The weekend is here again! You have worked your ass off all week and now its time for you to relax and unwind. You deserve it after all. For many people their idea of relaxing and unwinding is to crack open a beer, or pour a glass of wine. Nothing takes the edge off like a nice alcoholic beverage. However, for many people this habit turns into a problem. Many people don’t even realize they have a drinking problem until its gone too far.

That one beer has quickly turned into the entire six pack, and that bottle wont last the night.

Maybe you have been thinking of cutting back, maybe you already have cut back, or maybe you’ve never even considered it. No matter where you stand, I’m here to remind you that there are other ways to relax and unwind that don’t involve guzzling down ethanol. It might do you some good to just take this one weekend to give it a break.

Here are 7 things you can do this weekend instead of drink

1. Read a book- Find that dusty book that has been sitting on your shelf for God knows how long and read the entire book. Drink tea, put your most comfy socks on, light a candle, turn your phone off, and read your little heart out.
   
2. Be a Tourist in your City- Find a quant little pastry or coffee shop and try some things on the menu. Search for the coolest hole in the wall store and buy yourself something nice. Explore new areas and see what you find.
   
3. Go on a hike- Summer is only here for so long, so get out and enjoy this nice weather! Go on a new trail and pack yourself a lunch and have a nice picnic. Remember to hydrate!
   
4. Go to a comedy club- Find a cool comedy club and enjoy the experience totally sober. You will actually remember the jokes, and you might find that the drunk people around you are more funny than the comedian.
   
5. Do a photo shoot- Dress up, do your hair and make up, and find a cool place to take some pictures. If you have a family get them involved and see what kind of great shots you can capture. Even if they aren’t professional quality, the experience will be a fun memory.
   
6. Organize your house- Those junk drawers are screaming at your to go through them! That closet under your stairs has a scary amount of stuff in it. Take the weekend to get organized and go through that stuff. Make some coffee or a refreshing smoothie and jam out to your favorite music and get it done. 
   
7. Spend time with the people that matter- This can mean going over to your parents house to catch up, or playing board games with your kids. Consider taking your spouse out on a romantic date, or taking your dogs to the dog park. You could have a movie night with the girls or catch up over dinner. Do it sober that way the time spent together is actually about the relationship, and not aimed towards getting drunk.

You can do all of these activities while drinking, however they will be more meaningful and enjoyable if you are sober.

I have spent a lot of time drinking and realize now that I was more focused on getting drunk than spending time with the people I care about. I was more concerned with my next drink, rather than what I was doing. As soon as I finished a drink, I was already making the next one.

 I was never truly involved with what I was doing, because drinking mattered more.

I thought I was having fun, but I can clearly see now that I wasn’t fully in the moment, and the alcohol I was so worried about consuming was numbing the experience. This has lead me to question why so many of us feel the need to numb ourselves in the happy moments of life. Why do we need to drink when we are having a game night? Why do we need to drink to spend time with people that we love? Why do we need to drink to be able to loosen up and have a good time?

There is so much joy to be found in sobriety, but its hard to see when we are looking through the bottle. You don’t have to quit drinking forever. However you need to remember you don’t have to drink to have a good time and enjoy your weekend. You deserve much more than a drunken weekend. You deserve to be sober.