Sober Survival Series – How to enjoy a holiday sober
I recently uploaded a video on the subject of being able to go on holiday and enjoy your time away sober, which you can watch below. I also wanted to put together a blog on this subject because I feel it is an extremely important topic to cover. If you had said to me before I started on my sobriety journey that I would be able to go away on holiday and enjoy it without alcohol, I just outright would have thought you were joking. Moreover, the thought of going away and not having alcohol would have been enough to put me off going at all. For years I had conditioned my mind and body to believe that the only true way for me to relax, unwind and also enjoy what I was doing, was with a glass of wine in my hand.
Whether you are apprehensive about a holiday you have planned because you think that you either won’t enjoy it with being sober, or you are concerned that your holiday could cause a relapse, then this post and video are certainly for you. Here are just some of things I did and experienced on my first sober holiday:
#1 Be honest with yourself
Going on your first sober holiday is a big deal. If you started your sobriety during the pandemic or you have been sober for a number of years and this is your first holiday since sobriety, then it’s absolutely fine to acknowledge that going on holiday can be daunting. It can feel worrying as it is the fear of the unknown. If your holidays before (like mine) heavily revolved around drinking, then it’s important to understand what you want from this holiday, so you are not consumed by thoughts of drink. To be able to live a completely alcohol-free life, forever, going on holiday for the first time is such an important step as you are showing yourself that your sobriety doesn’t mean you have to stop doing certain things or going away.
#2 Triggers Triggers Triggers
One thing you have to prepare for is that it can feel a bit like a trigger-fest when you go on holiday. If you are going abroad, then from the moment you walk into the airport you will be likely faced with enticing signage for bars and pubs, along with duty-free, not to mention the drink offerings on the plane and that’s before you get to your destination! If you are worried about this and what it might mean for your sobriety, then have a plan in place. Don’t arrive at the airport so early that you are waiting around for hours, twiddling your thumbs. From the minute you get on the plane, get your headphones on and drift away into your own mindful state for the flight and just take control so if triggers do present themselves, try not to fixate on them.
#3 Plan your trip
If your previous holidays, before you were alcohol-free, revolved around being by the pool-side or at a pub for the duration, then now is a fantastic time to shake things up! Plan and book things you want to do on your holiday which you will actually have energy and enthusiasm for. I don’t mean being busy for the full holiday, as you will likely come back home feeling more exhausted than when you left, but having a well thought out plan of things you want to do whilst away will keep you focused and excited for the days ahead. Don’t forget to also set aside some time to do something unplanned where you get to just explore the area you are staying with no plan of what you will be doing – I personally love to do this whilst away!
#4 Journal
Just because you are on holiday, don’t forget your journal! Writing down how you are feeling has so many positive mental benefits, but also whilst on holiday, it is lovely to be able to document what you have been doing to include in journal so you will be able to read back through when you are home. You will likely know if you have read my other posts just how much I love to write and keep a journal and I make sure it’s one of the things in my hand luggage when I go away anywhere.
#5 Appreciate and take this time for you
Having the mindset shift from going on holiday to drink as often and as much as you can, to making sure you get as much rest and self-care as you can will provide you with so many benefits that I can’t even start to list here. When I go on holiday now, I arrive back home feeling properly recharged from a holiday with my family that I can actually remember all parts of. No more hangovers where I would lose days of a holiday and we get to actually explore different parts of the country and world and this is something that alcohol could never have given me before.
Whether it’s a staycation or you are soon going on holiday abroad, I hope the above post goes someway to alleviating any fears you may have if this is your first time having a holiday sober. I can hand on heart say that holidaying sober is so much better than going on holiday when I used to spend my entire time either drinking or feeling hungover. I would love to also hear from you in the comments section below. Are you going on holiday soon and worried about how it will be with your sobriety, or have you just got back? How did you find it and did you find it so much better sober?
View this post on Instagram
