5 Ways To Celebrate Mardi Gras Without Drinking

People in recovery, or people who are sober curious, can celebrate Mardi Gras by focusing on the traditions of the holiday, hosting sober parties, enjoying the foods of the season, and more.

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday that’s typically celebrated in cities and countries with large Roman Catholic populations.

It’s celebrated on “Fat Tuesday,” which is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

What began as a religious tradition evolved into the major cultural phenomenon it is in the States today. Now, many people celebrate with parades, week-long festivals, and alcoholic drinks.

When you stop drinking alcohol, taking part in these traditions often becomes more complicated.

5 Tips For Celebrating A Sober Mardi Gras

If you enjoy Mardi Gras and want to take part in the festivities without drinking, you can do so with some of the tips below.

1. Enjoy The Traditions

Mardi Gras is rich in culture and tradition that’s not focused on alcohol. You can celebrate the events, colors, and foods of Mardi Gras without drinking alcohol.

During the holiday season, you can:

  • go to a Mardi Gras ball with your friends and commit to staying sober
  • try king cake, a traditional sweet dessert for Mardi Gras
  • decorate your space with purple, green, and gold
  • host a sober Mardi Gras party complete with masks and bright beads
  • attend a Mardi Gras parade

2. Avoid Events With Heavy Drinking

When it comes to Mardi Gras, you’ll typically find loud, booming parties with flamboyant costumes and alcohol.

If you know this will be a trigger for you and you’re not stable enough in your recovery to avoid drinking when you’re surrounded by others drinking, choose not to attend those events.

You can still enjoy the festivities of the season and host or go to parties, you just may want to stick with the lower-risk situations.

For example, you and your friends or family might throw a party for Mardi Gras where you know you’ll be safe and supported by people who understand your desire not to drink.

3. Have An Exit Strategy

If you find yourself still missing out on the events you want to go to that do involve drinking, you may be able to do so with a plan in place.

Go to the party, Mardi Gras ball, or another event with an exit strategy in mind so you don’t end up experiencing more than you can handle.

Your exit strategy might mean having a friend with you at the party who’s ready to leave with you so when you start to feel cravings to drink or use drugs, you can leave quietly.

Understand your triggers and limits before going to an event where alcohol will be served, and plan out how you’ll respond to those situations.

4. Enjoy The Foods

You can also indulge in Mardi Gras-inspired foods over the holiday. This might include king cake, Creole foods, spicy New Orleans foods, and others.

If you like seafood, you can get into the Mardi Gras spirit with a crawfish étouffée or a crawfish boil. Invite your friends and family over for the celebration and enjoy the tradition together.

And if you’re not one for cooking, you can visit Cajun restaurants during the celebration. New Orleans, the heart of Mardi Gras in the U.S., is full of Cajun options.

5. Attend A Church Event

You can avoid events and celebrations with alcohol by attending a church event for Mardi Gras.

Many Catholic churches across the U.S. host parties that celebrate the religious roots of the holiday before the season of Lent begins.

At one of these events, you may learn about the history of Mardi Gras, the religious implications of the holiday, the foods, art, and music associated with Mardi Gras, and more.

Focus On Sobriety Over Mardi Gras

It can be especially challenging to stay sober over holidays with heavy drinking such as Mardi Gras.

Whether you’re sober curious and trying out a month of no drinking or you’ve been to a drug or alcohol rehab center for addiction treatment, you can stay sober on holidays that involve heavy drinking or binge drinking.

This year, focus on your sobriety and recovery. The parties and events can be fun, but nothing is more important than your recovery and mental health.

Practice self-care, start your days off right with meditation and mindfulness, go to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, and get the support of friends and loved ones.

Get Help For Addiction

Treatment for alcohol addiction in Massachusetts is available. We have a range of rehab services targeted at treating alcohol addiction, drug addiction, and other substance use disorders.

To learn about your options for addiction recovery, reach out to Spring Hill Recovery Center today.

  1. History.com — Mardi Gras 2022 https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mardi-gras
  2. Mardi Gras New Orleans — Mardi Gras Traditions https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/traditions/
  3. NewOrleans.com — MARDI GRAS HISTORY AND TRADITIONS https://www.neworleans.com/events/holidays-seasonal/mardi-gras/history-and-traditions/

Written by Spring Hill Recovery Editorial Team

© 2024 Spring Hill Recovery | All Rights Reserved

* This page does not provide medical advice.

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