Twenty Sober Activities That are More Fun than Using Drugs or Drinking

Support a local studio or sign up for photography lessons at the community college. If learning from home is more your speed, check out Audible’s Masterclass series or see if anything on Skill Share sparks your interest. Take a creative writing class. You don’t need to go into a writing class with the expectation of getting published. You can take a class just for fun and to meet other people trying their hand at something new. So you’ve already seen what there is to see in your neighborhood.

Tips for Staying Focused on Your Sober Recovery

Here are some ideas for you to get started. The best part is that you can force partners, friends, or family members to do all this stuff with you and then watch as they have a surprisingly fantastic time. You do not have to be good at any of it, but the act of creating adds so much color. Now that you’ve stopped drinking, you have time to explore new things. More than likely, someone will take the initiative to include you.

• Bonus points if they’re teens and you embarrass them at any time.
• Right now, substance-free activities may seem hard to come by.
• The warm days and cool summer nights make camping a popular sober summer activity.
• Life in sobriety will look different, but you don’t have to navigate it alone.
• Take a trip down memory lane and put your favorites into photo albums or a scrapbook.

Cooking Classes

Yep—it’s a dance party at home! You can even take dance classes online. Look for jazz cafés, open mic nights, or community bands playing. Many cities and towns will have live music in public spaces, especially during the warmer months.

Creating a Holiday Relapse Prevention Plan

Check out a local culinary school or take a virtual class together—either way, you can’t go wrong with two good people attempting to make good food. Take your dance party for two up a notch with a throwback theme—you know, so you can both dress up and show off those Soul Train dance moves. Extend your to-read list using this website or by exploring glowing reviews on Goodreads. You can even sign up for a book subscription service and let someone else curate your list for you. This is something you can do solo or with friends (even virtually!), and what you make is up to you. Giving yourself something to do with your hands is a helpful deterrent for habitual sipping.

Look at Old Family Photos

It’s not about looking a certain way or fitting into a particular size. Even if you walk for thirty minutes a day, you will be amazed by how much your mood improves, which will help you feel more positive about this whole sobriety thing. I’ve never done it, but people in recovery often rave about CrossFit. There’s a strong camaraderie within the sport, the gyms are known for being intensely supportive spaces, and I think people have exorcised many demons there. Outdoor meditation is an incredible experience that everyone should try. We know that meditation is a powerful tool for sobriety.

Waking up without a hangover makes that a lot easier. Read something that isn’t your social media. Curl up with one of the dusty books you’ve been meaning to read. Stargazing becomes accessible to New Yorkers at Hayden Planetarium’s Dark Universespace show.

CATCH UP ON READING

• Looking for some extra support and guidance on your sobriety or moderation journey?
• This is a great way to not only have sober fun, but you’ll also meet new people along the way.
• Board games are having a bit of a renaissance right now.
• You want to keep engaged in healthy activities to prevent you from using again.
• When you’re in the throes of an addictive lifestyle, the disease of addiction always comes first.

The degree to which you rough it is entirely up to you. This is a great option if you have a core group that is down to enjoy the great outdoors with you and leave the booze at home. If you’re not a pet owner, you can join a gig app like Rover to get outdoors, walk, and hang out with some cool dogs. You can keep yourself busy, grow fresh herbs for your kitchen, and interact with people around a topic that has nothing to do with alcohol.

Whether your favorite shows come via podcast or Netflix, now is sober houses in dorchester ma the time for you find out what your faves have been up to.

Host a games night: