October 29: Planning for the Halloween Party

There’s a Halloween party coming up. You want to go. You’re also nervous. Both can be true.

For a lot of adults, Halloween has become a drinking holiday. Costume parties. Themed cocktails. Punch bowls with dry ice. Bars running specials. People who barely drink the rest of the year treat it as a night to let loose. And when everyone is in costume, it can feel like normal rules don’t apply.

If you’re in recovery, that’s worth thinking about now, not at nine o’clock on the night itself.

The proverb says a prudent person sees danger and hides from it, while the simple keep going and pay for it. That’s not fear. That’s wisdom. You’re allowed to see trouble coming and plan for it. In fact, that’s exactly what a sober person does.

So ask yourself honestly: should I go at all? There’s no shame in skipping it. If it’s early in your sobriety, or if this crowd is mostly about drinking, staying home might be the strongest choice you make all week. Handing out candy at your front door is a perfectly good Halloween.

If you do decide to go, make a plan.

Bring your own drink, something you like, so your hands are full. Drive yourself, so you can leave whenever you want. Decide ahead of time when you’ll leave, and tell someone. Bring a sober friend if you can. Have someone you can call or text from the bathroom if things get hard. Know what you’ll say if someone offers you a drink. A simple “No thanks, I’m good” is plenty.

And make a deal with yourself: if you start to feel the pull, you leave. No debate. No negotiating. You walk out, get in the car, and call someone on the way home. That’s not failure. That’s the plan working.

Step Ten helps here too. Before the party, do a quick check. What are your motives for going? Is any part of you hoping for an excuse? Be honest with yourself. Then pray and make your choice.

One thing today

Write a short plan for the party: how you’ll get there, what you’ll drink, when you’ll leave, and who you’ll call. Share it with one sober person.

A prayer

Lord, help me see clearly before this party. Give me wisdom to know whether to go, and a solid plan if I do. Keep me sober, and bring me home safe. Amen.

Planning ahead is part of Step Ten thinking.

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