The Big Island is still growing. Standing at the edge of Kilauea at night, lava glowing below and stars overhead, reminded me how sobriety lets you actually feel the world.
There is something about standing on land that is still being made.
Not land that was formed millions of years ago and has settled into itself. Land that is actively, right now, in this moment, still becoming. Still pushing up from the earth's core. Still alive.
That is what the Big Island of Hawaii is. And hiking to the edge of Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes on the planet, at night, with the glow of molten earth reflecting off the crater walls and the stars stretched out overhead, is one of those experiences that rewires something in you.
I had a friend visiting the island recently, celebrating her birthday at a time when I happened to be here too. She had never been to Hawaii before. And there is something deeply special about being able to share a place that has become a piece of your heart with someone who is experiencing it for the first time. Watching their face as they take it all in. Feeling their energy shift as the island starts to speak to them the way it speaks to you.
It reminded me of something I keep coming back to. The gift of showing up. Of establishing relationships, not just with people but with the land itself, and trusting that when paths overlap, those moments are meant to be shared.
An Island That Is Still Becoming
The Hawaiian Islands were all born from the same volcanic hotspot deep beneath the Pacific. But here is the thing. Every other island in the chain is slowly drifting, slowly sinking, slowly eroding back into the ocean. The Big Island, literally named Hawaii, is the only one still growing. New land is being created right now. Lava meets ocean and the island expands.
Think about that for a second. You are standing on earth that did not exist a few years ago.
And the contrasts on this island are unlike anything I have experienced anywhere else in the world. The Big Island contains ten of the world's fourteen climate zones. Everything except arctic and dry desert. You can drive from tropical rainforest to volcanic desert to snow-capped summit in a single afternoon. Waterfalls crashing through jungle that looks pulled straight out of Jurassic Park (because it literally was). Vast fields of black lava rock stretching as far as you can see on the Kona side, seemingly lifeless but somehow still pulsing with energy. And then the crater itself, billowing with earth metals and gas, mother nature speaking through pressure and heat and raw, unfiltered power.
Then there is Mauna Kea. Nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, and when measured from its base on the ocean floor, taller than Everest. Watching the sunset from up there, above the clouds, and then staying for the stars. I cannot describe it in a way that does it justice. You just have to go.
The Sober Lens
Let's talk sobriety specific to travel and experiencing these types of things for a moment.
I know some people like to take substances to enhance moments like these. And if that is their thing, I will leave that to them. But what I have found, nineteen years into sobriety, is that the enhancement I was always chasing already exists. It is just waiting for me to slow down enough to receive it.
Standing at the edge of an active volcano at night, feeling the heat rise from below while the Milky Way stretches overhead. Free diving with sharks and dolphins off the Kona coast. Watching a sunset from nearly 14,000 feet while the clouds roll beneath you. These are not things that need to be enhanced. They are already more than my nervous system can fully process. The magic is not something I need to add. It is something I need to be present enough to receive.
And that is what sobriety gives me. Not a dull life without substances. A vivid life without the barrier between me and the experience.
I think about how many of us are constantly, relentlessly stimulated. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, caffeine, alcohol, a million subscriptions to things that promise to make us feel something. And the truth is, if we just slow down and pay attention to the world that is already in front of us, there is more beauty than we could consume in a lifetime.
I do not want to sound too out there with this, but at the end of the day, these are the experiences we are sidestepping when we choose to alter our state of mind. When we stay up late drinking and wake up feeling crummy and hungover, what exactly are we chasing in those moments that we are not finding in the ones we are skipping?
Early morning sunrises.
A clean surf session with the ocean's current.
A shark gliding past you underwater.
A dolphin breaching.
Simple, honest, unfiltered stars.
These are the moments we overlook and inevitably miss when we turn to drugs and alcohol.
Give Yourself Permission to Just Be
When was the last time you saw a shooting star?
Close your eyes for a second and picture it. When did you last drive out to somewhere with no light pollution, lay on the ground, look up, and just let your eyes settle in? When did you last turn your phone off, not on silent, actually off, and give yourself that moment of presence?
If you do not have the chance to go stand at the edge of an active volcano, that's fine... just go find your own version of it. A clear night sky somewhere quiet. A trail that takes you away from everything for a few hours. A body of water where the only sound you hear is that of your own breath.
Give yourself permission to just be, not do.
The human being, not the human doing.
That is what the Big Island keeps teaching me. That the earth is alive, and when I am present enough to feel it, so am I.
If this kind of experience speaks to you and you want to explore what sober travel and adventure-based recovery look like in practice, I would love to connect. You can learn more about my work at zacspowart.com, explore the identity and relationship work behind it at loveunlocked.com, or reach out directly about 1:1 Clinical Coaching and sober companion adventures around the world.
Interested in 1:1 sober coaching, sober companionship, or custom tailored sober retreats?
Whether you are navigating early sobriety, planning your first sober trip, or looking for someone to walk alongside you, I am here. My book Love Unlocked digs into the identity and relationship work underneath it all. Learn more at Nomadic Addictt or start the conversation.