How To Have A Fabulous Sober Holiday

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Holidays are a time that we should all look forward to but when you are trying to quit alcohol it can be a minefield. Despite all of the good work you’ve done, you think you might struggle to stay sober and the pressure to drink will get to you. 
It doesn’t have to be that way. A little bit of thinking ahead and pre-planning will ensure you have a fantastic holiday that you return from fully rested and ready to continue your sober journey.

Purpose

Decide beforehand what the purpose of the holiday is for you. Do you need a week or two of total, deep relaxation? You will come home more tired if you drink. Do you need some time to think about a big decision you need to make or a goal you want to achieve? Plan some thinking and journaling time.

Drinks

Before your holiday get into the habit of drinking water. If you’re not used to it at first it tastes a bit boring but after a short while when your taste buds adjust you will learn that there is nothing sweeter than a cool glass of water. If it’s a sunny destination it’s important to stay hydrated so establishing your water habit before you go will make it easier to continue.

Drinks

Go online and find out what you can about the hotel or area you will be staying in. Check their online menus for mocktails and alcohol-free drinks. Spain is pretty good for this.

Sightseeing

Do some research on local heritage and historical sights that you can visit. While everyone is still in bed with their hangovers you can be on a bus to somewhere interesting and even magical, meeting new people and learning something new about the place you’re visiting. Plus you will be able to afford it as you won’t be spending money on alcohol.

Read

Choose a book or two to read and set yourself a goal of finishing them before you come home. A chunky novel is a great idea but you could also consider a personal development book that will help you learn something new about yourself.

Exercise

Obviously, you’re there to relax but you might want to try yoga and meditation at sunrise, or a beach class that looks fun. Check out places nearby that would be good to walk to.

Sunrise/Sunset

Do some research before you go to the best spots to witness the glory of a sunrise or sunset and make a plan to go there. There is something quite breathtaking about watching the sunrise – there are often fewer people around too.

Postcards

Every couple of days or when you’ve visited somewhere interesting, buy a postcard and send it to yourself at home. Tell yourself how wonderful it is to be having a sober holiday. They will take a few weeks to arrive and when they do you can pop them on your fridge or on your vision board to inspire you to stay sober.

Things to Remember

Feel Proud

?️ Be out and proud about the choice you have made to eliminate this poisonous crap from your body. Tell anyone who will listen how wonderful it is to be sober and to be finally working towards achieving a goal you have always dreamed about. Your confident stance will often stop people from trying to encourage you to drink.

Get Value For Money

?️ You paid a lot of money to go on this holiday so it would be a real shame to spend it sitting in bars getting drunk and then missing the best part of the day in bed with a hangover.

Avoid The Early Pressure

?️If you are with people who drink try meeting them a little later after they have already started drinking. Once most people are a few drinks in they won’t be that interested in what you’re drinking.

Lie

It’s okay to lie. If you don’t feel comfortable telling people you want to stop drinking and have to explain yourself, you don’t have to. No one has the right to pressure you into drinking, even if it’s gently, but if you don’t think you’re strong enough to resist it’s okay to tell others any story you like that will preserve your sobriety.

You Are In Control

You are in control of what goes into your body. Prepare for your holiday by thinking about what you want to say when you are faced with the option to drink. If you practice some stock sentences before you go they will pop into your mind more easily. “No thanks” is often all that is required when said confidently. 

Think Ahead

Play it forward. Take a few minutes to play both alternative holidays forward in your mind. First, think about what your drinking holiday will be like and how will it feel to come back home. Next, play forward your sober holiday and imagine how it will feel and how you will be when you come home.

Don’t Be Fooled

Remember ‘marketing magic’. Never forget that a lot of the ideas and images you have about the ‘perfect holiday’ come from pretty aggressive alcohol marketing. These adverts show healthy, happy, glowing people with great relationships and a healthy attitude to alcohol. Make sure you check in with yourself about how much of what you are looking forward to is what you really want or what you have been trained to want by clever marketing. Don’t feel like you’re a failure because you fell for it all because everybody does. Staying sober in the long term will help you see the truth of what a genuinely wonderful holiday is really about.

Are you struggling to get off the drinking hamster wheel of drinking death? I know it can feel like a real struggle, going round and round the same loop of sober days and drinking failures. To help you jump off that endless wheel I have created a free printable for you called Give Up For Good : The Only 10 Things You Need To Know.

In it, I will share with you the 10 most important things that you need to know and understand in order to be able to find that precious last day one. You can get your free copy HERE.
In the meantime, have a fabulous holiday and make memories to last a lifetime for all the right reasons.

Much love always, Jules xxx

P.S. If you are newly sober and loving it but unsure about the future and your ability to stay sober in the long term, I can help you find your BIG WHY for free in my 30-minute Big Why Booster Session. By the end of this session, you will be excited about your sober future and have some actionable ideas to help you move forward. BOOK IN HERE