After becoming sober one may wish to take a trip or at least experience a week-end getaway. Now that one can see clearly the world may look quite beautiful and colorful in certain places. If one has the resources and means to provide for a trip, then a trip may be in order. However, some things need to be taken into consideration before setting out on your adventure.
A newly sober person needs to make sure than their foundation of sobriety is well into place. On vacations we may be set next to persons who are drinking excessively in a restaurant. In facilities that have dining tables in the bar area, this may not be an appropriate place for us to sit. Most restaurants are more than accommodating and this should not be an issue for them. Sitting in the dining room can be much more relaxing and pose less temptation to our sobriety. Like it was said earlier, we need a firm foundation in recovery before we venture too far from our support network.
We create this firm foundation by participating in a treatment program if one if available. We learn how other people recovered from addiction and obsession. We may find ourselves with a mentor in the program who may be able to work one on one with us. If you are fortunate enough to find someone like this, take full advantage of what they have to offer you. It’s usually advisable to find a mentor who has some time and experience in recovery. One on one meetings and phone calls to this person can help you in building your foundation. It is also wise however, to have more that one friend. One needs to interact with other sober people as well. Also having a collection of phone numbers will serve you well as you ponder whether or not you are ready to take the trip you are thinking about. You can call someone while on your trip just to check in with a sober person or if you are having a troublesome issue. Most people are more than happy to speak with you and to help you with whatever issue is in question for you. This however, is your responsibility to call someone before you take that first drink, pill or fix. Talking to someone can help to deescalate an obsession that may have cropped up. Ultimately, we have to use to tools of the program we have learned so far in order to maintain our sobriety. This is why it’s so important to build a sober network of friends who are also in recovery. You will probably find someone whose story is similar to your own. This person may be the one that becomes your mentor for one-on-one work in the program of recovery.
Back to our notion of taking a trip. There is nothing wrong with travelling while in recovery. We may meet sober people in different areas and make some new friends. It may well be a good idea to take a sober buddy with you on the trip. This may be a lot of fun for the people in your group or you alone to enjoy the company of another person in recovery. The bottom line is to make sure that your foundation is securely in place and that you have several phone numbers you can call if necessary. Just remember that now we are taking personal responsibility for our actions and decisions. Let’s make good decisions so that when planning a trip we can feel safe from all substances.