Maybe you’ve already detoxed and started your recovery but you’re worried about the spring and summer months, filled as they are with opportunities for partying.
Perhaps you acknowledge you’re ready to commit to recovery but you’re concerned about how you’re going to fill your time in the absence of drink or drugs.
Either way, look at it like this: do you feel you are the best version of yourself when under the influence of drugs? Chances are when you sober up and you’re no longer dependent on substances, you’ll reassess their role in your life and you’ll realize you were selling yourself short when high or drunk.
When your recovery journey is fully underway, you’ll soon start to live with a different definition of fun: something that makes you feel good both during and after the event without the payload of a hangover or comedown as penance.
Even if you’re perfectly happy and willing to embrace a sober life, we understand you may initially feel stuck for ideas. To that end, explore these suggestions and start having sober fun this spring and every spring.
10 Ways to Have Sober Fun This Spring
1. Meet friends for brunch or breakfast instead of dinner
2. Focus on activities that don’t revolve around alcohol
3. Enroll in a late-night fitness class
4. Start blogging
5. Host a game night
6. Exercise, exercise, exercise!
7. Invest in a new PlayStation or XBox for some solo fun
8. Unwind in a bubble bath
9. Meditate to unwind and clear your head
10. Take full advantage of getting an early night
1) Meet friends for brunch or breakfast instead of dinner
During the early stages of sobriety, the thought of meeting friends in the evenings might not appeal. Indeed, evening shenanigans might trigger you, especially if you’re meeting friends at licensed premises.
Stay social while protecting yourself from relapse by suggesting a breakfast or brunch instead of an evening meet-up. You’ll be too busy filling your face with eggs benedict and latte to preoccupy yourself with thoughts of drinking a beer.
By starting your day with a positive and meaningful social interaction accompanied by some nutritious food, you’ll create a strong foundation for another day on the road to recovery.
2) Focus on activities that don’t revolve around alcohol
You can apply this idea more broadly by skewing the focus of your entertainment away from all activities centered on alcohol or drug use.
As you start transitioning from detox and treatment into the early phase of recovery from addiction, you may find yourself rediscovering neglected hobbies and interests. Alternatively, you may find yourself developing new interests triggered by conversations and situations you experience during your treatment program and 12-step support groups.
What you do doesn’t matter. Everyone is different and everyone has different interests. What counts is finding ways to fill your time, whether socially or solo, without using alcohol as a crutch.
3) Enroll in a late-night fitness class
Exercising for at least thirty minutes daily can bring powerful benefits, both physically and emotionally. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals like dopamine that can improve your mood. You’ll also strengthen your body and mind.
How about if you don’t ever seem to get time to exercise, though?
Well, one solution is to sign up for a late-night fitness class. Most gyms offer a range of classes, from weight training and spinning classes to boxercise and aerobics. Choose something that takes your fancy and enjoy the inbuilt benefit of arriving home tired and ready for a good night’s sleep.
4) Start blogging
Setting up a blog is quick, cheap, and easy if you have even rudimentary tech skills.
As you ease into a sober lifestyle and your mind starts clearing, you may find creative and expressive writing is beneficial to your recovery.
And, once you start writing, you might find yourself really enjoying it, so much so that you want to start producing content. Whether you have a recovery-based blog in mind, a travel blog, or something entirely different, imagination is your only limitation.
You never know, you could even end up making money from the blog. Often, when you enter into something with no expectations, it works out better than you could have imagined. Just do it!
5) Host a game night
Do you yearn for the fun and banter that accompanies a night out drinking with friends?
Recreate at least part of that by inviting friends over for an evening of good food and a selection of your favorite board games. Even if you’re fully committed to the digital life, chances are you still enjoy a few analog games. Whether you’re partial to a competitive round of Trivial Pursuit or a laid-back game of Twister, spend all the money you would have used on booze on some lip-smacking munchies.
6) Exercise, exercise, exercise!
The fitness class we mentioned above is one form of exercise, but you don’t need to head to a gym to get fit and active.
Joining a sports club is a great way to compete in your favorite sport while taking yourself out of your comfort zone.
Walking, hiking, or jogging deliver powerful cardiovascular benefits while giving you time alone to reflect and clear your mind.
There are hundreds of ways in which you can raise your heart rate and get your blood pumping while also improving your food and having fun at the same time. All that remains is to choose something you enjoy and to stick with it.
7) Invest in a new PlayStation or Xbox for some solo fun
If all these social suggestions have you pining for some solo time, you could treat yourself to a new games console with the money you would have spent this month on alcohol. You can buy games on an ongoing basis using money saved, too.
While it might be impractical to apply this logic to every decision you make, you’ll certainly be spending much less money now you’re not drinking or using drugs. Treat yourself and make a better life for yourself by choosing to spend that money more efficiently.
8) Unwind in a bubble bath
Devote an hour to yourself, run a hot and deep bath, and fill it with scented bubbles. Make yourself a cup of chamomile tea, light some candles and embrace the feeling of doing absolutely nothing while relaxing completely.
You don’t need to head to a spa to pamper yourself, and a hot bath in the evening should also help you relax toward a restful sleep. Especially in the early stages of recovery, sleeping patterns can be disrupted. Focusing on improving your sleep hygiene is worthwhile.
9) Meditate to relax and clear your head
If you have been accustomed to using drink or drugs as your default method of relaxing, you might find meditation is worth pursuing as you ease into sobriety.
Learning relaxation techniques can be an effective method of clearing your mind, focusing your thoughts, and minimizing your chances of relapsing.
Whether you choose to attend a class, use online resources, or meditate from guidance in a book, what counts is disengaging, clearing the mind of all extraneous thoughts, and relaxing completely.
10) Take full advantage of getting an early night
If the thought of all this activity has tired you out, don’t feel bad about heading to bed early as you embark upon the challenging recovery journey ahead of you.
Recharge your batteries and get an early night with a good book. As you tuck yourself into bed, remind yourself how much trouble you could have saved yourself if you stayed in more often catching up on sleep instead of heading instinctively to the bar.
Start Your Journey to Sobriety at Renaissance Recovery Center
If you’re ready to leave drink or drugs behind and to embrace a life of sustained sobriety, we can help you get started at Renaissance Recovery Center, call our addiction hotline today.
We have a variety of personalized addiction treatment programs for alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder. If you have a co-occurring mental health condition, we have dual diagnosis treatment programs to help you attack both these issues at the same time.
All you need to do is call the friendly Renaissance team at 866.330.9449.
