The Hardest Season to Stay Sober as a High-Performing Professional
- Cole Ruffcorn
- Dec 19, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 27
This is a guest post from Cole Ruffcorn, originally published as a LinkedIn article.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking with a group of sober professionals during the Sober in Cyber power hour for the Cybersecurity Cares Foundation’s Holiday Streamathon Spectacular. And what came up, again and again, was that for high-achieving professionals, this is often the most dangerous time of year for sobriety.
Year-end deadlines are closing in. Q4 pressure is at full throttle. Holiday campaigns, performance reviews, and last-minute deliverables are stacked on top of already packed calendars. At the same time, you’re expected to magically coordinate holiday plans with loved ones. You know, the fun kind of decisions, like whether to commit to the emotionally unstable in-laws or return to your childhood home, where unresolved wounds will be served alongside the eggnog.
In traditional recovery spaces, the holiday season is often referred to as the “holy trinity of relapse”: Thanksgiving, December holidays of any faith, and New Year’s. Call them whatever you like. The reality is sobering. Studies consistently show relapse rates spike during this six-week window more than any other time of year, driven by stress, isolation, disruption of routines, and easy access to alcohol at nearly every social event.
Yesterday’s conversation focused on one simple question: How do sober professionals protect their momentum during the most demanding season of the year?
Holiday Sobriety Strategies
Here are some practical holiday sobriety strategies we discussed:
1. Establish a Morning Practice Now, Not Later
You don’t need to become a monk or suddenly love meditation, but you do need something that brings your mind, emotions, and body into the same place before the day starts.
Set a 5-minute timer when you wake up and sit with yourself. That’s it. Even if your mind is loud, the act of intentionally being present is enough. If that feels difficult, light a tea candle and focus on the blue part of the flame. If guided audio works better, download a short meditation from someone like Joe Dispenza.
Then, while brushing your teeth, do gratitudes. No journal. No extra steps. Just name what you’re grateful for while brushing your teeth. Efficient, effective, and wildly underrated.
There is also a direct correlation between gratitude and teeth whiteness! The more grateful you are, the whiter your teeth get. Who doesn't want whiter teeth?
2. Use Your PTO Like You Mean It
This one was not discussed yesterday, however I feel called to add it in anyway. Stop hoarding PTO like it’s a retirement plan! The holidays are not a sprint, they’re a marathon. Taking time off before things get chaotic is an act of prevention, not weakness. Rest now so you’re not white-knuckling your way through December.
3. You Are Allowed to Protect Yourself from Family Dynamics
If your home environment is saturated with unresolved conflict, addiction, or emotional volatility, you need to be honest with yourself. Especially in early sobriety, protecting your peace is not selfish. It’s necessary.
Early sobriety should be treated like an infant. You wouldn’t expose a newborn to chaos and hope for the best, would you? You’re allowed to set boundaries, shorten visits, or opt out entirely if it threatens the progress you’ve made.
If you do go home, communicate your intentions clearly. Let trusted family members know you’re committed to staying sober so they can support you, rather than unknowingly undermine you.
4. Secure a Sober Companion Before You Need One
This is non-negotiable. Before walking into the holiday season, identify one person who has successfully navigated the holidays sober and ask if they’re willing to be a lifeline.
You need someone you can text or call when things feel heavy. Pain shared is pain halved. Joy shared is joy doubled. White-knuckling is not a strategy.
5. Prepare for Work Events with Intention
If company parties and mixers are part of your calendar, plan ahead. Being caught off guard is where most people stumble. I recently wrote about this in Networking Without the Negroni, but the short version is this: show up with a plan, own your glass, and remember that clarity is a competitive advantage.
6. Buy the Takis (yes, the flaming hot Mexican tortilla chips)
This one matters more than it sounds.
Cravings thrive on narrow focus. If you feel one coming on, overwhelm your nervous system with sensation. Enter: spicy Takis.
A few handfuls in, your eyes are watering, your nose is running, and you’re desperately reaching for water. The craving loses its grip. Alcohol is forgotten. Takis can save lives. This is not medical advice, but it might be spiritual.
7. If You’re Alone, Don’t Isolate
If you’re spending the holidays alone and that scares you, please know there are 24-hour online recovery meetings running throughout every major holiday. You do not have to be alone in this. Community is available, even if it’s virtual.
Support is Part of the Strategy
I’m sharing all of this because teams are only as strong as the people within them. When someone is quietly struggling with substance use, it impacts energy, focus, and culture in subtle but very real ways. Careers are often slowed not by lack of talent, but by battles being fought in silence.
As a volunteer-based recovery coach, I’ve seen how powerful it can be when people feel supported rather than judged. My hope is that more professionals take steps to protect their well-being, not just for their work, but for their lives. When individuals are supported, organizations thrive. And when sobriety is protected, everything else becomes possible.
If this season feels overwhelming, you're not failing; you're navigating something genuinely difficult. And you don't have to do it alone. If you need support, you’re welcome to message me. I protect anonymity and will always extend a steady, compassionate hand to those who need it.
This season can be survived. And with the right approach, it can be transformed.
You got this!
About the author:
Cole Ruffcorn has worked at the intersection of customer success, operations, and brand strategy for 9+ years, helping teams turn complexity into clarity and good intentions into systems that actually work. Cole also coaches competitive gymnastics and helps people design meaningful lives in sobriety.
