I just got back from a business trip to San Francisco, the kind that years ago would have been a “work work work” and then “drink drink drink” all the way home. I’ve been to San Francisco a bunch of times, but seen very little of it, sometimes because there was no meaningful down time before I had to dash back to New York, and sometimes because I filled the down time with “unwinding” by drinking.

This time I was able to stay an extra day and night, so I actually reached out to friends and planned things. That night I unwound by meeting a group at Mission Bowl, where I had a couple of solid mocktails, and the next morning I met up with another friend, who showed me Sutro Baths and the Land’s End trail, which were gorgeous. Met some others for lunch and dinner and scored a complimentary room service dessert along the way. I was so captivated by the natural beauty of San Francisco, and the combination of being outside and connecting with others was so restorative. I laughed more than I ever thought I could on a business trip and returned home fresh and full of stories. I made real memories.

For anyone stuck in a moment of “this moment would be better with a drink,” I’d say just zoom out to even a 24-hour period. Think not about that one hour that you’d like a drink (or several), but how the next 24 hours might play out if you make a different choice. I wouldn’t trade my day for drinking in a million years, and the experience showed me once again how much better my business trips can be.