If you just completed a rehab program, you may find yourself wondering what to do with your day. Since you aren’t spending your days getting, using, and then recovering from drug use, you have plenty of free time on your hands. While there is nothing wrong with having periods of your day with nothing to do, too much idle time can lead to boredom. If you don’t find a healthy way to alleviate your boredom, thoughts of using and cravings can return. Over time, these feelings can overwhelm you and ultimately lead to relapse. Finding fun and healthy things to do while sober is an essential part of your individual recovery plan. This article will explain why it is important to have hobbies in recovery. Also, you will see examples of fun, sober activities that will help minimize boredom and reduce the risk of relapse. Despite what you may think, engaging in fun activities to stay sober helps you stay motivated and takes your recovery to the next level.
Why Is It Important to Have Hobbies in Recovery?
If you recently completed a treatment program, you may look and feel the best you have in years. You feel as though you are at the top of the world. While completing a treatment program is a major achievement, it does not mean that your recovery ends. The real work in recovery begins when you resume your daily life. To minimize the risk of relapse, your primary focus should be on relapse prevention and building the coping skills needed to deal with the triggers that can lead to substance use.
Finding fun, sober activities is an essential component of relapse prevention. Engaging in activities while you are sober helps redefine what is fun. Before recovery, your idea of fun was using drugs and alcohol with others who used substances. However, any fun that was had came at a tremendous price to your health and your relationships with others. Now that you are sober, you have the opportunity to find fun things to do that are physically, mentally, and psychologically healthy. These sober, fun activities can be enjoyed by yourself, or family and friends can join in on the fun.
What are Fun, Sober Activities?
In your search for fun, sober activities, the world is your proverbial oyster. The key is finding those activities that connect with yourself and allow you the space to explore the new and sober you. The following are some examples of fun things to do while sober:
Exercise
One of the most common and fun sober activities is engaging in exercise. Regular exercise releases vast amounts of dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is the brain’s “feel good” chemical and is an excellent replacement for substances. Exercise is also helpful in combating depression which can be common in early recovery. Examples of exercise include simply going for walks around the neighborhood, biking, hiking, and weight training. You can also join a sports league, take a CrossFit class, or practice a martial art.
Be Creative!
In sobriety, you learn to confront feelings and emotions that were repressed during your active addiction. A great way to express those emotions is through the arts. Take up a musical instrument, a watercolor or sculpture class, write poetry, or get into woodworking. These avenues are healthy ways to express and connect with yourself.
Join a Club
Do you have a passion or interest? Chances are, there is a club in your area that has people who are also passionate about the same thing. There are gamers clubs, book and writing clubs, and service clubs that focus on your community’s volunteer work. If there isn’t a club in your area focused on your particular interest, form one!
Travel
Now that you are not spending all of your income on substances, you can take the money you are saving and go travel. This can include anything from going to a state park or city you’ve always wanted to visit, to traveling globally. Seeing the world can put your recovery into perspective and help ground you.
Volunteer
Among the things to do while sober, volunteering is one activity that can vastly enrich your life. When you give of yourself and your time to others, it enriches your life and helps bolster your confidence in recovery. You can volunteer for a local youth group, non-profit, or hospital.
How to Find Hobbies While Sober
Finding sober hobbies is easier than you think. Maybe there is an old hobby you can revisit and rekindle your love and passion for that hobby. There might be a hobby that you’ve always wanted to try, or maybe a family member or friend is inviting you to join them in one of their hobbies. Keep an open mind; you never know until you try.
If you are newly sober and looking to strengthen your coping skills to minimize relapse, attending an aftercare program in Tennessee at Nashville Treatment Solutions is an excellent option. We offer intensive outpatient, traditional outpatient, and partial hospitalization programs in Nashville that are customized to fit your needs. With the help of experienced and dedicated treatment staff, you will get learn the life and coping skills needed to strengthen your recovery.
Call Nashville Treatment Solutions and take your recovery to the next level.