A Prayer for Strength to Stay Clean at a Party

Father, I am walking into a room where everyone will be drinking and using, and I feel my resolve thinning before I even arrive. There will be a glass pressed into my hand, a knowing look, the easy laughter I used to be part of, and the old loneliness of standing apart.

I confess I am afraid I will cave to fit in, that one yes will undo every hard won day, that I am not strong enough to hold the line in a room full of temptation.

So I pray now, before the noise and the pressure, while my head is still clear.

Go before me into that room. Give me a graceful way to say no thank you and mean it. Surround me with at least one safe person, or a clear exit if I need it. Remind me, when the wanting flares, that one uncomfortable evening is a small price for the life I am building, and that belonging is not worth my sobriety.

I can do all things through the One who strengthens me, even this, even staying clean in the hardest room.

I give You this evening and the pressure inside it. Be my backbone when mine bends. Get me home tonight clear, steady, and proud. Amen.