Last Updated on May 17, 2023

Are you excited for the spookiest holiday of the year? Are you planning to go to a Halloween party? Even more important, are you planning to drink today?

Holidays can be great times to kick back and enjoy a few drinks with friends. We believe that everyone should enjoy Halloween and have a few drinks if that’s what you choose. We’re all about moderation and mindfulness. With that in mind, we’ve put together 5 tips to to help you have a great time, stay healthy, and limit the negative effects of drinking come tomorrow:

1. Go in with a plan

One of the key pillars of Sunnyside is setting your weekly plan to create mindfulness and accountability to yourself. You’ve probably already set your Sunnyside plan for the week and considered how much you want to drink on Halloween. Even so, you should review your plan for the day. Make sure you’ve picked a specific number of drinks and do your best to stick to it.

2. Pause between each drink

Remember, the focus is on moderation and maximizing your fun for the night. To make sure you stretch the night on in a healthy manner, pause between each drink. Pause longer than you normally would, maybe a full hour. Drink a glass or two of water and log your drink in Sunnyside. The time between each drink is a chance to check in with yourself, review your plan, and stick to your goal.

3. Rotate with non-alcoholic drinks

A big part of enjoying drinks with friends is the ritual of it all. Holding a drink and toasting with friends is common and fun. But you don’t necessarily need alcohol in your hand to do that. Try mixing in non-alcoholic drinks during the night (non-alcoholic beer, sparkling water with a lime, ginger-ale, etc). Your friends most likely won’t even notice that you’re not drinking alcohol.

4. Schedule a morning activity

By putting something on the calendar for the morning after Halloween—especially a healthy activity like a workout or hike—you give yourself something to look forward to and focus on instead of just the activity of drinking. It will help you stay accountable to yourself since you know your week will be more fulfilling if you make it to that planned activity.

5. Share the plan with a friend

Although it might seem a bit awkward at first, sharing your goal with a friend can create a second layer of accountability. You don’t have to tell your friend exactly what your plan is, but consider letting them know that you’re going to take it easy tonight and trying to optimize for having fun, not getting drunk. They’ll probably be glad you put your trust in them.