Holidays are in full swing, with Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, there will be plenty of upcoming holidays to celebrate and many get-togethers, parties, and dinners that are naturally going to have drinks served. When having a family member or friend that is new to recovery, the single biggest mistake a well-meaning host makes is singling them out and treating them special, and by default, different. Most people working on their sobriety don’t want to be “different” from anyone else, especially when it involves alcohol. Some will go to lengths to disguise their beverage as a customary alcoholic drink to blend with the crowd. Alcoholics, whether they are recovering or still practicing, pay close attention to what others are drinking, alcohol content or not. However, other people rarely notice what everyone else is consuming, especially once they get sloppy drunk.

Only Serve Non Alcoholic Drinks & Mocktails at Christmas & Holiday Parties

The second biggest mistake the host commonly makes is to assume responsible for the recovering alcoholic to be comfortable and still have as good of a time as the other guests who are allowing the alcohol to free them from their current stresses. There is virtually nothing one can do to make a newly sober alcoholic comfortable and it is in no way your responsibility to ensure their comfort. If you want to keep the alcoholic beverages off the guest list, that often helps. Everyone is still having pleasant conversation, sharing laughable stories, playing exciting games, eating good food; and consuming delicious, non-alcoholic drinks can be just as enjoyable. It will help the recovering alcoholic not feel different being the only one drinking the plain cider nor will it single them out if the alcohol simply isn’t available.

Non Alcoholic Punch & Mocktail Drink Recipes
With that in mind, we at Meehab Addiction Recovery would like to offer some alternative beverages that are ideally served with your holiday event.

Grinch Punch: Perfect for adults and kids alike; delicious with hidden veggies for nutritional goodness.
Fresh Spinach
Fresh Strawberries
Frozen or Pre-made Lemonade
Directions:
1) Puree fresh strawberries in the blender and fill heart-shaped (or your preference) ice cube tray and let it freeze until firm.
2) Combine 2 parts lemonade and one part spinach in the blender and blend until smooth. The green spinach offer the Grinch coloring
3) Place 1 frozen strawberry ice shape on top when ready to serve. Refrigerate leftover juice.

Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate: Hot chocolate is another holiday favorite suitavble for everyone.
1 – 10 ounce bag Hershey’s sea salt caramel chips
¼ cup Hershey’s cocoa powder, unsweetened
½ cup Granulated sugar, white
2 cups Half & half or heavy cream
6 cups Whole milk
Directions:
1) In the slow cooker, combine milk, half and half, cocoa powder, sugar and salted caramel chocolate chips.
2) Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for 3-4 hours with the lid on.
3) At least every hour or so, stir to make sure that the cocoa is not burning to the bottom.
4) Optional: Serve with whipped topping, marshmallows, chocolate and/or caramel drizzle.

Pink Grapefruit “Margaritas”: To have the element of an adult drink without the alcohol.
6 tsp pomegranate syrup or grenadine
2 tbsp colored sanding sugar (a large-grain decorative sugar; granulated sugar may be substituted)
1 lime
1 ½ cups pink grapefruit juice
Directions
1) In a shallow dish or plate, place sanding sugar.
2) From the middle of lime, slice six thin rounds and set aside.
3) Dip each glass rim in sugar to coat and rub lime wedge around rims of the 6 glasses.
4) Into bottom of each glass, pour 1 tsp pomegranate syrup.
5) In a blender, add grapefruit juice and 2 cups ice cubes. Process on high speed until ice is crushed.
6) Pour frozen mixture into glasses, and stir to combine with syrup. Garnish with reserved lime rounds, and serve immediately; makes 6 glasses.

Apple Sparkler: Another common holiday beverage, elegant for any function.
5 unpeeled lime wedges or chunks
10 unpeeled orange wedges or chunks
5 – 6” wooden skewers
2/3 cup raspberry juice blend
1 – 750 ml bottle sparkling apple cider or sparkling pear-apple juice, chilled
1 tbsp red or green colored sugar (optional)
Directions
1) On a sheet of waxed paper, sprinkle colored sugar. One at a time, with a little water, moisten the rims of 5 wine glasses and dip each rim in sugar; set aside for 5 – 10 minutes to dry.
2) Place 2 orange wedges and 1 lime wedge onto each skewer for the garnish; set aside.
3) In the prepared wine glasses, divide raspberry juice blend. Avoid disturbing the sugar on the rim as you gently pour sparkling cider to fill each glass. Place a citrus skewer in each glass.

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