I interviewed Veronica Valli, who is hosting a women’s sobriety retreat in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on the Caribbean coast near Cancun. It will be held at Palmaia, The House of Aia which features beachfront views, gourmet plant-based cuisine, pools, white sand beaches, and spa amenities.
Veronica is a psychotherapist/sobriety coach who became sober in 2000. She became sober in 2000. She is also the author of the book, “Soberful: Uncover a Sustainable, fulfilling life free of alcohol” and hosts a podcast called “Soberful.”
Sign up for her retreat by clicking here.
Watch our video interview on YouTube
Highlights from our interview
She focuses on helping middle-aged women who are accomplished, with college degrees, nice houses, and professions. They use alcohol as a crutch, may drink every night, and find it hard to stop.
Veronica says that we leave ourselves by degrees when we drink too much. Alcoholics break promises, have regret, shame, and guilt, and eventually do not recognize themselves anymore. What she does is help to return people to themselves.
Women do so much. The retreat is about coming and letting go for 3 nights and 4 days. Stopping the to-do list, obligations, and duties, and allowing Veronica and her team to care for them so they can return to themselves.
It’s about remembering who they are, what really matters to them, what their values are, and starting the process of either taking a break from alcohol or committing to permanent sobriety to see who they are without it.
I was excited about this interview because I lived with an alcoholic for 15 years. I believe his alcoholism contributed to his death from cancer. Alcohol, even in moderate amounts, can damage your health in many ways.
Veronica says that most people think of alcoholism as a homeless problem. But it isn’t. People with nice homes and incomes are just as susceptible.
In the nice, gated community she lives in, two women with alcohol problems recently died. One fell when she tripped in the middle of the night and died in her 50s.
The other woman in her mid-70s, fell and broke her hip becoming hospitalized. She lay there bleeding for several hours before someone found her. When older people fall recovery is much more difficult.
Veronica believes alcohol is one of the worst things you can put in your body. It is at the root of so many cancers but post 50, the biggest risk is falls. It can cause hospitalization, infection, mobility issues, and other problems.
How is her sobriety retreat structured?
Many people think of vacations as opportunities to drink. But the retreat shows them they can go to a luxury resort and enjoy themselves without drinking.
When guests arrive, they are greeted with a beautiful reception with alcohol-free mocktails to get to know each other. They talk about what they will do at the retreat, their intentions, and what they want to achieve while they are there.
Each morning starts with a beach walk along the Caribbean with sand like baby powder and warm aquamarine water. The walks enable conversation and connection. This allows the guests to get to know each other and open up.
They have a beautiful brunch with healthy fresh food. Next are workshops on emotional sobriety, why they need to be sober, how to build a sober life, and how to build a program to support their emotional and mental health.
The afternoon is free time including massages, other wellness treatments, swimming in the pools, and relaxation. In the evening, they may have meditation, a sound bowl, a beautiful meal, and a sharing circle to reflect on learning, breakthroughs, etc.
The retreat is about relaxing, community, connection, learning, growth, and getting back to yourself.
What type of follow-up is involved after the retreat?
Veronica offers recommendations and has online coaching programs. The final night is about how each guest will carry forward what they learned.
The price is all-inclusive except for the airfare and transfer.
Some women may be worried about coming to the retreat alone, but Veronica and her staff take care of them from the moment they arrive. They may walk in a stranger but go home with support and friends.
Sign up and get more information about the retreat by clicking here.
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