A sober (not somber) summer.

• Author: Graubart, Michael
• Position: SOCIOLOGICALLY SPEAKING

HEY, RECOVERING ALCOHOLICS, the summer drinking season is here. So, what could go wrong?--plenty if you do not have a plan for getting through the next couple of months sober. In Alcoholics Anonymous, we call the period from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year's Day the "Bermuda Triangle" of sobriety--many alkies come in, but not all make it through. If anything, summer is more dangerous for people in recovery because there are so many social cues to drink. What is a recovering alkie or addict to do?

Here is some kitchen-tested advice that gets passed along the Twelve-Step meetings as holiday periods approach:

Have an exit strategy. Even before you get to the event, whether it is a barbecue, wedding, holiday party, have a plan for leaving as soon as you feel uncomfortable. When everybody's drinking, the pace of conversation and behavior in general seems to accelerate suddenly. This is an extremely uncomfortable moment for people newly in recovery, and sometimes even for those who have been clean and sober a long time.

When that moment arises, you want to have a plan for leaving. Did you come in your own car? Can you call Uber or a cab? Will public transportation work, or can you just walk out of there? Do not stick around once the drinking heats up. You will not be missed. Everyone else will be too drunk to remember whether you stayed or left.

Get a drink. As soon as you get to the event, go to the bar or beverage area and get yourself a soft drink or juice--and carry it with you everywhere. People are far less likely to offer you a drink, or force a drink on you, if you already are holding one. If people ask you what you are drinking, tell the truth. The more insistent they get that you should be drinking, the more likely it is that they need a program, too.

If you put your drink down, even for a microsecond, it no longer is your drink. Go back and get a new one--because alkies have this very slick...