In this minisode host Christie Walker shares 10 practical and fun tips for having a fabulous summer without alcohol.
From exploring creative mocktails to engaging in outdoor activities, Christie provides a variety of ways to enjoy the summer season while maintaining sobriety.
Tune in for inspiration on hosting alcohol-free gatherings, connecting with friends, and even finding spiritual enrichment through local events and devotions.
This episode is packed with ideas to make your summer memorable and fulfilling without the need for alcohol.
I'm here for you. I'm praying for you. You are NOT alone!
Please subscribe to this podcast so you won't miss a thing!
In this minisode host Christie Walker shares 10 practical and fun tips for having a fabulous summer without alcohol.
From exploring creative mocktails to engaging in outdoor activities, Christie provides a variety of ways to enjoy the summer season while maintaining sobriety.
Tune in for inspiration on hosting alcohol-free gatherings, connecting with friends, and even finding spiritual enrichment through local events and devotions.
This episode is packed with ideas to make your summer memorable and fulfilling without the need for alcohol.
I'm here for you. I'm praying for you. You are NOT alone!
Please subscribe to this podcast so you won't miss a thing!
Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast Minisode. These shorter episodes provide quick tips and information that you can refer back to when you need it most so you can achieve and maintain your desired level of sobriety. I am your sobriety coach and host of this podcast, christi Walker. Let's get started. Christy Walker, let's get started. As I am recording this episode, today is the first day of summer and it's a Friday, so I thought what a better time to record a mini-sode and talk about 10 ways that you can have a fabulous summer alcoholfree or reducing the amount of alcohol that you are consuming. Now, a lot of times, people think, oh my goodness, I cannot possibly try to reduce or eliminate my alcohol consumption in the summer, because I need it for parties and vacations and all of these things. But I'm here to tell you you do not need it and I promise you will have a more fulfilling, fun summer, being truly present with those you love. So let's get into this. My first tip is something that I talk about a lot, and that is just exploring mocktails and other non-alcoholic options. You can get so creative with creating refreshing drinks that don't involve alcohol. You can even try making your favorite cocktails without alcohol. Just get some fresh fruits and herbs and sparkling waters and create. The other thing that I really suggest that you do that is so helpful and just makes your drink or whatever you're making even more special is to get beautiful or fun drinkware to put it in. So if you have like a beautiful champagne flute or other beautiful glassware, then that is just going to elevate it and make you feel even more special as you're drinking that drink and probably those around you are going to be curious and want some of it as well. And the summer is a great time to get some of those wonderful fruits and herbs because they're in season, they're at the peak of sweetness. So take advantage of that and make a beautiful mocktail bar and enjoy yourself. My second tip goes along with that, and that is to host a social gathering that is alcohol-free. You can make a beautiful mocktail bar, ask people to bring their favorite foods or dishes, or you can maybe have a theme and you can make a beautiful presentation and have just really fun get-togethers without it all revolving around alcohol. You can host picnics, movie nights, outdoor adventures I mean people of all ages love scavenger hunts and just create memorable moments without alcohol.
Speaker 1:
Third tip is to explore outdoor fitness, whether that's joining outdoor fitness club. I've seen some boot camps, even with moms with children in their strollers. They go to the park, the kids are having fun, the moms are having fun, they're having nice community and they're getting to talk. While exercising and being outdoors, you can also go on hikes, head to the local pool or whatever sounds good to you. That will boost your mood and your overall well-being. My next tip is to organize a spa day. Get a few of your friends together and just spend the day doing some splurging getting facials, massages, manicures, pedicures just something.
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A lot of times we drink because we're seeking community, we're seeking connection with others, and I hope that you are realizing that a lot of these tips still involve connecting with others, but just without alcohol. So find the things that you like to do, that your friends like to do, and, instead of waiting for somebody else to organize it, why don't you take the reins and do some research and do the inviting? My next tip is to immerse yourself in local events, so those can be art exhibits, music festivals, food fairs. Just get out and enjoy the outdoors and being around other people and maybe exploring parts of your area that you don't typically explore, or maybe even go into some neighboring communities and check out what they have to offer as well. My next tip is to start a book club or do a Bible study with your friends. When you engage in these types of activities, once again, you are fostering community and connection with others, but at the same time you're enriching your life. So you're either reading books that maybe you wouldn't have read before, and the best part is you get to discuss them with other people.
Speaker 1:
Sometimes we read a book and we don't really have someone to process it with. If I read a book and try and talk to my husband about it, he doesn't always get what I'm talking about because he hasn't read the book. But if it's a planned thing, then that makes it even better. And then, of course, there's Bible studies. One year my friends and I did a Marian consecration. There's all sorts of things that you can do that don't involve alcohol.
Speaker 1:
Another idea is to plan day trips and getaways. One of my favorite things in the summer is to explore communities around our area. We're very close to the ocean, so it's a few hours away, so we'll drive there. Seattle's a few hours away, so we can drive up there If we want to take in a baseball game, if we want to spend time in a new scenic area that we haven't explored, maybe organize like a weekend getaway, a girls weekend, just to rejuvenate and relax. Even you can go on your own too and just spend some time just journaling, having some time to think.
Speaker 1:
A silent retreat is always a good thing if you can go to that. I don't think I'd be very good at silent retreats, but that's one of my things that I do want to try someday. And then another thing you can do is just to embrace those outdoor dining experiences. Now we live really close to a river and so we have a waterfront of different restaurants, so we'll once in a while treat ourselves to a nice dinner at one of these restaurants. It's beautiful. I love the ambiance, I love being outdoors, I love seeing the water.
Speaker 1:
Now, for some of you you might think that would be a perfect opportunity to have a glass of wine or a beer or something, but I find that it's like the perfect opportunity to start exploring non-alcoholic options, like one of my husband's favorite places to go has like five different non-alcoholic beer options, which I like beer. I know that not everybody does, but that's something that I will treat myself to. Or they also have a bunch of different mocktails on their menu that aren't just like Shirley Temples and strawberry lemonade, so you can always look at their menu ahead of time. You can always ask people for different drinks, like if you want, like a virgin mojito. I love mojitos, so I'll order something like that sometimes Virgin mojitos, no alcohol in them, and yeah, so it's just kind of a fun way to enhance your dining experience if that's what you want to do.
Speaker 1:
Another thing you can do to have an excellent summer, alcohol-free, is to pick up a new devotion, whether that's a devotion to the Sacred Heart, maybe reading the Diary of St Faustina, praying the St Michael Prayer, praying the Rosary daily, whatever it is. Maybe exploring different saints, new devotions, some places in your area, like new, different churches that you don't typically go to, or if there's pilgrimage sites. Just think outside the box and have a lot of fun exploring and incorporating your faith into your daily life. And then my last tip is to serve others. Find some things that you can do this summer that will fill your cup and allow you to help others at the same time. These can be local charities. You can get your kids involved. Maybe do a beach cleanup if you're close to the beach. Maybe it's planting some trees, maybe it's volunteering at VBS. It can even be taking dinner to an elderly neighbor visiting a community center. When we are having a positive impact on others and sharing the light of Christ with them, it just feels amazing.
Speaker 1:
Well, those are a few of my alcohol-free or reduced alcohol summer tips for you today. I have a lot more, but I think that that'll be enough to get you going. Well, that wraps up today's episode of the Catholic Sobriety Minisode. Thank you so much for joining me and please be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss a thing. And remember I am here for you, I am praying for you, you are not alone.