How to plan a month off alcohol abroad (or at home), and actually enjoy it

Please read this first. If you drink heavily or every day, or use other drugs daily, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before you stop. The Quiet Month is not medical, not therapy and not rehab. In a crisis, call your local emergency number or find a free helpline at findahelpline.com. More in our questions.

A month off alcohol abroad sounds like the plot of a gentle film: new city, early mornings, a clear head, a slightly smug glow. A month off at home sounds more like a test of character with the fridge. Either way, the difference between a sober month you put up with and one you actually enjoy is mostly planning. Not willpower. Planning. This guide is a practical, step-by-step plan for a sober month, whether you do it on your own sofa or somewhere new.

Step 1: Write down your reason, in one sentence

Before you pick dates, pick a reason. Write it on paper, one sentence, in your own words. "I want my mornings back." "I want to see who I am without it." "I'm tired of Sunday afternoons disappearing." It doesn't need to be noble. It needs to be true.

Keep the sentence somewhere you will see it at 7pm on a Thursday, because that is when you will need it. Day 1 is easy. Day 11 is when your reason earns its keep.

Step 2: Pick your dates like you mean it

Choose a real start date and a real end date, about 30 days apart. Then look at the calendar honestly.

• Avoid the obvious traps, like a wedding in week two or a big work trip with team dinners. You can do those sober, but you don't have to make month one harder than it needs to be.
• Or choose a month that is already quiet, like the weeks after a busy season. Many people pick January for exactly this reason.
• Tell two or three people the dates. Not everyone. Just the people who will be kind about it and pour you something fizzy instead.

Step 3: Plan your evenings, not your willpower

For most people, the hard part of a sober month isn't the drink. It's the empty slot where the drink used to be: 6pm to 9pm, and especially Friday. So fill the slot before it arrives.

• A walk after work. Twenty minutes, no podcast required. It marks the end of the day the way a first drink used to.
• Cook something properly. A real dinner takes an hour, smells good and leaves no hangover.
• Ten minutes of quiet sitting. Just breathing and noticing. It is less mystical than it sounds, and it is a good way to let a long day go.
• Something with your hands: a class, a sport, an instrument, a jigsaw. Your hands used to hold a glass; give them a job.
• Earlier nights. Bed is a perfectly good evening plan.

Write a rough plan for each evening of the first week. It feels silly. It works better than "I'll see how I feel", which is how most sober months end on day six.

Step 4: Have a script for "go on, just one"

Someone will ask. Usually kindly, sometimes not. Have a sentence ready so you don't have to invent one with a glass already in front of you.

• "I'm doing a month off. Ask me again on the 30th."
• "Not tonight, I've got an early start." (True, if you planned well.)
• "I'll have a sparkling water with lime, thanks."
• "I'm seeing how I feel without it. So far, smug."

You don't owe anyone a long explanation. A short, cheerful answer and a full glass of something else ends most conversations in seconds. People are mostly asking out of habit, not interest.

Step 5: Clear the house, or choose a place that's already clear

If there is wine in the kitchen, there is a decision to make every evening. Remove the decision. Give bottles away, put them out of sight, or ask the people you live with to keep theirs somewhere you won't see.

Then stock the replacements: sparkling water, good tea, decent coffee for the mornings, and maybe one alcohol-free drink you actually like. A nice glass helps more than it should.

Step 6: Eat properly

A common trap is swapping the evening glass of wine for an evening slab of cake. Fine once or twice. Every night, it just moves the habit. Eat regular meals with plenty of protein and vegetables, so you are not starving and grumpy at 7pm.

I eat a low-carb, keto-style diet myself: eggs, fish, meat, vegetables, olive oil, nuts and a little fruit. It suits me, and it's what we eat together during The Quiet Month. It isn't right for everyone. If you take diabetes medication, are pregnant, have a kidney condition or have had an eating disorder, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat.

