Being in recovery requires a lot of responsibilities like attending meetings, staying away from triggers, renewing relationships, and doing anything else to achieve sobriety. Being sober does not have to mean all work and no fun. Having fun in recovery is important. It lets you take full advantage of what the world has to offer instead of wasting your time abusing drugs and alcohol.

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Having Fun in Recovery Can Lead to Less Stress

Having fun in recovery is very important to the process. If you deal with too much stress and you have no motivation to wake up in the morning, you will take your feelings out on drugs and alcohol again like you used to. Boredom can turn you to dangerous substances that have made you feel good in the past without thinking of the damage that can occur to your body and your mind. By finding ways to keep yourself entertained that does not involve drinking or doing drugs, you will not want to slip back to old habits.

Having Fun With the People You Love

Fun is better experienced when it is shared with a group of people that you love. Go to a sporting event together in your area of your favorite team or watch a minor league team. Bring your own snacks and drinks with you so that you are not tempted to buy beer. Make sure you let your friends know how important your recovery is so that they do not let you buy alcohol. You can host a game night at your house with only soft drinks available. Board games like trivia or charades can make everyone laugh. It also gets yourself out of your comfort zone and helps to ease the tension.

Find Elements of Culture

You and your friends should also explore the area that you live in by finding the culture around you. Visit that restaurant you have always wanted to try that you have heard rave reviews about. Learn about places in your area that are historic or well-known that you have never been to. By exploring new areas, you can make new memories with your friends and say that you all discovered this area at the same time.

If you want to make new friends, you can go to a community center where you can play sports, join certain programs they have to offer, or even tours. You can meet new people on websites like MeetUp where you can join clubs and build a connection with people based on the theme of the club.

Having Fun in Recovery on Your Own

If your friends and family are too busy, do not give up on finding fun on your own. Go to the library and discover a new author or that book that everyone has been talking about. If you do not know what book you should check out, ask your librarian for a recommendation. You can also check the “Featured Books” or “New Release” section of the library to help give you ideas and be up to date on the latest book trends. Use this as an opportunity to learn about something you always wanted to know more about.

You can also go to the gym to release those feel-good endorphins and help yourself get into shape. If you do not want to get a gym membership, you can exercise at home with or without equipment or go for a quick walk.

Learn Something New

It is never too late to learn something new. Go to your local bookstore or look online for interesting recipes that look fun to make that you can either do alone or with friends. It can be therapeutic to make a delectable work of art.

Now that you do not have drugs or alcohol to slow you down and drain your energy, you can use this opportunity to further your education. This can be the time to work on your degree or get a certificate. You can look into taking an online class as you can participate in online discussions with your fellow students and professors.

There are a lot of online classes that offer courses for free. Moreover, you can do the work at your own pace. You can also take a painting or drawing class, learn to play an instrument, take a CPR class, or anything else that you think can be useful towards your life.

Be Creative

If you have a lot of worries and feelings on your mind, channel them all into your creativity by making a scrapbook of memories, make jewelry, origami, or anything else that you can show off or try to sell on websites like Etsy.

You can also take the time to learn a foreign language since if you live in an area where one language is more predominant over the other, it can help you land job opportunities. There are CDs that you can listen to in the car or there are free websites and apps that use different techniques to better help you learn.

Enjoy the Nightlife

The nightlife can also be fun without having to engage in drugs or alcohol as you just need to be surrounded by fun-loving people. Get dressed up and go dancing as you will feel happy moving around to feel-good music and you will burn calories this way. Have a great meal with some friends as a way to regrow your current relationships and rejoin ties that may have been severed before your recovery. Anything that you do during your recovery should make you feel happy and enjoy your life again.

The Time to Get Treatment is Now

If your fear of not having fun in recovery has been holding you back from seeking treatment, it’s time to put an end to that lie. Sober activities can be fun and interesting. At Bayview Recovery, we treat several substance abuse disorders, as well as mental health issues. Additionally, we can help you learn about having fun in recovery through a variety of therapy programs. For instance, these may include:

To learn more about our programs, call 855.478.3650 today.