I Choose a Happy-Ever-After Not Happy Hour
We've just driven a campervan from Sydney all the way to Cairns, myself, my partner Joe, his brother, and his partner. 🛣️🇦🇺 covering about 3000 kilometres, including all the stops we made, before jetting off to Melbourne and then back home to Sydney. ✈️
I last did the East Coast in 2018, and let's say it looked a whole lot different back then. Eight weeks of non-stop drinking every single day. This time my trip was alcohol-free! Yes, I've just done the East Coast sober; I cannot quite believe it myself, either! This was my second sober holiday; honestly, it was a doddle!
Gone are the days of meticulously planning my holiday itinerary around Happy Hour specials. No scouting out bars like a seasoned detective, mapping out the most efficient route to maximise my alcohol intake. Because let's face it, Happy Hour was my version of paradise; it's where I thought I was my happiest on holiday 🏖️ But now? I've upgraded to a lifetime membership in the club of happy-ever-afters ♾️
I used to pride myself on being a master of Happy Hour economics, buying drinks multiple drinks to save the dollar 💸 But as the drinks flowed, so did the regrets. Waking up the next day with a banging headache 🤒 not able to lift my head from my dirty pillow covered in makeup, feeling anxious, as I had no memory of how the night went, unsure if I had returned with my bag, phone or passport. Or how my bank account now looked. And covered in bruises, this all became part of my signature hangover. Was I still as happy the morning after as I was during Happy Hour? NO WAY ‼
But then, enlightenment struck. Happiness shouldn't be confined to a two-hour window of discounted drinks. So I made a choice to remove alcohol ❌🍷, and nowadays, instead of choosing Happy Hour, I choose a happy holiday and happy-ever-after. True happiness is found in the clarity of a sober mind, being present and enjoying the accumulation of little memorable moments, and having a steady content mood instead of experiencing the huge highs from the dopamine hits from alcohol followed by the huge lows of hangovers as our body goes into withdrawal.
Now my holidays look like:
🌅 I wake up early, feeling fresh, embracing the serenity of moments like sitting outside with a coffee instead of feeling sorry for myself winging in bed.
🔋 I have energy and a reliable good mood to do things instead of not knowing what excruciating hangover I would be in for.
👙 I soak up the sunshine on the beach, closing my eyes, feeling at peace with the world, feeling the warm sun on my skin instead of rushing off because the heat is too much to handle.
🍴 I am adventurous and open to trying new things on the menu instead of feeling hungover and craving pizza (I still ate pizza this holiday, just not every day).
📖 I enjoy reading my book instead of having a banging headache from the alcohol and being unable to read.
👩❤️👨 I connect deeply with Joe and have meaningful conversations instead of being too hot and agitated to be close and sitting in silence because I'm too poorly to talk.
🌿 I immerse myself in nature, in awe at its beauty, without the constant distraction of 'When will I have my next drink?' Or 'What drink will soothe this hangover?' Or 'How many drinks will I have today?'
I deserve more than just a life filled with hangovers and regrets. I deserve a life filled with joy, adventure, and genuine connection. I'm made for so much more 🏔️
📝 So I ask you:
1️⃣ What do your drinking holidays look like? How much of the time do you spend NOT drinking VERSUS thinking about drinking, drinking and nursing a hangover?
2️⃣ How are your hangovers? How long do they last? Do they stop you from doing things?
3️⃣ Have you experienced an alcohol-free holiday before? Would you consider an alcohol-free holiday?
Because trust me, there's a whole world of happiness waiting for you on the other side of sobriety. And once you take that leap, you'll never look back.