Step 7: Move every day

Nothing heroic. A walk, a swim, some stretching, a little strength work. Moving every day gives the day a shape, gives you something to look forward to that isn't a drink, and tends to make an early night feel well earned. If you have an injury or a health condition, check with your doctor about what suits you.

Step 8: Keep track of something kind

Track something that makes you feel good about the month, not something that makes you feel watched. Money saved is a popular one. So is "mornings I woke up feeling fine".

You may be surprised. In a University of Sussex survey of around 800 people who did Dry January in 2018, 88% said they saved money and 71% said they slept better. Those are self-reported answers from people who chose to take part, not a promise for everyone, but they show what many people notice.

Step 9: Plan the last day before the first one

Decide now what day 31 looks like. Not because you must go back to drinking, or must never drink again, but because a month with no ending tends to drift. Pick a small, pleasant way to mark the end: a long walk, a good dinner, a morning with nowhere to be.

Then, on day 31, look back at your one-sentence reason and ask three plain questions. What did I like? What did I miss? What do I want to keep? Write the answers down. Many people find they want to keep more than they expected: the walk, the early nights, the clear Saturday mornings. Some decide on more alcohol-free days each week. Some decide on another month. All of those are fine. The point of the month is that the choice is yours again, made with a clear head.

A week-by-week plan for your sober month

Planning a month off alcohol abroad: what changes

Doing a sober month away from home has one big advantage: your old routine stays behind. No usual bar, no usual Friday, no usual bottle in the usual cupboard. It also brings a few new questions.

• Choose the place for the days, not the nights. Good walking, good food markets, nature nearby, and a calm neighbourhood. Skip the party district, however cheap the hostel.
• Stay long enough in one place. Moving every three days fills your evenings with packing and bars near train stations. A month in one base is calmer.
• Plan your days the same way as at home: a morning walk or swim, regular meals, a quiet afternoon slot, an early night.
• Sort the boring things: travel insurance with medical cover, a doctor's OK if you have any health condition, and any medicine you need, with prescriptions.
• Think about company. A month alone can be wonderful, or it can be lonely in a way that makes a drink look friendly. A small, like-minded group can make it easier, and more fun.

That last point is why The Quiet Month exists. It is a planned sober month abroad, for up to four guests, with the routine already built: shared meals, daily exercise, short meditation, outings and long conversations. You live in your own flat nearby. The location is told after a video call, never published. The rule is simple: no smoking, no alcohol, no drugs.

A checklist you can print

• My reason, in one sentence, written down.
• Start date and end date, about 30 days apart.
• Two or three people told.
• House cleared, or a place chosen that's already clear.
• Alcohol-free drinks I like, stocked.
• An evening plan for every night of week 1.
• My script for "go on, just one".
• Regular meals planned, and a doctor's OK if I'm changing diet with a health condition.
• Something to move every day.
• One kind thing to track: money saved, or good mornings.
• If abroad: insurance, medicine and prescriptions, a calm base for the whole month.

If it goes wrong on day 9

It happens. Have a glass at a wedding, and the month isn't ruined. It's a month with one evening in it you didn't plan for. Notice what led to it, adjust your plan, and carry on from the next morning. The goal is a better month, not a perfect record.

But if you find you can't stop, or you feel unwell when you try, that is important information. Please talk to a doctor. That isn't a failure. It's exactly the kind of thing a sober month is good at showing you, and a doctor can help in ways a plan on paper can't. If you want to understand the different kinds of help, I wrote a plain guide: sober month retreat, sober living or a rehab centre.

And if your month goes well and you want to do the next one somewhere calm, with company, the details are on the month page and the price page. For how the cost compares with luxury retreats, see what a one month wellness retreat costs.

Questions people ask

Sources

1. University of Sussex: Dry January research, 2018 (Dr Richard de Visser) (self-reported survey of about 800 people)
2. MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine): Alcohol withdrawal
3. Alcohol Change UK: Dry January
4. Find A Helpline: free helplines in many countries

Prices and facts were checked on 23 October 2026. Prices change; always check the source before you book anything.