Going on vacation is supposed to be a really fun and memorable experience, but what if you are trying to stay sober? There’s a way to travel and have all the fun, sun-soaked memories you want while staying sober at the same time.
As a recovery coach and someone living in recovery myself, I’ve found some practical tips for staying sober on vacation, and I want to share them with you. Let’s dive into these practical tips so you can stay sober on vacation.
1. Plan Ahead To Reduce Travel Stress
One of the best tips for staying sober on vacation is to plan ahead to reduce any travel stress. Of course, unexpected things can happen, but you need to plan ahead so you don’t let the stress tempt you back into the old ways.
So, keep a backup hotel in mind, and if you are renting a car, have a backup car rental place in line.
Finding the local taxi number and keeping UBER readily available on your phone is also good. When you plan for any mishaps in advance, you can quickly pivot without causing unnecessary travel stress.
2. Avoid Triggers
The next tip for staying sober on vacation should be a no-brainer, and that is to avoid triggers. So, if you know that people drinking in front of you is going to be a trigger, then don’t take a trip to Las Vegas.
Choose a hotel where alcohol use is not a big theme. If arguing triggers you, then take people with you with whom you will get along.
If you need to find a restaurant that doesn’t serve alcohol, find it and make reservations in advance. There are so many ways to avoid triggers when you are on vacation that there’s no reason why you should ever have to deal with them, as long as you plan ahead and adjust your itinerary as needed.
3. Find Fun, Sober Things to Do
I’m sure you’ve had previous vacations that centered around drinking and drinking activities. This year, it’s time to branch out and find new, sober, fun things to do. There are family-friendly activities everywhere you go; you just need to find them.
So, search for a putt-putt golf or parasailing place. Or find one of those banana boat trips and take a ride out on one of those in the ocean.
Book a trip to a local museum and go during the day. It’s best to check with the websites for these places to make sure they aren’t having an adult night because many places will offer alcohol nights, so all you have to do is make sure you don’t show up on one of those nights, and you’ll be good.
4. Practice Your Self-Care Routine
If you want to stay sober on vacation, you are going to have to bring your self-care routine with you. So often, when we take a vacation, we tend to lax up on our self-care routine However, this is a big no-no for someone in recovery. If anything, we need to ramp up the self-care and add extra to it while we’re not home. So you could look into booking a spa day or find a hotel that has a sauna or jacuzzi and give yourself a little extra TLC.
Self-care is one of the best ways to keep your recovery working. There are unlimited possibilities for self-care when you are on vacation; you just have to be creative and find them!
5. Choose Sober Travel Mates
So if your brother and his wife love to drink, then maybe not go on vacation with them. Think about it: do you really want to ride in a car for eight hours with people who are downing vodka? No, so it’s common sense not to travel with people who are drinking if you dont want to be around alcohol.
Later on in recovery, you may be comfortable traveling with people who drink, but early on, I wouldn’t really advise it. But if you are traveling with someone who just has to drink, let them know in advance that you’d really appreciate it if they could do their drinking away from you. This way, you aren’t tempted to drink because it’s right in your face.
Another tip regarding travel buddies is that if you have a friend with whom you tend to get into arguments, maybe you should not take them either. It’s best to avoid unnecessary drama when you are on vacation, so keep your argumentative friends at home.
6. Make Sure You Keep Your Sober Routine
Another great tip if you want to stay sober on vacation is to keep your sober routine with you when you go. So, if this means that you practice yoga every morning, then take your yoga mat and do yoga on the beach in the mornings. What a wonderful place to practice yoga anyway, and you’ll still be sticking to your routine.
Routine and structure are vital to recovery, especially early on. So, even though it is tempting to veer off your recovery path a little when you vacation, please don’t. If you continue doing the routine that keeps you sober at home, you’ll stay sober on vacation, too.
7. Keep Busy
Busy hands are busy minds, or how does that saying go? Or it is idle hands are the devil’s playground, but either way, you get the idea, right? If you want to stay sober on vacation, you must keep busy. As for me personally, I have to have a drink in my hand all the time STILL. But, my drink is now a copper water bottle where I carry my distilled water because that’s what I drink now anyway.
You may not need to have a drink all the time, but let me tell you, it’s a pro tip if you’re on vacation. Out on the beach or on the boat, you may see people holding cocktails and beer bottles, so it’s a good idea to keep a non-alcoholic drink in your hand. People will be less likely to offer you a drink, too.
But even if you don’t want to do the drink-in-your-hand thing, you should still keep yourself busy. I mean, vacationing is for relaxing, but have a plan for your relaxation —don’t just sit around with nothing to do. Boredom leads to drinking!
8. Stay Connected to Recovery Support Peeps
Another great tip, if you want to stay sober on vacation, is to stay in contact with your recovery support system. So if you are in Alcoholics Anonymous or some other support group, then let your sponsor or other people know that you plan to be gone for a while, and you might need to call them a few extra times.
There are also online Zoom recovery meetings that you can get into, no matter where you are. Or you could look online for an actual in-person recovery meeting in the location where you will be staying. There are so many ways to keep in contact with all the technology that we have. There are zero excuses for not staying in contact with your support system while you’re on vacation! Zero. Excuses.
9. Hire a Recovery Life Coach
Another great tip if you want to stay sober on vacation is to hire a recovery life coach. Working one-on-one is one of the best ways to stay sober because you get access to a support person 24/7. Here at Unleash Your Healing Vibes, we offer support anytime you work one-on-one with us. So, you let me know that you will be going on vacation, and I can provide you with some extra tools for your recovery tool kit.
Plus, you can reach out to me at any time that you may want to relapse, and I will talk you down and remind you how important your recovery is! Reach out for a discovery call today and let me be your personal sober pal to help you stay sober during your vacation this summer!