Another alternative is to plan virtual therapy sessions, meetings, or phone calls with a sober peer back home. Scheduling these connections ahead of time will help keep you accountable and give you an extra boost of confidence as you enjoy your adventures. Instead of filling your time with downtime, remember that staying active means you won’t be thinking about relapsing. As we are a sober travel agency, we can offer trips that other travel agencies cannot – specifically trips that are geared towards the sober traveler.

Managing Powerful Urges and Social Pressures While Traveling

• Many different social, environmental and emotional challenges can act as addiction triggers.
• If you’re a Workit member, you can log into your usual recovery groups from the road (just keep in mind any time zone changes), and you can reach out to your care team through the app.
• The important feature is that the interest avert boredom and provide rewards that outweigh the desire to return to substance use.
• Recognizing the potential challenges that can arise on your travels will help you prepare for how to respond to them.
• One advantage of mutual support groups is that there is likely someone to call on in such an emergency who has experienced a relapse and knows exactly how to help.

If you are someone who finds peace through nature, scope out some outdoor active activities such as kayaking, snorkeling, and rock climbing. If you are traveling with children, check out some local zoos, aquariums, and amusement parks that provide entertainment for the whole family. Although addiction tends to cut people off from longtime friends, social support is a significant https://ecosoberhouse.com/ predictor of recovery. They may know something about the person’s deepest aspirations and voice them as a reminder that can help the person remain on the road to recovery. And they can help plan healthy joint activities to ensure that there are good days. Some vacationers like to get off the grid, shut off their phones, and live a tech-free life for a few days.

Laying the Foundation for Sober Travel

But they can turn into false friends bringing you to your darkest hour. Saying a mantra, substituting thoughts of recovery goals, praying, reading something recovery-related, reaching out to someone supportive—all are useful tactics. Traveling while sober can be easier if you choose locations that offer immersive activities that are completely new to you. Visit local museums, take advantage of outdoor activities like hiking and swimming, and try some of the local cuisines. A vacation is supposed to be a retreat from the daily grind but that grind is what comforts you and helps you stay structured, through temptation. Terror strikes at your very core and you immediately begin to worry about how you will survive your first vacation as a sober woman.

• Addiction develops over time, in response to repeated substance use, as the action of drugs changes the way the brain responds to rewards and disables the ability to control desire for the drug.
• This website does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on this website.
• Vacation spots often encourage indulgence, making it easy to give in to social pressures.
• Be sure to eat right, get adequate sleep and find some quiet time to check out and recharge.
• Imagine the joy you’ll feel when you experience new places and activities with full clarity of mind and bodily control.

Common Questions

• Saying a mantra, substituting thoughts of recovery goals, praying, reading something recovery-related, reaching out to someone supportive—all are useful tactics.
• Relax in the hotel’s spa, visit an art gallery or go to a museum to enjoy local history.
• Employment is virtually essential for having a stable and meaningful life.
• For more information about Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) see Suboxone.com, the full Prescribing Information, and Medication Guide, or talk to your healthcare provider.

Reliance on any information provided by this website is solely at your own risk. Recognizing, accepting, and changing our response vacationing in recovery to shame helps us to live more joyfully. Shift perspective to see relapse and other “failures” as opportunities to learn.

Do Have a Plan

If traveling with others, make it very clear that your recovery is a priority. 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 triggered. The patient is expected to participate in the treatment program planned by the rehab center. Every rehab center has its own programs, including individual therapy, family counseling, and many more.

• There are even destinations such as Ocean City, New Jersey that are known as ‘dry towns,’ where the sale of alcohol is prohibited.
• If you suffered from migraines, you wouldn’t take off on a cross-country trip without your medication.
• Hobbies provide a constructive outlet for your energy and creativity, reducing stress and promoting mental well-being.
• Such triggers are especially potent in the first 90 days of recovery, when most relapse occurs, before the brain has had time to relearn to respond to other rewards and rewire itself to do so.

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