Remember to Always Have Fun in Sobriety
There’s definitely fun in sobriety. There’s this weird stigma or urban legend that when you get sober all you do is drink coffee and go to meetings. When I was first getting sober this terrified me. I’m still not the type of person that can just sit around and let the world pass me by. I just kept wondering, what was there to do for fun? I was so nervous that the rest of my life was going to be like an episode of the “Golden Girls”.
I’m sure you’ve thought it or been asked it at least 100 times, “What do you do for fun now that you’re sober?” I always tell people the same thing, “Whatever I want.”
I’m at an amazing point in my life where I have a freedom that I’ve never felt before. I have fun in sobriety every day. Not just the beautiful freedom from alcohol and drugs, but a freedom to live my life the way I’ve always dreamt of living it. I can go to a concert and not have to drink myself into oblivion to have a good time. I can see a movie without smoking a joint. I can literally do anything I want.
My life is the same as someone who never struggled with drug addiction or alcoholism. I can go to restaurants, where they have huge bar and I don’t even think about having a drink. I can host a BBQ , go to a club, go bowling and even on vacation without those urges looming over me.
It wasn’t always like that though; when I was early in recovery I didn’t feel comfortable going to those places and doing those types of things. At some points I felt like there wasn’t fun in sobriety. Here are a few sober activities that I did early on, that I actually had a lot of fun doing. There’s plenty of fun in sobriety to be had.
- Games: I got obsessed with some board and card games. Some of my favorites are Cranium, Cards Against Humanity and Quelf. These are all great to play with a group of friends.
- Local events: Hop on Google and see what’s going on in your area. There might be an awesome art show or free music event going on.
- Hikes/Nature Walks- Living in south Florida there’s not too many exciting nature trails to take but I did have the beach. It’s amazing how much stress nature can take away from you in just a few hours.
- Find a Hobby – For me it was poker, I loved getting a big game together to have with a bunch of friends. For you it can be anything. Writing, doing artwork, creating music, playing video games. I love all these things, I’m just not very good at them.
- Sports/Exercise – Most of the time when my body feels good my mind feels good. Set a workout schedule for yourself and try to stick with it. Routine will help you get things in order.
- Meetings- It’s a great way to meet new people and start building new friendships that will help last a lifetime.
Just some examples of fun in sobriety
Life can be an absolutely amazing thing. There’s so much to see, so many people to meet and things to experience. Don’t think that you’re limited now that you’re sober. The world is at your fingertips, start having some fun in sobriety.
