This will bring you and your partner closer together as you help each other out and both learn this new skill. If the weather is nice, you can go for a hike and take a look at the beautiful sights. Take pictures or a video so that you can cherish these memories forever.
A Scavenger Hunt
If you want to be creative, you can let the one you love know how much you love him or her by making a scavenger hunt. You can plant clues at places that defined your relationship such as where you met, had your first date, first kiss, etc. Then, you can lead that person back to your apartment for a nice home-cooked meal. Your partner may have been used to seeing you faithful to your drug of choice and still stuck by you through your struggles. This scavenger hunt will show you how strong your relationship is and bring back happy moments of the two of you.
Enjoy a Sober Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is not just about loving your significant other but is also about loving yourself. You did not think much of yourself when you were high or drunk. Give your family a call and let them know how you are. You can also write a love letter to yourself of everything that makes you proud of yourself.
By picking any of these sober Valentine’s Day date ideas, you will learn to appreciate everything around you as well as the people in your life and yourself.
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Located in Tacoma, Washington, Bayview Recovery’s mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services to treat a number of substance abuse disorders along with anxiety and depression using cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, yoga therapy, and more for a successful recovery.
For more information, please call us at 855.478.3650. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
