Guest Post from Peter at The Recovery Village: The Benefits of Staying Sober on Vacation

Message from The Timeshare Guru:  I definitely enjoy a few drinks on vacation and tend to indulge quite frequently, especially when on vacation.  However, there are some trips where indulging definitely has its downsides and you ending up "paying" for it the next days. In this post, Peter, from The Recovery Village, has generously agreed to provide this guest post for your reading pleasure.  While I enjoy my drinks, abstaining does have a lot of perks which The Recovery Village explains below!
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The Benefits of Staying Sober on Vacation
 
You're probably stoked if you're planning a vacation with your loved one or your spouse. The strong urge to drink and be festive may fall upon you. It's very common for alcohol to be involved in people's vacations. However, there are some health-related and fun-related reasons to choose sobriety on your next trip. Your choices may enhance your enjoyment of your vacation, as well. Here are some of the benefits of staying sober on it. 

More Energy to Do Things

Alcohol is a depressant, so one of its most prevalent effects on the body is a deprivation of energy. It puts your entire body in a relaxed state and promotes sleeping, resting and general non-alertness. The vacation is usually a time when people want to do as much as they possibly can. If you ditch the alcohol, you could stay awake longer, and you could increase your energy level so that you can partake in sporting activities and fitness activities like hiking, skiing, boating or some other vacation-related activity. 

Greater Enjoyment of Foods

Vacations are usually full of visits to the local restaurants and dessert spots. Vacationers always want to try new exotic foods. Alcohol dulls all your senses, even your sense of taste. Thus, you won't get the full enjoyment of those meals that you travel hundreds of miles to try. Why not forsake the alcohol so that you can savor every mouth-watering drop of your meal? You'll remember the sharp and robust taste of every bite that you take. You'll be able to share those vivid memories with your family members, friends, co-workers and others. You have the rest of your days to drink alcohol. Try skipping it for at least the first meal so that you can see what it's like. 

Greater Stamina During Personal Time

If you are going on vacation with your spouse, then you are most likely going to want to engage in some pleasurable personal activities. Abstaining from alcohol will allow your circulatory system to operate full blast. Therefore, you will have increased vitality and stamina in the personal area. Additionally, you'll get more enjoyment out of the whole activity. Just as alcohol dulls the senses when it comes to food and eating, it dulls the other physical senses. So your personal experience will be sharper and more dynamic for you and your spouse if you say no to the alcohol during the vacation. 

It Saves Money

Another huge benefit that you can get from staying sober is that you can save money. Mixed drinks are expensive, especially when you're in a vacation area. This is one of the best ways to save if you are on a budget and watching all of your expenses. You can try virgin drinks or something that they call mocktails if you want to have the feeling of being on vacation and having drinks. The chances are high that those drinks will be extremely delicious, and you'll have fun trying new things, and you'll save money. Non-alcoholic beverages are usually less expensive then alcoholic beverages are, but check the menu first. 

More Creative Activities

You can access a world of creativity in your mind if you don't cloud it with alcohol. That means you'll be able to think of interesting and mindblowing activities that you can do while you're on your vacation. You may even think to delve into the artistic realm and find some painting supplies or stop at a recording studio if you're in one of those areas. Maybe you can join a pottery class or something like that while you're on your vacation. There are more than a million things you can do with a sober mind. 

It Helps Avoid Accidents

Finally, you can decrease the chances of getting into an accident if you leave alcohol out of it. More than 5 million car crashes occur each year, and many of them involve alcohol. Even if you are not past the legal limit, the alcohol could still cloud your judgment. Therefore, you can still get into an accident that's not necessarily your fault just because your reaction time and your judgment are lower. It's best to decrease the chances of that happening by just avoiding it altogether. 

Those are just of some of the valid reasons for and benefits to staying soberon vacation. Consider them and try to do your next trip alcohol-free.

Message from The Timeshare Guru:  I owe Peter and The Recovery Village a sincere apology as this has been in my inbox for way too long.  Please visit their website and see if their services can be of any use to you.  I think that there is some great information in here and hope my readers feel the same.