Celebrate Your Sober Birthdays

In honor of sober birthdays, be sure to celebrate! Not only can celebrating a sober birthday make you happier and give you a much-deserved sense of achievement, but it’s also important to show yourself how far you’ve come. 

Sober Birthdays Are a Ritual

Sober birthdays mark the importance and significance of your sobriety. People celebrate their regular birthdays each year and the birth of family members, friends, and even historical figures because they deem them to be important days in their lives. Your sober birthday is important, too! The ritual of celebrating birth began in ancient times, although likely not to the degree that people celebrate today. However, the significance is the same. A birthday celebration brings loved ones together and celebrates the day that you were born. A sober birthday celebrates the day that your sober self came to be with the same joy and happiness. 

According to a study published by PeerJ, rituals can be found in all types of settings, but birthdays and anniversaries are the most common. This study on rituals and how they affect performance had some powerful and surprising results.

• Rituals were found to decrease performance anxiety. For your sober birthday, knowing that the day is coming up can help you think about how you will celebrate and how great that day will be — keeping you on track, one day at a time.
• Rituals decrease the neural response to failure. Researchers found that because rituals are characterized as repetition and rule-oriented fun as part of a larger sequence, the value of the ritual increases. For your sober birthday, every day you choose not to drink leads to another sober birthday, and that’s a great accomplishment! 
• Rituals can increase goal-regulated behaviors. Celebrating your sober birthday can help reinforce your goals for years to come. 
• Rituals can increase confidence and inspire positive feelings toward an impending celebration or date. Sober birthdays and anniversaries build upon one another, meaning you have more to celebrate each year. 
• Rituals are something predictable to look forward to and reinforce positive feelings in those who partake. When a sober birthday is coming up, you can look forward to preparing for it. Perhaps you will have a cake and a full-out party, or a nice dinner and quiet celebration with a few loved ones. The planning and predictability of sober birthdays help reinforce your goals. 
• Rituals create connectedness, meaning, and support. According to a study published by the Journal of Palliative Medicine, rituals form connectedness because people show their support and love when they participate. Having people attend or congratulate you on your sober birthday shows their support and love for you, and that’s always worth celebrating. 

Fun Ways to Celebrate a Sober Birthday

Whether you are planning your own sober birthday or someone else’s, there are plenty of fun ways to celebrate:

• Throw a sober birthday party. Have cake, balloons, streamers, and maybe even gifts for someone in recovery who you are proud of.
• Attend a show or musical. With the world opening back up, attending a play, musical, or show can be a nice way to dress up, go out, and be entertained. 
• Visit an amusement park. Amusement parks in Florida are open and taking reservations. Most museums and entertainment centers are open as well. Make the drive and enjoy the park safely. 
• Host a game night. Play your favorite board and card games with your nearest and dearest. 
• Host a potluck party. See what great recipes your friends can bring to share and celebrate your sobriety with.
• Make a reservation at your favorite restaurant. You know you’ll enjoy it!
• Make a reservation at a fancy restaurant you’ve never been to. Make it extra special by dressing up and treating yourself to a place you’ve never tried before. 
• Plan a camping trip. You can start in Florida with the Everglades, Dry Tortugas National Park, Biscayne National Park, and many more.
• Plan a trip to a place you’ve never been. Think of cities or towns that you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t yet. Then plan a trip for your sober birthday!
• Sign up for cooking or craft classes. Try pottery, woodworking, painting, making jewelry, or even a new skill you can use for monetary gain later.
• Plan a spa day. If self-care is something you struggle with, try a spa day and enjoy your success in sobriety.
• Attend a meeting. If you’re looking forward to your sober birthday but don’t know who to tell, that’s okay. Inspire someone else by announcing it at a meeting and showing the people there that if you can do it, so can they.

Whatever you plan for your sober birthday, do something that makes you happy and reinforces your sobriety. Avoid places that may be too tempting or risky, and do whatever it takes to make you feel safe. If you are worried about your sober birthday or struggle with anxiety about reaching sober milestones, take a deep breath and contact RECO Intensive. At RECO Intensive, we understand how monumental sober birthdays are, but we also understand that sober birthdays and other rituals sometimes come with a lot of pressure. Our specialized staff and experienced alumni can talk you through your recovery, one day at a time. We also offer treatment plans specially catered to you, including a variety of therapies to treat mental health symptoms, such as our widely-renowned adventure therapy. There is no shortage of help at RECO Intensive, and we are here to guide you through your sobriety journey. To learn more, call RECO Intensive today at (561) 464-6533.