The "Gear Math" of Sobriety: Converting Hangovers into HardwarE
By Corie S. Sustainability Strategist | Skier | Climber | Community Member | 1.8.2026
I stood in the Sun & Ski Sports store in Park City last Tuesday, staring at a pair of Cobra ice tools. They were beautiful—carbon fiber shafts, aggressive curve, lethal and elegant all at once.
They were also $400 a piece.
"Eight hundred dollars," I whispered to myself, clutching my chest like a Southern grandmother hearing a curse word. "That is fiscally irresponsible, Corie. You have a mortgage. You have a dog with expensive taste in kibble. You cannot spend nearly a grand on two fancy hammers."
I walked out of the store empty-handed. I sat in my Subaru, feeling virtuous about my financial restraint. And then, because I am a sustainability modeler by trade and a recovering alcoholic by nature, I opened the calculator app on my phone.
In my drinking days, my "standard" Friday night in Park City cost me roughly $200. I did that every Friday. And usually a scaled-down version on Saturday. Plus the wine in the fridge for "stress relief" on Tuesdays.
I ran the numbers. My monthly "entertainment" budget used to be roughly $1,200.
Those ice tools I just denied myself? That was three weeks of drinking.
Wow. #Priortities
This is what I call the Sticker Shock Paradox. We will agonize over a $600 GORE-TEX shell that will last us ten years, yet we won't blink an eye at tapping a card for a $22 cocktail that will be gone in 15 minutes.
Today, we are doing the math. Real math. We’re going to look at the Return on Investment (ROI) of sobriety!
#TimeToNerdOut
📊 The Audit: A Sustainability Report for Your Wallet
In my day job, I model energy systems. We look at "leakage"—where energy is being wasted in a system without producing value. When I got sober, I realized my bank account had a massive leak.
To understand "Gear Math," you have to be honest about what your addiction actually cost.
The "High-Functioning" Cost Breakdown
Based on a typical month in a resort town like Park City.
1. The Direct Consumption Costs
The "Nice" Dinner Out (x4/month): Two cocktails ($36) + half a bottle of wine ($30). $264/month.
The "Casual" Bar Nights (x4/month): 3 craft beers or well drinks + tip. $160/month.
The Home Supply: The "nice" scotch, the local IPAs, the bottle of red for Netflix. $160/month.
2. The Collateral Damage (The "Leakage")
The Rideshare Tax: Ubers to/from Main Street ($50/week). $200/month.
The Drunk DoorDash: Late night tacos you didn't need. $100/month.
The Hangover Tax: The next day's $16 breakfast burrito and $7 latte because you "need it to survive." $92/month.
The Grand Total:
$976.00 / month
I want you to sit with that number. That is $11,712.00 per year…
Nearly twelve thousand dollars!
I used to say I "couldn't afford" a season pass. I was just spending my gear budget on poison!
🏔️ The Conversion Rate:
Booze to Gear
Okay, now for the fun part!
Let’s take that $1,000/month and see what it buys us in the outdoor world!
Which challenge will you chase?
🥉 The "Dry January" Dividend
Time Sober: 1 Month
Money Saved: ~$1,000
What You Get: The "New Hobby" Starter Pack
✅ Climbing Gym Membership (Initiation + 1st Month)
✅ Beginner Climbing Shoes (Scarpa or La Sportiva)
✅ Harness & Chalk Bag
✅ A decent pair of Trail Running Shoes
✅ A 10-Punch Yoga Pass (for the rest days)
Total Value: You are now fully equipped to become a climber and a runner. In 31 days.
🥈 The "Sober Spring" Dividend
Time Sober: 3 Months
Money Saved: ~$3,000
What You Get: The Backcountry Safety Kit
✅ Avalanche Safety Course (AIARE 1)
✅ Avalanche Beacon, Shovel, Probe
✅ Backcountry Touring Boots
✅ Technical Softshell Pants & Jacket
✅ Gas money for trips to the desert
Total Value: You are now backcountry safe and dressed for the elements.
🥇 The "Year One" Dividend
Time Sober: 12 Months
Money Saved: ~$12,000
What You Get: The Dream Life
✅ Full Dream Ski Quiver (Powder skis + Skinny skis)
✅ Full Ice Climbing Rack (Screws, Tools, Crampons)
✅ A high-end Mountain Bike
✅ 2-Week Trip to Chamonix (Flights + Hostels)
When I looked at it this way, my sobriety wasn't a "sacrifice." It was a raise. I gave myself a $12,000 post-tax raise by quitting drinking.
⚖️ Visualizing the Trade-Off
Sometimes numbers on a page don't stick.
We need to see it.
Instead of...You Could Buy...One "Big Night Out" ($200)A Petzl Grigri + Locking Carabiner 🧗♀️
One Month of Drinking ($1,000)A Garmin InReach Mini + Subscription 📡
One Summer of Patio Beers ($3,000)A complete Ultralight Backpacking Setup ⛺
5 Years of Drinking ($60,000)A Down Payment on a Cabin or Van Build 🚐
⏳ The "Hidden" Economics
In sustainability modeling, we talk about "externalities"—costs that aren't reflected in the market price. In addiction, Time and Trust are the externalities.
The Time Currency
When I was drinking, Saturday morning was a wash. I might "wake up" at 9:00 AM, but I wasn't alive until 2:00 PM. That’s 5 hours of prime daylight lost.
5 hours x 52 weeks = 260 hours a year.
In 260 hours, you can:
Train for and run an Ultramarathon.
Learn to lead climb trad routes.
Drive from Utah to Alaska.
The Trust Economy:
You can't buy a belay partner at REI. You earn them. When I was drinking, I was flaky. Since getting sober, I show up. The value of having a community that trusts you with their safety?
Priceless.
🎮 How to Hack Your Cravings
We all get cravings. The brain is a stubborn ecosystem. I have found that Gamification is a powerful dopamine substitute.
The Strategy:
Find an accountability partner, first.
Open your banking app.
Create a savings account called "The Summit Fund."
Every time you have an urge to buy a bottle of wine ($20) or go to a bar ($50), literally transfer that exact amount into the fund.
Don’t have the cash to transfer, move even $.25 to your Summit Fund! Every penny counts & every drink not drank counts!
The Result:
Ding! You just saved $20.
Ding! You are $20 closer to those new crampons.
Ding! You’re ready for your next adventure! It’s that easy!
I recently bought my first dry rope for ice climbing using only money I transferred during moments of stress.
That rope represents my resilience.
📝 Your Assignment:
Build Your System
Addiction is a resource drain. Recovery is resource reclamation. Here is your homework for this week:
Do The Audit: Be brutal. Add up the liquor store runs, the bar tabs, and the Ubers.
Pick Your "Totem": Find one piece of gear you have wanted for years but "couldn't afford."
Do The Division: Divide the cost of the gear by your weekly alcohol cost.
Make the Pact: Commit to staying sober for that duration. Buy the gear.
Sobriety isn't about deprivation. It’s about allocation. I’m not "missing out" on the party. I’m just moving the party to a jagged ridge at 10,000 feet!
See you on the skin track (with my new skis)!
- Corie S.
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