Hazelden Betty Ford patients often believe “that after living treatment, they are going to go back in and jump into life as it was before, and that’s not always the best approach,” Drake said. Acceptance can encourage people to take small steps. “Progress, not perfection,” she said, a common recovery phrase.

With pandemic reentry, acknowledging what has happened is similarly vital for deciding how to move on, Harrison said. “The world today is not the same as it was in February 2020. The rug was ripped out from us, our stability was stolen. We are traumatized, anxious, and overwhelmed. We learn in this country to ignore our feelings and they will go away, but they won’t,” Harrison said.

Asking yourself what’s out of your control (circumstances, how other people behave), and what’s in your control (how I respond) goes hand in hand with acceptance.

Have a plan, but stay flexible

In sobriety, people learn to create a plan. This can mean bringing your own transportation, talking with a friend beforehand or calling someone if things get uncomfortable, all of which can be adapted to post-pandemic activities. “It’s good to set boundaries and have a couple of people in your corner who understand your situation,” said Sarah Culver, 31, who has been sober for nine years and is in the second year of a graduate program in St. Paul, Minn.

Culver has been invited for drinks with fellow graduate students, something she didn’t have to think about last year, when everything was virtual. She said she uses recovery tools — such as examining her motives — to figure out what events she wants to attend and which ones she wants to avoid. It’s not because she’s necessarily afraid of taking a drink, she said, but because she chooses activities that are most enjoyable to her now.  She also regularly attends support group sessions, including 12 Step meetings and gatherings of  the Luckiest Club, a membership community.