Listen up, sober-lifers, or even just the sober curious: it’s time to go dry tripping. 

Everyone, including those who partake in the occasional (OK, rather frequent) adult beverage knows that the act is not without its downfalls. Sure, a little buzz makes breaking through social (and blood-brain) barriers super easy. Drinks and conversation flow simultaneously. Wine has been around since the dawn of civilization. Live a little, if that’s something you can handle.

But a little break from boozing never hurt anyone. No really, taking a break from consuming alcohol has literally never ever hurt anyone—unless that pain is withdrawal. In that case, we advise some professional medical supervision.

We often equate taking a load off or time off from work with a party. And by party, we mean eating, drinking, and being merry. However, eating and being merry don’t need to come with a hangover and puffy face. And taking a vacation could mean mega restoration for the body, mind, soul, and even the wallet. 

Here are some pretty enticing reasons to nix the substances on your next vacay:

Abstaining from alcohol obviously brings major physical benefits. We know by now that it’s legal poison. Even that delicious red wine with microscopic amounts of resveratrol isn’t really doing us any favors—a glass of red wine a day is not actually good for you. More and more people are enjoying better sleep, clearer skin, healthier microbiomes, and even hormone-balancing effects from the simple act of dropping drinking.

Alcohol can compound the effects of jetlag, making it more difficult to acclimate during and after an exciting trip to a faraway land. That really cuts into the whole enjoyment part, no? And we don’t need the return to be that much more painful than it already is.

If you’ve ever woken up with a moral hangover, or simply just anxious after a night of drinking, there’s a reason. And that reason is that alcohol does, in fact, not help us take a load off. It does this by killing off certain beneficial bacteria in the gut, including a strain that is responsible for producing serotonin. Yeah, serotonin begins in the gut, baby!

Also, when we aren’t getting REM and deep sleep (which a few cocktails can easily inhibit), our brain doesn’t get to do its oh-so-vital glymphatic flush. This process helps to wash away the waste between neurons that contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.

Perhaps it helps us to mentally check out a bit, but alcohol doesn’t really help us relax. Plus, why would we want to check out right when we’ve just checked in … to our hotel or luxe Airbnb?

Even the most affordable night out suddenly gets pricey when a bottle or two of wine is purchased for the table. Or a few casual drinks at the bar—next round’s on you? BAM. $100, easy. Saying “pass” on the adult juice really adds up to money in your pocket, which you can put aside for your next dry trip.

Not all dry trips have to be wellness vacations, but it doesn’t hurt to center a getaway around total health. All that money you save by not buying drinks can go towards a massage, a personal chef-curated meal plan on the beach, or something chic to remember your vacation by. 

Skipping the bevvies may also give you that refreshed, inspired, post-vacay glow you craved after other trips. But on those occasions, you came back feeling depleted, bloated, and like you needed another vacation just to bounce back. Needless to say, we are mapping out our next dry trip right away. Cheers—or something—to that!

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