Dr. Alberto Sola is one of the world’s leading experts in medically-based ibogaine treatment; he has more clinical experience with safe and effective ibogaine administration than any other M.D. in the world today.
Congratulations! You made it! You have been clean and sober for a year (or two, or three, or five, or ten!) and now it’s time to celebrate. Successfully walking along the recovery path is an incredible achievement, and one that should be recognized. It has been a long, hard, challenging journey to get to where you are right now, and you deserve a pat on the back for that. Who knows where you would be right now if you hadn’t sought and found help, and although you surely thank your lucky starts for your new life and all your successes every day, there’s no better day for a full on celebration than on your yearly anniversary.
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate your achievements in this realm, and a wide variety of healthy, happy, drug and alcohol-free ways to do so. Read on to find out the why, where, and how of addiction recovery anniversary celebrations.
Why Celebrate?
Since your years or even decades of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction are in your past, and are likely a part of your past you’d love to forget, it’s easy to just let your sobriety anniversary pass without even acknowledging it. You’re a different person now, and are on the straight and narrow recovery path with no signs of stopping this trajectory. However, despite all this, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate the day you decided to make a change and the day you knew you would never go back to that suffering.
Celebrating recovery anniversaries can remind you of your personal power and how far you have come. As the months and years tick on by, you will become more in awe of your success and will become more and more proud of yourself. Recovery is never truly easy, but as each year goes by it does get easier, and as you get further from the version of yourself who used drugs and alcohol, you will see that this is something you can continuously maintain. You will slowly become more acquainted with the real you, and will be reminded of why you never want to go back down that dark tunnel. Celebrating anniversaries will only help you to build even more strength against temptation and triggers.
Further, celebrating recovery anniversaries will remind you to reflect on your journey and will encourage you to look hopefully towards the future. Even in recovery, everyone encounters problems in their lives. Reminding yourself how far you have come will help you to look more confidently and positively towards the future.
Finally, it’s important to celebrate recovery anniversaries because doing so can help to trigger immense amounts of gratitude within you. Each year, when you look back upon your recovery journey, you will naturally express thankfulness that you managed to get out of it alive and to begin a new and healthy life. It’s a great time of year to give thanks for your part in this change, but also to reach out to those who helped you along the way. It takes a village for an individual to successfully recover, and taking a day or week to celebrate your anniversary will surely remind you of that.
Ideas for Celebrating Your Recovery Anniversary
The possibilities are endless when it comes to planning an enjoyable and appropriate recovery anniversary celebration. Of course, no drugs and alcohol can be included in any way, but a year or more into your journey, you surely know that already.
Here are some fantastic ideas for recovery anniversary celebrations, and what appeals to you will vary based on your interests and personality. Perhaps you want to have a big event that includes many of your friends, family, and other supporters, or maybe a small, intimate dinner is more your speed. Whatever you choose, your celebration will be special because you chose something you enjoy, and you and your guests are celebrating you!
- Go out to a fancy dinner. Whether you go out to dinner with the love of your life, a group of sober friends, or a group of people who have supported you along the way, a nice meal is a great way to commemorate your sober anniversary. You’ll likely be asked to make a speech or statement and surely others will take turns telling you how happy they are for you – but hey, that’s what celebrations are all about!
- Get out in nature. There’s nothing quite like connecting with the natural world and thinking about your place in it. Have a picnic or barbeque with friends, go hiking, or spend a few days camping. Breathe in the air and take in the scenery, and give thanks that you are able to enjoy all of this.
- Go to an amusement park. Nothing says fun quite like an amusement park where you can spend your day laughing, smiling, and riding rides, and getting your thrills the natural way. You’ll surely have people who want to accompany you on this celebratory trip, so get a crew together and get out there.
- You made it and are living your life the way you always dreamed, but there are many people who could benefit from your help. Give thanks for all the help you received when you needed it by giving back to those less fortunate than you. Choose a cause that is important to you and spend your day volunteering your time and energy to make a change in the world.
- Have a party. Who doesn’t like a party? By now you know that a part is more than just drinking and doing drugs, so why don’t you throw a sober celebration? This will be a fun gathering for your sober and non-sober friends alike. A party is really the true definition of a celebration, after all!
- Run a race. Surely, when you were drinking and using drugs you would not have been very successful in running even a short race, let alone a half of full marathon, but now that you are focused on your health, anything is possible. This sort of celebration will surely take some long term planning (and training) but crossing that finish line is a great way to celebrate your successes all around.
- Hire a photographer. When was the last time you had professional photos taken? A great way to commemorate your anniversary is getting individual or family portraits shot by a professional photographer. This is a great way to remember the day, and to help you recognize how great you look and how far you have come.
- Treat yourself to a spa day. Pamper yourself – you deserve it! Go all in and spend a whole day at the spa. Get a massage, a facial, a mani/pedi, and any other treatments they may offer. Think about the days that you spent all your money on drugs or alcohol and how awful you always felt afterwards. This is certainly the polar opposite of that.
- Plan for the future. The past is behind you (thank goodness) but the future still lies ahead. You can do anything you set your mind to, obviously, so why not make plans based on your dreams? Life planning can be very motivational, and thinking about all you plan to accomplish in the years ahead can be very inspiring, indeed. Get your ideas down on paper and start tackling them now – in recovery, the world is truly your oyster!
- Go to a meeting. It’s likely that meetings have been a big part of your recovery journey even if you don’t go consistently anymore. Going to a meeting is a great way to celebrate your recovery anniversary. Besides the fact you will earn a token to carry around with you, you are now an inspiration to others there, too. Everyone will be so proud of you because they truly understand, and you may be able to help someone else take steps towards their own anniversary soon.
No matter how you choose to celebrate your recovery anniversary, it’s a celebration that should be celebrated now and onward into the future. Recovery is a huge achievement and it should be recognized. Whether you choose the same type of celebration each year or mix it up as each year passes, it’s as big a deal as your birthday, if not more so, so get out there and celebrate! Congrats!
At our ibogaine treatment center Mexico, we want to help you to take the first steps on your recovery from drug or alcohol dependence. Our ibogaine detox treatment is ancient yet innovative, and has helped countless individuals make a new start. Our staff is experienced and effective, our facility is beautiful and tropical, and we are standing by to answer your questions. Please contact us today.