The fourth of July is the time to celebrate the birth of our country. It is not necessary to celebrate while you are under the influence. You can enjoy yourself this fourth of July by being around your family and friends and participating in fun that you will always remember.

One way to have fun on the fourth of July is by having a sober get-together with your sober friends. Do not hang around those that will immediately go to get a beer if you go out as you do not want to be tempted to do the same. Think back to when you were young before you discovered alcohol and think of what you used to do for fun around this time. You can have a pool party with a barbeque. You can go to a bonfire where you can roast marshmallows. Find a family-friendly environment where there will be a fireworks show like at a carnival where you can feast on a funnel cake and listen to live music and go on some rides.

The fourth of July holiday can be an opportunity to volunteer and do something for someone else for a change. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, animal shelter, or at a local treatment center. It might be very rewarding for you to chair a 12 step meeting. If you are not in the mood to celebrate, you should not sit around doing nothing but service your time for others. The summertime is also a good time to do some traveling. You can find a few friends and go on a road trip together to an area where the weather is nice and where you will not find drinking crowds.

Another thing you can do is make mocktails where the goal is to create a red, white, and blue drink containing no alcohol. You can ask your friends to bring in the ingredients and make a mocktail together like using fruit punch, 7up, ginger ale, blue gatorade, etc. If it happens where the area you go to has too much alcohol and you feel like relapsing, let your friend know that you need to leave. Your sobriety is more important than any party. You can call your local hotline, head to a meeting, or call a family member. Enjoy yourself this fourth of July by being in the best of health and at your sober best.

Located in Tacoma, Washington, Bayview Center’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 888-570-7154 at as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.