Sometimes the weekends can be difficult when you’re in addiction recovery. Maybe it’s the idea of having too much time on your hands, or you don’t want to pass up a night out with friends. Maybe you’re just not sure what you can do without risking jumping back into the party life. As a Chicago rehab that specializes in helping addicts recover, we understand how challenging it can be to get back into socializing and going out without crossing that line. So here are a few sober activities you can do this weekend that are fun, unique, and (most importantly) safe for your recovery.
Addiction Recovery Activities You Should Try
Recovery from addiction requires the individual to find out who they are without drugs or alcohol. While this can be an intimidating process, it’s important to rediscover your likes and dislikes outside of addiction so you can get to know yourself again. With that said, below are some fun sober activities that can contribute to your recovery and help you find yourself again.
Join a Sports League
Going into recovery can often come with severing many ties with friends and having lots of free time. Newly-recovering addicts, therefore, find it hard to develop new healthy habits and new relationships. Joining a sports league not only encourages you to get active but also allows you to meet new people, develop relationships, and just have fun.
Exercise
One of the best ways to give yourself a natural dopamine boost is exercise. Whether you join a gym, take up running, or get into yoga or rock climbing, there’s no better replacement for drug and alcohol use than staying active. Exercise has also been shown to be highly effective in combating mental illness, which is often an issue for individuals in addiction recovery as they adjust to living life drug-free.
Get Creative
A major part of sobriety is facing certain emotions that you might’ve pushed down with drugs or alcohol. Finding ways to express those emotions and keep yourself busy is important. Connecting with your creative side is a great way to do that. Painting, drawing, visual journaling, and sculpting are all great hobbies for recovering addicts to take up.
Take a Class
Setting your mind to studying and learning something new is a great way to keep yourself entertained and fill up the gaps in your day as you adjust to a sober lifestyle. Some fun sober hobbies that encourage learning and creativity include classes for pottery making, painting, cooking, and learning a new language.
Volunteer
Fun hobbies for alcoholics and drug addicts in recovery also include volunteering your time to help others. Not only can this fill in the gaps in your day, but it also encourages responsibility, accountability, and selflessness as you consciously focus on helping others. Volunteering also offers immediate results and gratification as you realize the change you can make in others’ lives. While it’s important to balance this and not overdo it, volunteering for an animal shelter, homeless shelter, or any other foundation or organization can make a huge difference in your life.
Visit a Sober Bar or Event
Not all sober activities for adults need to be about staying healthy and improving yourself. While these are good goals to shoot for, we all need some time to relax and have fun. Thankfully, sober bars and pop-up events are becoming increasingly popular in cities across the world. You can enjoy finely-crafted, non-alcoholic drinks in the company of other sober people in the atmosphere of a bar or nightclub.
Disclaimer: Do not hop on this trend if you’re newly sober, as it can be triggering to people who had engaged in heavy drinking and frequent bars and nightclubs to drink.
Help for Addiction Recovery
While all of these sober living activities are great for sustaining sobriety, starting your recovery with professional support and treatment is important. At our Illinois drug rehab, we offer various levels of care and substance-specific programs to help people recover from addiction.
If you or a loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, call Banyan Treatment Centers today at 888-280-4763 to learn more about our Chicago PHP and IOP.
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