The Holiday Started When the Drinking Started
How do I handle the airport without drinking?
For me, every holiday began in the same place: the first bar after security. It did not matter whether it was three in the morning, eight in the morning or half past eleven at night. On every stag do I went on, we cleared security, found the nearest bar and ordered a pint.
I’m on holiday. Lads on tour. What happens on tour stays on tour.
Nobody had written the rules down, but everybody knew them. The first drink was the signal that work, responsibility and ordinary life had been left behind. From that moment, the holiday had started, which meant the drinking had started too.
It was never about being frightened of flying. It was not about crowds, delays or needing something to settle my nerves. I wanted the life I had back home erased from my mind. I had four days, seven days or ten days without work and stress, and I intended to spend them drinking.
I was also never going to be the only person saying no. Drinking was the norm, and in my mind the person without a drink was the weirdo. That is the part people miss when they talk about the airport pint as though it is only a drink. In a group, it can feel like the entrance ticket. You are either joining in or standing outside the pack.
This is not written to preach to somebody who has happily chosen to drink. I would not have listened to anybody preaching to me back then. It is written for the person who already wants to travel differently but is frightened that saying no will make them awkward, boring or somehow stop the holiday feeling like a holiday.
It was never only an airport pint
The first airport drink looked spontaneous. Clear security. Find the bar. Order a pint. But the decision had usually been made long before we reached the terminal. We knew where the first stop would be. The airport was simply where the group carried out a plan that nobody needed to discuss.
I see the same thing happening even earlier now. People post their ‘holiday pre’s’ on social media. It can be four in the morning and the Prosecco is open before the taxi has arrived. The message is the same one I lived by: normal time no longer applies, normal rules no longer apply, and because the holiday has started, the drinking starts too.
That is why deciding at the bar can feel far more difficult than it sounds. You are not making one isolated choice about one drink. You may be stepping outside a plan that everybody around you believes has already been agreed.
Alcohol may also be doing several jobs at once. In The Seven Jobs of Alcohol™, I describe one of those jobs as The Social Passport. The drink appears to give you entry into the group. It says you are joining in, following the same rules and becoming part of the version of the trip everybody expects.
The first round can also become The Reward. You have finished work, sorted the bags and reached departures. Now you are allowed to enjoy yourself. It can become The Off Switch too: the moment when work, stress and responsibility are put away.
The useful question is not, ‘Why is an airport pint such a big deal?’ It is, ‘What am I expecting this first drink to do?’ Is it starting the celebration? Giving you permission to switch off? Settling the fear of being different? Proving that you are part of the group?
When you remove the drink without recognising what you expected it to do, you can stand at the bar feeling as though you are refusing far more than a pint.
The drink that took the first day away
One trip to Mallorca showed me how far that first airport decision could travel into the holiday.
We landed and reached the hotel at about five in the morning. We dropped the bags and headed to the nearest bar. We asked the owner to keep it open, and I carried on drinking until I could not stand.
Hours later, I woke up on a sun lounger. I was red raw from the sun and somebody had put a towel over me. I remembered nothing about that day. I only remember how sore I was afterwards.
I am not saying everybody who drinks at an airport will experience that. I am saying that, for me, the first drink did not exist on its own. It opened the door to the version of the holiday I had already planned: no work, no stress and drinking all day.
By the time I woke up burnt and unable to remember what had happened, I had travelled all the way to Mallorca without being present for the beginning of it. The drink that was supposed to start the holiday had taken the first day away.
My first airport without alcohol
My first airport experience after I stopped drinking was with my brother and a friend. I wrote about it in I Believe in You.
It was not a lovely, neat moment where I ordered a coffee and immediately realised how much I had changed. It was a bad experience. They were still drinking at ten in the morning, and I had to watch as they made complete fools of themselves.
Coffee helped. So did my own strength. But it was difficult.
People sometimes make alcohol-free travel sound too easy. Just order a coffee. Ignore the bar. Enjoy the holiday. The practical choice may be simple, but the experience can still feel uncomfortable.
You may be watching the group perform a ritual you used to lead. You may hear the same jokes and phrases. You may feel visible because you are the only person not following the normal order.
That discomfort does not mean the holiday is ruined or that your decision is wrong. It means the situation is different, and you are learning how to stand inside that difference. My first airport without alcohol showed me that I could feel awkward and still keep the promise I had made to myself.
