Happy Thanksgiving from The Hub!

While the holidays are a joyful time for many, we recognize they can also be a difficult time for people for a variety of reasons. Below you will find articles about coping with grief, maintaining sobriety and incorporating gratitude into your life. Please remember, you are never alone. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or chat online at 988lifeline.org/chat

We wish you a peaceful, healthy start to the holiday season!
The Benefits of Gratitude and How to Get Started

There are plenty of reasons to practice gratitude, including benefits to your overall mental health and well-being. Practicing gratitude can mean different things to different people. From daily journaling to evening prayers, gratitude practice...

Read more
www.healthline.com
64 Tips for Coping with Grief at the Holidays

Once upon a time, I made this random list of 64 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Grief. In response, our readers shared about a zillion things they would add to the list.

Read more
whatsyourgrief.com
Warm Lines

Warm Lines are telephone services staffed by people with psychiatric disabilities who offer phone support to their peers. These lines are not crisis lines and the hours of operation vary at each facility. Online support groups can be helpful when ...

Read more
portal.ct.gov
10 Tips to Prepare for Holiday Celebrations When You
Aren't Drinking Alcohol
If you are in recovery and trying to maintain your sobriety, here are some tips from SMARTrecovery.org to help you prepare to attend holiday celebrations as a non-drinker:

  1. Take a sober friend with you if possible
  2. Ask what the alternative drinks will be; do you need to bring your own beverage?
  3. Go in with an inward attitude of pride in not drinking (not outwardly obnoxious)
  4. Have an exit strategy if you get too uncomfortable (e.g., fake emergency or engagement)
  5. Make sure your car is not parked in a spot where it is blocked in by other cars
  6. Don’t volunteer to be the designated driver as that requires that you stay until the end of the event
  7. Have your own transportation or means of getting away
  8. Observe the people pounding the drinks down; ask yourself if they are really witty, popular, etc. or just incoherent and not very interesting?
  9. Remind yourself of the actual purpose of the gathering
  10. Personalize this list by adding your own ideas

You can still enjoy a festive looking drink. Try one of these mocktail recipes.

Looking for recovery support?

Resource & Support Group Guides
The Hub: Behavioral Health Action Organization for Southwestern CT
A division of the Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership (RYASAP) 

Newsletter designed and created in collaboration with Daydream Communications, LLC