first vacation without alcohol
 

Hi.
I didn't intend to give up alcohol, it just happened after a bad night drinking. I only wanted to stop for a week, but now I'm 36 days sober. I don't want to drink ever again.
I have a week vacation to Vanuatu in a couple of weeks. I always associate holidays with cocktails on the beach.
What are some tips you can give me?
Thanks

Great job on 36 Days!! :You_Rock_

You need to view yourself as a non drinker, loads of people go on holiday and don't drink, but to our former drinking selves we get a romanticised notion about alcohol in view of holidays, you need to hammer this out and accept that the 1 drink probably won't end at 1 drink.

You can do this!! :)

Make it a sober vacation. :) One you'll remember clearly and have no regrets about. You don't have to drink to have a good time. :)

I found that I would have to remove/excuse myself from some events or activities during vacation if I wasn't feeling strong enough. I found the whole thing exhausting so I suggest you make sure you don't become over-tired. Stay strong...it is worth it!

Congrats on 36 days. That's terrific!

My story has common threads with yours. My early sobriety was more an white-knuckler rather than a well-constructed plan. (I didn't join SR until about two weeks after getting back.) A long-planned vacation came five weeks after Day One; trips usually meant lots and lots of wine. By then, though, I wanted very much to keep my sobriety intact. A few things that worked for me:

- Early to bed and early to rise. The latter, I know, seems incompatible with the whole reason we vacation but I enjoyed some glorious moments in the morning, ones I never could have seen in the bad old days.
- Cannot-put-'em-down books. One murder mystery and one non-fiction were both gripping and proved immensely helpful.
- Walks, walks and more walks. The more fresh air and sunshine, the better. You'll be amazed how good you feel for those early morning jaunts.

One tool I have learned via SR is to take a hard view toward alcohol. Think of it as something that ought to come with a skull and crossbones, the poison it is for those of us who simply cannot drink.

Finally, and this is vital, be ruthless about your sobriety. One of my SR classmates says he visualizes sobriety/recovery as a delicate Ming Dynasty vase, something that needs careful guarding. I like that metaphor and it's akin to the protectiveness I felt on that vacation. Each day made me feel stronger.

I hope you enjoy Vanuatu. It sounds breathtaking. It will be even more beautiful viewed through the lens of sobriety and enjoyed with the clarity that comes with it.

Hi Clueless :)

30 days is really early but I guess you've made up your mind to go.

I've never been but I'm reliably informed that Vanuatu has a *lot* to offer in terms of things to do that don't need alcohol.

Just make sure that whoever you're going with knows of your intention to stay a non drinker - I think that can only help.

There even have an AA presence there. Even if you're not an AA adherent it's good to know.

In the evenings, look out for what other activities you can do rather than hanging in the bar?

It may not be easy but I think it's far from impossible.

D

don't drink alcohol, ice cold tea or lemonade works on the beach,
I remember when I was a kid, I had a lot of fun drinking lemonade from the jug my mom brought along, time to go back to simple things I suppose. and stay away from temptation.
Congrats on 36 days. keep it going

Before I hit two months, my husband and I went to St. Maarten and had a wonderful sober vacation. While all his co-workers were getting drunk and then wasting half the day hungover, we were working out in the resort gym, going swimming in the ocean, eating delicious meals, and enjoying each other's company. It made a big difference at that point to have someone who also didn't drink with me, and my husband quit drinking one week after I did.

Viewing alcohol as nothing but poison was also a big help and remains a great help to me today. Ever since the first day I got sober, whenever I look at someone drinking or thing about it, all I envision are the headaches I would get when drinking alcohol and the weight I gained and the lack of sleep I had and I have zero desire to drink.

Enjoy your trip! It will be such an amazing place, and you can see and do so much more when you're not under the haze of alcohol.

I had to create a specialized RPP - relapse prevention plan - for being on vacation. (I have specific RPPs for other things too like weddings and holidays with family).

Lots of good ideas already posted above. Most important to me related to going on vacation are having the support of traveling companions that will not put my sobriety in danger and having a way out for when a situation comes up that might trigger a relapse.

Have fun and create lots of memories!