It's St. Patrick's Day, and You Know What That Means

March 15,2013

Saint Patrick's Day to a person in recovery can be a tough day indeed, especially to those involved in an alcohol addiction treatment program. But there are ways to cope these situations...

It's St. Patrick's Day, and You Know What That Means

Yes, St. Patrick's Day. It's a celebration of the date of Saint Patrick's death, which was March 17th, in the year 461. Within the Catholic Church, it is a day of solemnity and a holy day of obligation. Outside of Ireland however, almost everyone knows it's a day of wearing green, celebrating being Irish, and drinking.

To Americans, the only celebration given by most people is the wearing of something green, finding a four-leaf clover, and drinking with your buddies. To a person in recovery, it can be a tough day indeed, especially those involved in an alcohol addiction treatment program.

It is often said that an alcoholic may be a thousand drinks away from his last, but only one drink away from a drunk. Alcoholics are in reality, simply addicted to alcohol. Yes, they can drink, but they can't stop with only one. One becomes three, or five, or ten, or a case of beer, or a couple bottles of vodka, but it is never just one. And it isn't that they don't want to stop, it's that they can't. The substance is like a magnet, pulling their bodies toward a drink; the pull is so strong that a fight against it is effortless. They cannot win”at least not alone.

So how do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day without drinking? Maybe you can't. Maybe you have to pass off celebrating certain holidays to maintain your sobriety. Or maybe you can celebrate it in a way that doesn't involve alcohol. That surely beats watching others have fun from the sidelines.

You can have a sober party, inviting friends and family to a feast of fun, food, and games. You can spend the day in your house of worship, or attending meetings and helping others to work through the day. You can go to work and make it a normal day. And if you can find happiness within you, then you can be happy without drinking.

When you are able to enjoy your life without altering your existence through drugs or alcohol, you'll begin to taste the beauty that has been in front of you for many years. The difference is that now you'll appreciate it.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day, and stay sober!

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Florida Center For Recovery's Alcohol Addiction Treatment Program provides education on the cycle of addiction, in an effort to help each individual identify behaviors in the cycle and side-step relapse before it occurs. When an individual recognizes behaviors such as non-compliance with medication, excessive stress, denial or reduced effort in recovery groups such as NA, then the individual can STOP the relapse before it begins. It is vital that you or your loved receive professional treatment at a medically-supervised private facility center; it is safe, reliable, and effective. For more information on our addiction treatment programs, reach us at:

Florida Center for Recovery “ Addiction Treatment Center: 1-800-960-5041 MyFloridaCenterforRecovery.com Â©

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MARK KILLAR

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