Even after I became alcohol free, I could not visualise going on a holiday without alcohol. Honestly, the idea just didn’t compute. Drinking was part of the whole experience — airport wines, beachside cocktails, cocktails with lunch. It was how I relaxed, how I had fun, how I felt like I was truly “on holiday.”
Airports, especially, were major triggers for me. There’s something about the anonymity, the buzz of people coming and going, and that weird sense of time not really existing — it felt like permission to start drinking at any hour, no questions asked. That first glass of wine or bubbly before boarding? Ritual. It was like flicking the switch from normal life to holiday mode.
Once I arrived, it was all systems go. Sleep in late to recover from the night before, and then start drinking again early enough that the hangover never had a proper chance to land. It was a rinse-and-repeat cycle — one that felt so normal for me at the time.
But truthfully? I often came home feeling like I needed a holiday from my holiday. I’d be wrecked. Physically drained, emotionally flat, and mentally fuzzy. There’d be a vague sense of disappointment too — like, “Was that it?”
When I started changing my relationship with alcohol, this was one of the biggest sticking points for me. I couldn’t picture what a holiday would look like without it. What would be the fun? The treat? The switch-off?
Then I got coached by Annie Grace (yes, that Annie Grace), and she suggested something that shifted everything. She said, “Try doing just half the holiday alcohol-free. Tell yourself that if you really feel like you’re missing out, you can drink for the second half.”
That suggestion felt doable. It wasn’t all or nothing. It gave my brain a bit of breathing room.
So I tried it — and I never picked up a drink the entire trip. Once I’d done a few days without, I felt so good that I didn’t want to mess it up. And here’s the magic: I didn’t feel like I was missing out at all. In fact, I felt like I was finally getting the kind of holiday I always wanted.
Here are just some of the benefits I noticed:
- I had so much more energy. No sluggish mornings or dragging myself through the day.
- My sleep was actually restorative. I woke up refreshed and ready to do stuff.
- I was more present — for the people I was with, for the experiences, for myself.
- I had no morning regrets (except for not trying this sooner).
- I ate better and enjoyed food more because I wasn’t chasing hangover cravings.
- I remembered everything — all the little moments that used to get blurred out.
- I came home feeling recharged, not drained. Like I’d had a real break.
- And maybe best of all — I proved to myself that I didn’t need alcohol to enjoy travel.
Now, I genuinely look forward to my alcohol-free holidays. They’re richer, more grounded, and way more fun than I ever imagined.
If you’re in the place I was, where the thought of a dry holiday feels bleak or boring or just plain impossible, try Annie’s experiment. Give yourself permission to drink later if you really want to — but see how the first half goes.
You might surprise yourself.
