The holiday season will be punctuated this weekend by the granddaddy of all celebrations — New Year’s Eve on Thursday, Dec. 31, and New Year’s Day on Friday, Jan. 1.

While people throughout the Richmond area will party and pop open more than a few bottles of champagne to toast the new year, the holiday can be a particularly perilous time for people in recovery.

It can hold dangerous temptations for those seeking to abstain from using alcohol and other drugs as they join family and friends at parties where such substances might be available.

“Knowing I have a disease that wants my life, I tighten up my recovery by going to more meetings during the holidays to ensure I stay clean,” said a Richmond member of the recovery community who identified herself as Dee. She said she is celebrating more than 20 years free of drug use.

Several recovering alcoholics and drug abusers talked with the Free Press with the assurance that their identity would remain anonymous.

“The holidays are more challenging times because we’re more open to interacting with people, places and things (where people are drinking alcohol or using other drugs). And there are a lot of parties where people are more receptive to enjoying the holidays rather than concentrating on their recovery,” said Duck P., a South Richmond man who is marking 27 consecutive years without using drugs.

Even the most innocent of things — holiday sweets and treats — may trip up the unsuspecting.

“Some people use rum in their food and that can be a trigger. So I watch what I eat,” said Deborah of Chesterfield County, who is celebrating 21 years without using any mood-altering substance.

“I also stay away from people, places and things” that I knew in my active addiction, she said.

To help, some Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous 12-step fellowships in the Richmond area host marathon meetings — all-day and all-night sessions providing a safe haven. Others in the recovery community open their residences so people can play cards, listen to music, dance and socialize in an alcohol- and drug-free environment.

Such efforts are vital in providing a lifeline to people in recovery trying to stay on the straight and narrow.

According to data from the 2014 National Survey of Drug Use and Health by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 488,000 people in Virginia were dependent on or abused alcohol during the survey period, while 165,000 Virginians were dependent on or abused illicit drugs.

Jimmy Christmas, a 54-year-old licensed clinical social worker from Richmond who co-owns Comprehensive Counseling Services in Glen Allen, is among those successfully navigating the recovery path one day at a time.

“I don’t use no matter what to show my gratitude for being given another chance at life,” said Mr. Christmas, who now is celebrating his 23rd consecutive year of not picking up a drink or other drug.

He said he was in a death spiral fueled by alcohol and cocaine abuse before surrendering to seek recovery in 1992.

“I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and I believe the God of my understanding decided to use me for something better,” he said.

Today, Mr. Christmas said he maintains his recovery regiment by regularly attending 12-step meetings and doing service work in the fellowship to help others involved in the recovery process.

He suggests the following simple steps: Don’t use alcohol or drugs no matter what; find someone who believes in you and your recovery; find a higher power and pray and meditate; and have fun in recovery and life.

John Shinholser of Hanover County is another familiar face in the recovery community with a message to those seeking to stay clean and sober during the holidays. He co-founded the Henrico County-based McShin Foundation in 2004 “to deliver a message of hope to recovering addicts and alcoholics and to facilitate their journey to a healthier life.”

Mr. Shinholser said people in recovery should spend New Year’s hanging around “clean and sober people” and participate in clean and sober events in the Richmond area.

“They’re in the community and they’re easy to find. You can just Google Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous on your computer and a list of meetings, events and phone numbers should come up,” he said.

In his capacity with the nonprofit foundation, Mr. Shinholser has visited the White House several times and consults with the Office of National Drug Control Policy, advocates for policy and programs at the General Assembly, carries recovery meetings into area jails and operates recovery homes for men and women.

He recalls of his days of drug use.

“I hit bottom in the Marine Corps. I was mandated to treatment or the brig. I chose treatment on Aug. 10, 1982. That is still my clean date,” he said.

Mr. Shinholser now dedicates his life to recovery “because it needs to be done and no one else is doing it at this level,” he said.

Several other people in recovery offered tips for successfully maneuvering the holidays.

“I try to stay focused on recovery and stay close to God and the Bible,” said Danny of South Side who’s nearing one year of not using any drugs. “I also try to stay away from those places and people that I used to drink and do drugs with.”

Calvin of Chesterfield, who is marking 22 years of being free of drugs, said, “I focus on staying positive, and I talk to people who are doing the same thing I’m doing. And I keep going to meetings.”