If you think you’ll be missing out on anything by going on a sober vacation, I’m here to tell you that you’re right. You’ll be missing out on:
- Hangovers
- Blackouts
- Mood Swings
- Fatigue
- Bad Skin
- Bad Health
- Bad Relationships
- And so much more…
Sober Vacation
My Sober Journey
Hi! My name is Katy, and I’m a former alcoholic. I wasted four years getting hammered every night, from the ages of 32 to 36. Have you ever met someone who brags about how much they can drink? Sure you have. We all have. I was one of those people.
My alcoholism got so bad that my skin reeked of piss no matter how well I showered and scrubbed with the finest suds. A quick Google search revealed that drunks can smell like urine because “The kidneys and liver help remove toxins from our bodies. When they cannot function properly, toxins can build up in the blood and digestive tract, creating odor. Kidney disease can cause a buildup of urea and make your sweat and urine smell like ammonia.”
While I was never diagnosed with such a condition, my health was rapidly fading with each drink, and I was in danger. I didn’t feel good, mentally or physically, and I didn’t look good either. Click here to see my before and after sobriety photos. They are shocking!
I began suffering from blackouts every night that caused severe anxiety upon waking. By the time I decided to try and cut back on drinking it was too late. Two days without alcohol cast me into a horrific spiral of life-threatening withdrawals followed by weeks of illness, which you can read about here.
That post goes into more detail about my recovery, but to summarize, it took an entire year of sobriety before relentless cravings to drink stopped tormenting me! In fact, I had been sober for almost a year on my first alcohol-free vacation when the cravings hit harder than ever. My husband was still drinking, and he had bought a bottle of my old frenemy – whiskey.
I remember sitting down to eat dinner, and the bottle seemed to be looking at me. It wouldn’t stop looking at me. Then the voice came. That fucking demonic voice.
“Come on, you’re on vacation. Don’t you want to have any fun?”
“I am having fun!”
“One drink won’t kill you. Just don’t overdo it. You’re in control now.”
“One drink was never enough. Fuck you. I’m not drinking. Just shut up.”
I can’t tell you how glad I am that I didn’t drink on that first sober vacation. Cravings suck, but giving into them would have sucked a lot more! I am now three years sober, and my life has never been better! Vacations have never been better!
More Energy in Sobriety
One of the best things about a sober vacation is having more energy, and more energy means more fun!
The last time my husband and I went on vacation, we passed over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I was sober that year and I desperately wanted to stop and explore the natural marvel. My husband was too hungover and cranky, so we missed out. After he got sober about a year ago, he felt awful that he denied us that experience, so we went back to the Rio Grande Gorge!
He bought me some beautiful jewelry from a local artist that was set up near the bridge, and we hiked around the bridge and surrounding trails. It was amazing because both of us were sober and full of energy, which allowed us to enjoy our vacation to the fullest.
Better Relationship Equals Better Vacation
Sobriety lays the foundation for better relationships which means better vacations. I have never felt more mature and more attractive. And, I have never known my husband to be more mature or more attractive.
When I drank, I harbored irrational jealousy issues that stemmed from unresolved childhood trauma in which my dad cheated on my mom, lied about it for years, and then my mom threatened to kill me to get revenge on my dad. Yeah. Heavy shit.
Drinking allowed me to numb my pain, but it prevented me from addressing my trauma and working through it. I’m still embarrassed about my past behavior on vacations in which I accused my husband of infidelity with zero evidence or reason!
Now that I’m sober, envy is not an issue. I know my husband loves me, and that he’d be crazy to cheat on me. I’m confident in who I am and what I have to offer in a relationship because sobriety has restored my self-love.
Dogs may be grateful for the smallest things, but they deserve the best out of their parents. Ruger is a good boy who is worthy of fully present, alert, sober, happy, and healthy parents.
Sober Vacations Are Less Stressful
Admit it. Vacations can be stressful. It’s OK. Stress happens. However, it’s not OK to take that stress out on your loved ones, especially on vacation! Sober vacations are less stressful because excessive drinking inhibits basic problem-solving skills. My life coach calls this “toddler brain.”
When my husband drank, the slightest hiccup in his day would become an excuse to drink himself sick, sometimes binge drinking for days. It was so strange and sad to watch him harm himself and cause further stress because he was ill-equipped to handle everyday challenges.
On this last vacation, we ran into a few issues. Our first cabin rental was dirty upon our arrival. Beds were not made, dishes were in the sink, and towels were on the floor. My husband had to call the rental company to sort it out and it was kind of a shit show. But, he got through it with ease, because he is sober.
Non-Alcoholic Alternatives
My husband just turned one year sober right before our vacation this year. Like many people, he began drinking at a young age, and alcohol has been a huge part of his life, and a huge part of vacations, for his entire adult life, so it’s no surprise he experienced cravings to drink at the ski resort.
The good thing about it was that he didn’t want to get drunk, he was simply craving that familiar taste of beer on the mountain. Our brains make strong associations that way.
We popped into our favorite pub for some food and rest, and my husband ordered his first non-alcoholic beer. I was curious too, so I decided to have a sip. Gross. It tasted like beer alright. But, he loved it, so I was happy for him.
We also tried some mocktails on our trip, which I liked a lot more. Some restaurants even had extensive mocktail menus!
If you’re not into non-alcoholic beers or mocktails, just make sure to have plenty of your favorite drinks available on vacation. We stopped at a Natural Grocers before we landed at the Colorado cabin rental. I snagged a bunch of my favorite kombucha sodas and some Liquid Death sparkle water.
I recently wrote an article for In the Rooms called “Sober Movement.” It’s here, dudes. More and more people are quitting alcohol. What an exciting time to be alive!
Don't Be Afraid to Go on a Sober Vacation
I get it. Sobriety can be scary at first if you’ve been living with alcoholism for a long time.
You don’t have to sit at bars and drink mocktails like we did. Do everything to your comfort level. Protect your sobriety!
But, I promise you, sober vacations are the bomb!
Thanks for reading! if you liked this post, please share it!