Holiday Gift Guide For the Sober Person in Your Life
/I realize that like a lot of times in life, I’m late with this holiday gift guide, but these particular gifts can be purchased throughout the year for any sober person in your life! It’s nice when people give thoughtful gifts that are personalized. It makes us feel special, like the people in our life really know us, and care about our happiness and wellbeing. During the holidays alcohol is often given as a gift without a second thought. It can be hurtful and disappointing for those of us in recovery. I curated a short list of gifts I know I would personally love to receive as a woman in recovery, and I’m sure others in recovery would as well.
She Recovers apparel - She Recovers is one of the first Facebook pages I found and followed in recovery and the creators have become my dear friends. In fact, I’m currently enrolled in recovery coach training with a She Recovers designation! Taryn and Dawn are doing big things to help women in recovery. Why not help those in your life recover out loud with a She Recovers t-shirt or sweatshirt? Ten percent of their earnings will go towards cultivating diversity in our community, including subsidizing women who lack the financial resources to participate in She Recovers programs.
Home Podcast Shirts - If you aren’t listening to Holly Whittaker and Laura McKowen’s Home podcast, you’re missing out. Their weekly talks are a staple for my own recovery and they cover topics that range from mom shame, to sex in recovery, to hosting guests like Glennon Doyle and Melissa Febos. Plus they’ve designed a ton of kickass shirts including ones that say, “Teetotaler,” “Sorry I’m late I didn’t want to come,” and “Feminist, Sober, Killjoy.” All totally relatable.
Meditation pillow - I have one of these and it’s one of my favorite purchases! It makes meditation easier, fun, and comfortable! Meditation pillows can range in price and there are a ton of different colors and designs. Give thought to the butt of your loved one in recovery and purchase them a cushion!
Sober AF Coffee Mug - I have this mug and it’s one of my favorites! God Then Coffee has a variety of coffee mugs for people in recovery and they are all cool! Additionally, they offer recovery gift baskets, gifts for sponsors, spiritual candles and prints.
Journals - People in recovery are always writing, journaling, or making gratitude lists. A nice journal or beautiful planner can go a long way. Whether you’re doing step work, organizing your life, or just writing down what you’re grateful for, using fun pens, pencils and paper can help.
Calendar - Cute calendars with rip off pages are all the rage. There are even calendars with quotes, goals, insights, news, facts, or other fun daily topics. I recently purchased Gretchen Rubin’s 2018 Happier Page-A-Day calendar and I can’t wait to use it. Another option is Notes from the Universe 2018 Guided Calendar, but they are already sold out of the print version - only the PDF downloadable version is available.
Quote cards - Having physical quote card decks is a fun way to set your intentions for the day, or meditate on a certain thought or idea, or even just hand them out to your friends and family. I have Danielle Laporte’s first truthbomb card deck and I love sticking the quote cards in friends’ birthday or holiday cards, or hanging them up around my house.
SodaStream - It’s no secret that those of us in recovery are low-key obsessed with fizzy water. My recycling bin is always filled to the brim with La Croix, Polar, Dasani, and any other brand of sparkling water that is on sale in my local Publix. A SodaStream would be the perfect addition for anyone trying to save money and reduce their trash intake. Make that fizzy water in the comfort of your own home!
Support Sober Moms - In recovery I’ve met some kickass women who are helping others get sober, and Julie Maida is one of them. Sober Mommies is a non-profit organization and was created to provide support and mentorship to mothers who are in or seeking recovery. Their website includes resources, personal stories and articles about addiction and recovery, and they also have a private Facebook group, and some in-person support groups for moms in the Boston area. Julie is accepting donations to help the moms she works with and would love your support as a holiday gift. When you support Sober Mommies, you support the mothers it serves, the children of those mothers, families, and communities.
“Sober” shirt - The Phoenix is a sober active community that provides free gym memberships and other active events to people with at least 48 hours of continuous sobriety. The Phoenix promotes the power of community and redefining identity in order to keep individuals strong on their pathway to recovery. With each workout, a person can become more aligned with the identity of a runner, crossfitter, yogi, etc, instead of solely being defined by their substance use disorder. I own two of the Phoenix’s sober shirts and I love wearing them to my own gym! It’s a great way to show your pride as a sober athlete and support an organization who helps folks stay sober and find what exercise works for them.
Give the Bloom Club - And finally, this is a gift that keeps giving year round. For anyone you know who may be sober, sober-curious, wanting more information about recovery, or looking for recovery tribe, give the gift of the Bloom Club! The Bloom Club is a subscription based recovery club offering bi-monthly classes and community developed by Carly Benson and I. We would love to have you or your loved ones in our group as we bloom together. Sign up here.
