Traveling with my Baggage

When I was active in my addiction, I never thought twice about my addiction tagging along. Traveling alone for work amounted to countless hours in a hotel room wrapped up in fantasy. When I traveled with my partner, I was planning acting out from one moment to the next with whatever free time presented itself. Now that I am in recovery, things are different. Not an uncomfortable different, but a good different. One that comes with peace and serenity.

A few techniques I use when traveling:

• Trip planning

  • I plan much of my trips out. Putting myself in a place and time reduces the idle time I frequently used to act out. I am also much more aware of my surroundings by being at the place I am expected to be.

• Researching Meetings

  • I get on my program site and research meetings in that area as much as a month ahead of time. Some meetings don’t disclose their locations without a phone call or an email and that can take a bit of time to hear something back.

  • I either save it on my phone with the address and all pertinent information or print out the information to take with me.

• Discussing things with my Sponsor

  • I talk to my sponsor about my travel. We discuss where I am going, what my purpose there is, what my free time looks like, even sleep schedule and meals. Remember H.A.L.T.? Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired?

• Bookending

  • If I am in a precarious position and have a desire to act out, sending texts and calling people in program make a big difference. Sometimes I just need a distraction and I’ll call a friend outside of the program just to chat. At times I may be near a place where I have acted out and need to make a specific type of call. That for me is a bookend call. I state that I am going to or near that place and it is a trigger for me. I then call that person back when I am safe and clear of my trigger. Sometimes there are moments where you need to stay on the call with a person through out the entire duration.

• Planned communication / time with others

  • If you haven’t noticed a trend yet… planning is the theme here. I like to also plan my communication with my partner if I am out of town by myself. I may state that I will call when I get back to my room at 8pm. I personally like to FaceTime or something similar because it creates expectations of being where I say I will be and that reduces some of my acting out feelings before they ever surface.

  • If I am traveling with my partner, we set aside time to spend with each other. Specifically, when we are at the in-laws, I feel neglected and that can become a resentment for me. Planning quality time at the house or away seems to cure that for me.

I hope these tips help you in your next trip. Have a good time and get some rest and relaxation!

Keep coming back!