Decide before the pack decides for you
If you already know that you do not want the airport drink, do not leave the whole decision until you are standing in departures and somebody turns to you and says, ‘Pint?’ Make the decision before the taxi arrives. A clear decision will not remove every feeling that follows, but it removes the argument about what you are going to do.
Tell the people you are travelling with before the first group order where possible. You do not need to make a speech or persuade anybody to join you. ‘I’m not drinking on this trip’, ‘I’m taking a break’, or ‘I’m doing 90 days without alcohol’ is enough. The point is not to win their approval. It is to stop your decision arriving as a surprise while everybody is ordering.
It also helps to change what happens immediately after security. My feet would automatically take me towards the bar because that was where every trip began. Go for coffee or breakfast. Look around the shops. Head towards the gate. You are not hiding from the entire holiday. You are interrupting the most familiar part of the old sequence at the exact moment it normally begins.
Then plan beyond the terminal. The airport may only be the first part of the pattern. What happens when you land? What happens when you reach the hotel in the early hours? What happens at the first meal, beside the pool or during the first evening? If you only prepare for the airport bar, the same negotiation can restart as soon as the plane lands.
You do not need to turn your choice into a debate about everybody else’s drinking. They are allowed to drink, and you are allowed not to. You do not have to explain alcohol to the whole group. You only need to be clear about what you are doing.
The holiday is not contained inside the first drink
Refusing an airport drink is not going to spoil a holiday, but I understand why it can feel as though it will. For me, that drink marked the moment when ordinary life disappeared. It gave me permission to stop working, stop worrying and become part of the pack.
When alcohol has been given all of those jobs, removing one pint can feel like removing the start of the holiday itself. One airport experience may not be enough to change that belief. You may need time to discover that rest, reward, belonging and enjoyment can exist without alcohol starting them for you.
That is what a meaningful pause gave me. I did not have to promise forever. I gave myself enough time to find out what came back when alcohol was no longer deciding how my days, weekends and holidays began.
Press pause for 90 days. Find out what comes back.
Your next step
If an upcoming holiday is making you question how much space alcohol has taken, Press Pause 90 is a private 90-day alcohol-free challenge with structure, support and accountability from me.
You can see how Press Pause 90 works, what the 90 days include and which support route suits you on the Press Pause 90 page.
If you would rather talk through your upcoming holiday and your own drinking before deciding, book a private Power Hour with me.
Important safety note
If you drink heavily every day, have had withdrawal symptoms before, or experience shaking, sweating, sickness or strong anxiety when you stop or reduce drinking, do not suddenly stop without medical advice.
The NHS says stopping suddenly can be dangerous if you are physically dependent on alcohol. Speak to your GP or a local alcohol service about stopping safely. Call 999 or go to A&E for severe withdrawal symptoms such as hallucinations, severe shaking, confusion or seizures.
Sources and further reading
NHS — Alcohol-use disorder
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/
NHS — Alcohol support
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/alcohol-support/
Related questions and FAQ
Does refusing an airport drink mean I will not enjoy the holiday?
No. It may feel unfamiliar if alcohol has always marked the start of the trip, but unfamiliar is not the same as ruined. The first different airport experience may feel uncomfortable while you learn that the holiday can begin another way.
What can I say when everybody else orders a drink?
Keep it simple. ‘I’m not drinking on this trip’, ‘I’m taking a break’, or ‘I’m doing 90 days without alcohol’ is enough. You do not need to persuade the group or defend your decision.
Should I avoid the airport bar completely?
That depends on your situation. If the bar is where the old sequence automatically begins, choosing coffee, food, the shops or the gate as your first stop can make the decision easier. The aim is preparation, not hiding forever.
What if my friends think I am being boring?
Their reaction may feel uncomfortable, especially if drinking is part of the group identity. That does not give them ownership of your decision. You can let them drink without joining them.
Will one airport drink really affect the whole holiday?
Not for everybody. In my experience, the first drink opened the version of the holiday I had already planned around drinking. The useful question is whether the first drink usually stays as one separate decision for you.
Can Press Pause 90 help me prepare for a holiday?
Yes. Press Pause 90 provides structure, support and accountability for a clear 90-day alcohol-free pause. It can help you prepare for the airport, the people you are travelling with, the hotel arrival, meals and the wider holiday rather than relying on one decision at the bar.
