SOBER SUNDAY: ✈️ My Second Work Trip Sober + 5 Tips for Sober October

Inspiration, stories & sober glow every Sunday. By award-winning Beauty Editor, Donna Francis.

I’m writing this from Tampa airport, about to fly to Savannah for a beauty product launch. Over the years, I’ve been on so many of these trips and as far as drinking, they always used to follow the same script:

• A drink on the plane: probably vodka and ginger ale.

• A chilled glass of champagne in the hotel lobby.

• Cocktails by the pool.

• A pre-dinner cocktail, then a glass of red or rosé with dinner.

That rhythm felt automatic. Travel and drinking were so tightly linked in my mind that I couldn’t imagine one without the other.

This is only my second work trip sober, and it feels completely different. The cravings that once felt deafening are now much quieter. Somewhere along the way, the ritual lost its grip. I stopped feeling like I was missing out and started noticing what alcohol was actually taking away - sleep, presence, energy, joy.

With Sober October starting Wednesday, it feels like the perfect time to share some of the strategies that helped me stop the cravings. Whether you’re taking o…