Here are 5 tips to help you stay sober as the holidays approach. If you are an alcoholic, getting sober is one of the hardest things you can do, staying sober will be the hardest, and you need all the help you can get. Read these tips, one of them can save your life.

1. Stay away from slippery places. Only attend a function where alcohol is served if you have a legitimate reason for being there.

2. Don’t depend on someone else to drive you home after the event. Drive your own car and make sure you park so you don’t get blocked. If you don’t have a car, make sure you have a taxi ticket and a cell phone. You should also have your sponsor’s phone number.

3. Know what you’re going to drink before you arrive and ask for something that comes in a can or bottle that you can open yourself. Stay away from ‘mocktails’ or ‘near beer’!

4. If you have to put down your drink to use the bathroom, or for another reason, get a new one. Do not pick up your old drink, it may have been tampered with and you also risk picking up the wrong drink.

5. Be very aware of everything that goes on in your mouth. Many Christmas treats are laced with alcohol. The liquor-filled chocolates, the rum balls, the tiramisu are relapses waiting to happen. Remember that you are allergic to alcohol, and even a little can trigger your physical craving. You may not even know why, if you were careless with what you ate.

Be good to yourself. You deserve to be happy, joyful, and free, and live to see another season, and the best gift you can give your loved ones is a healthy you.