Here Are 5 Sober Activities That Have Positive Impacts
Living a sober lifestyle can be challenging on several levels: spiritually, mentally, and physically. So, learning how to cope with the challenges that sober living presents after going through an outpatient treatment program means finding sober activities and sober hobbies that create a positive space for you to overcome addiction.
Sober Activity #1: Outside Recreation
Whether you’re an avid outdoorsman now or just like the casual hike, recovery activities like hiking, biking, and swimming are excellent ways to help process your own recovery from addiction. You can choose to do this with a sober activity group or solo, but, either way, getting to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight in nature will support your emotional and physical health and encourage you to explore your inner thoughts, learn new things about the world around you, and engage your brain and muscles in a naturally stimulating way.
Sober Activity #2: Inside Recreation
For those who don’t live near outside recreation opportunities or who just need to find sober activities inside and away from negative experiences, indoor recreation can be just as positive as outside. Sober activities like indoor swimming, basketball, or walking on a treadmill can be great ways to burn off any stress or anxiety you’ve been feeling and support not falling back into bad habits. Try to find a positive and reliable gym buddy to support and encourage you! Being held accountable by a trusted friend will keep you on track and sober.
Sober Activity #3: Find a New Hobby
Establishing new habits can be hard, so finding a fun hobby to replace any anxious feelings or negative thoughts can be crucial to staying sober. You can find a local sober activity group in your area, collaborate with a sober friend, or work by yourself to create positive patterns in your life. For example, going every Friday night to the library for a book club or spending a few minutes each day working on a puzzle can be great ways to make a routine of replacing old habits with sober hobbies.
Sober Activity #4: Make New Friends
One of the biggest challenges facing addicts just out of recovery is finding positive people that support and understand sobriety. This means letting go of all the people who encouraged your addiction, whether directly or indirectly, and making new friends. This also might mean moving to a new city, or starting a new job—whatever it takes for you to stay sober is worth it.
This doesn’t mean no more fun, though! Sober outings like going to a movie or visiting an art museum can replace non-sober activities you used to do. Group activities for recovering addicts can include shopping trips, marathon training, folk dancing, and cooking classes—the options are really endless, as long as everyone is mutually respecting others’ sobriety.
Sober Activity #5: Stay in Touch
While this may seem obvious, staying in touch with your counselors, doctors, therapists, and recovery team is incredibly important, even if you are further along in your sobriety than others. Though one of the positive side effects of sobriety is increased confidence in yourself, it can be easy to slip back into old habits.
Regularly seeing a therapist or advisor from your treatment program will help remind you of where you’ve been and where you’re going, and will reinforce your new sober hobbies and sober activities. Your sobriety team can also give you suggestions for activities to overcome addiction if you’re struggling.
If you’re a recovering addict looking for relapse prevention help, or think you need an outpatient treatment program that can guide you toward sobriety, Yellowstone Recovery has a variety of treatment options for you. Contact them today online at https://www.yellowstonerecovery.com/contact-us or call them at 1-888-418-4188 to speak to a friendly specialist today. You don’t have to do it alone!
