Hobbers

Hi gang!

So, I am now nearly 5 months sober, and I am leaving for a (mandatory) vacation tomorrow. I was the Top-top salesman at my entire company, so I won the President's Club/CEO Summit.

I no longer drink, and (THIS TIME) it feels great, natural, and (almost) 'normal' to not drinjk in my normal situations. But... I haven't ever tried vacationing sober.

Worse? This trip, that they picked for me, is to someplace I have ZERO interest in- Hilton friggin' Head, SC- a place known for one thing only- golf- and guess what? I HATE GOLF. Hate it. Looked and looked for anything else to do there, and I am at a total loss. Normally, this wouldn't AT ALL be an issue- It would be mildly annoying they were so thoughtless and myopic in their pick of places to 'reward' me, but whatever- I would drink my ass off all 5 days, for free(!!!) at the pool deck, and be happy as a clam.

Now? Who the frick kn ows what the heck I am supposed to do!?!?!?!

I am recently (happily, if that is possible for a recently sober person) divorced, so I am going with my best friend. He knows everything about my situation. Still though, he and I have no idea what the hell we are going to do to kill a week of time without drinking.

determined99

Hey there man! Sober vacations are tough, but actually so much better. They just take careful planning. My advice is to rent a car and look for little day trips and sites to see. Find a gym and start your day there every morning. Find interesting places to eat, go kayaking, take surf lessons. There are a lot of alternatives to sitting around getting hammered and then tired and depressed. Make a plan bro! You got this!!

hpdw

Crazy golf is my limit with golf . They could have given you a 60 inch oELD state of the art TV and an XBox 1 . If there is no way out of the trip can you do as suggested above and hire a car and go on day trips , or cinema ,swimming . Hard to say but i'd be cringing at the thought of a week on a golf course . A week will fly in so enjoy the free nosh . Take it one day at a time and you will get through it .

Easy2slip

Congrats on being sober ..
And congrats on winning Top Sales prize.

I know you will have fun..it's a beautiful place!
There is tons to do at Hilton head unrelated to a Golf.

Go Tripadvisor.com and search activities.

doggonecarl

Drive to Savannah, GA. Great city. Do you like nature? It's beautiful country. Several wildlife refuges nearby. Miles and miles of beaches too.

If your biggest problem is being bored in Hilton Head, SC...I'll take that problem.

Soberween

Acceptance. Sounds like you have left a little teeny tiny crack in the window open as to possibly drinking again. Once you have completely surrendered and accepted that drinking is absolutely not an option, I think boredom will no longer be a possible trigger. Granted at five months, you are doing great. I read a statistic the other day ago that terrified me. I haven't fact checked so it may not even be true (I choose to believe it is true for my own selfish reasons), but it said "there are 100 million alcoholics in the world, 99 million of them will die from the disease." Ever since reading that, if my mind goes to an unhealthy place where I am even remotely entertaining the idea of listening to my AV, I simply think about that statistic and the thought is instantly gone.

entropy1964

A salesperson that doesn't golf? What's wrong with you? Haha.

SC is really kind of a cool, albeit different, area. There is tons of history, some really good food. Go on tripadvisor and research stuff to do....

And sitting by the pool a bit, sober, sounds pretty nice. Would your friend be cool with you attending a meeting? Lots of them there I'm sure.

Jsbodhi

Hi! I'm actually in new orleans sober haha
I'm going to Savannah and Charleston too ( deep,south road trip)

I eat, go for a ton of walks- check out some hiking there, my friend goes there a lot and it's one of his favourite places- like carl suggested- maybe drive to Savannah; I heard it's a fascinating city.
Google things to do in that area and then check them out!
That's what I've been doing.
I'm honestly having such a good time without drinking.

Have fun!!! Xo

thomas11

Putting your hate of golf aside, you have an opportunity to show your superiors that you are not a drunk. I think people quietly respect people that don't drink.

Turtle76

Congrats on your trip! I actually used to live in that area... like others suggested, Savannah is pretty cool. Lots of sight seeing there, and great food. Its only a 40 minute drive. Charleston is an hour and half away, and even better. Lots of historical tours and just walking the streets is beautiful. Rent a bike in Hilton Head. Theres lots and lots of bike paths. Also, if you like to fish, you could hire a deep sea charter... that would take up a whole day. If I remember right, there are other types of boating trips too, like dolphin watching. Bluffton is nearby and theres a cool little river walk area. Kayaking is an option on the Intercoastal too. Just a heads up... double up on your sober plan. HHI, while known for golf, it also has a lot of bars and drinking going on (mind you I lived there in active addiction, so it might be all I noticed). I hope you have a relaxing time and enjoy your first sober vacation!

Hobbers

I don't do meetings/AA.

GnikNus

Great beaches, great fishing. Other points of interest within a reasonable distance if you are able to rent a car.

I love vacations sober. They last longer, I'm able to savor (and remember) them, they don't go by in a blur and I don't feel like hungover death. Like everything else that's a "first" sober, you'll be fine once you actually try it.

Did I mention awesome saltwater fishing? I'd love to be there right now wetting a line.

GnikNus

Stay close to SR and maybe download a couple of new sobriety apps.

Have a good time. I'm originally from the Carolinas. I have great memories of summers on those beaches.

Soberwolf

Find out sober stuff to do every area has something to do plus I like Carl's suggestion

If you don't feel like you will remain sober I'd blatantly say don't go but you could make it a sober adventure document it and have some great sober memories