Tips For Enjoying a Sober Vacation While in Recovery

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Any place that is accessible to wellness-oriented activities and sights is a great option. If you are wondering if it is possible to enjoy a vacation while avoiding triggers and maintaining your sobriety, the answer is yes you can! Read more to learn our healthy tips to keep you and you your recovery on track during your next summer vacation. If you have always traveled with a group of boisterous friends or family who make it a point to imbibe over vacation, reconsider your travel companions. One of the most important elements of sobriety is keeping temptations at bay. Vacation will already be one giant temptation – if all the people around you are partying, drinking, or doing drugs, your strength will be tested. A big part of staying sober is establishing a routine that keeps one on the short and narrow track of recovery.

Be Upfront With Your Traveling Companions

Maintaining your sobriety is paramount to your well-being and the success of the trip overall. Let others know if you are uncomfortable or feeling https://ecosoberhouse.com/ triggered. Also, if you know certain places might trigger you, avoid them. Sometimes trying a new place is the best course of action.

• If you can, schedule a day or even a weekend to transition after a trip, especially a long one, Caillet suggests.
• If your hotel has a fitness center, you might even consider sneaking in a quick workout before the day begins.
• While careful planning of your sober vacation can help keep your stress levels in check, keep in mind that you can always make last-minute adjustments to your plans.
• Hearing a familiar voice can keep you grounded and focused on your sobriety during your trip.

Take note of the money you are saving by refraining from substance purchases and reward yourself by buying a special souvenir to remember your vacation. Begin conditioning your mind to look forward to hot cocoa by the fire in the ski lodge instead of something alcoholic. Remind yourself that if the temptation arises to use substances, you are more devoted to achieving your long-term goals than any short-term sensation. Although it sounds cheesy, a sense of humor can also be a great stress management tool. Laughter reduces stress, boosts endorphins, and allows you to recenter.

Plan Ahead

It doesn’t have to be dangerous or expensive – it might be a guided birding tour. And when you do something that has a guide or instructor, they will take you seriously. And you will have accountability as well as boatloads of fun. Getting exhausted, skipping meals, or eating junk food lowers your ability to deal with triggers healthily.

Try to complete all work before you leave for vacations so you don’t feel like you left things behind that you should have done. Put in earphones and start each morning with a relaxing mediation. To reduce stress about things while you are away, try asking a trustworthy friend or family member to drop by and care for your pets, plants, and any other necessary things while you are away. This will help to give you peace of mind during your vacation. If you have children, see if they can stay with trusted family members for a few days.

Make up your mind before you make your reservations

We just went to Italy, where we ate our weight in pasta and prosciutto. In fact, all the heavy foods we’d been eating for two weeks while traveling had also started to make us feel sluggish and bloated. Being on the road requires us to eat out for almost every meal, and sometimes the menu is especially tempting.

Having a flexible mindset will help protect you if something doesn’t go according to plan. Make the commitment to not drink on vacation as early on in the planning process as possible.

Let’s take a look at the best sober vacations 2022

We get up refreshed, early and ready to experience the day. Since 2020 we have certainly learned to live in the moment, curious and passionate about our interests. And we are unencumbered by the need to pack or find our substance of use on a remote island, backwoods village, or camelback excursion.

Try to include a buffer day as well to help you ease back into your normal routine. For example, you can come back a vacationing in recovery day before you have to start work again to give yourself a chance to rest and mentally prepare to return to work.

“From the moment you walk through the door you are made to feel like family. The clinicians have a way of making you comfortable enough to talk about anything.” -George E. Updating social media while you are not home can also be risky.

• And a summer vacation can be just what the doctor/addiction therapist ordered.
• Your connection to Herren Wellness doesn’t end when your stay ends; we are there for you throughout your recovery journey.
• It’s those little things that can help you remove stress and stay focused on the task at hand, avoiding relapse.
• Cruises, popular spring break locations, and all-inclusive resorts place a big emphasis on drinking culture.