Ways Young Adults Can Have Fun in Recovery

Many high school and college-aged students begin using drugs and alcohol because they believe these substances make parties and other social gatherings more fun. Once they build up a tolerance, and later an addiction, they may begin to feel as if there’s no way to enjoy activities without being high or drunk. As a result, learning to have fun while staying sober is one of the most common problems faced in recovery.

Life in recovery is a continuous learning process. It’s entirely possible to enjoy life without the crutch of drugs and alcohol, but it will take effort and commitment on your part. Here are some ideas for making sober life feel fully rewarding.

Benefits of Hobbies in Recovery

The goal of recovery from substance abuse is to help you learn to transition from being an active user to having a healthy life in sobriety. You may not know how to live a life that does not include drug or alcohol use as its primary focus. Finding sober activities you enjoy enables you to have a rich, full life and fills up the hours you used to spend feeding your addiction.

When you’re locked in the cycle of addiction, your all-consuming compulsion to use drugs or alcohol robs you of your choices and makes you powerless to decide whether you’re going to drink or use drugs. Once you enter an addiction rehab program and achieve sobriety, your goal changes to developing strategies that can prevent a relapse. Keeping boredom at bay is one of the most effective ways you can avoid letting the addiction win.

Fun Ways to Enrich Your Recovery

• Join a sports team – Most schools have intramural sports teams that welcome players at all levels of ability. Along with more traditional sports such as baseball, softball and basketball, you can probably find opportunities to participate in more unorthodox ones such as dodgeball, kickball and ultimate frisbee. Choose one that sounds enjoyable, sign up for a team and start participating.
• Do volunteer work – Many deserving nonprofits rely on help from the community, and there are few activities more rewarding than volunteering. To find volunteer opportunities you’ll enjoy, visit volunteermatch.org and choose something that aligns with your interests.
• Have a game night – Nothing says fun like gathering for a little friendly competition with a game that tests your knowledge and skill.
• Be a hometown tourist – Contact your local visitors’ bureau to find out about little-known tourist attractions or activities that are off the beaten path. Grab a few friends and while away a Saturday afternoon exploring. Be sure to end your adventure with a stop at a locally owned restaurant for a delicious meal.

Rediscover Who You Truly Are

This list is only scratching the surface of ideas you can try. Experiment until you find the things that make your life in recovery fulfilling. There’s a good chance you’ll discover you can have more fun sober than you ever did when you were dulling your senses with drugs or alcohol.

At Hope Academy, we provide young adults with the opportunity to reclaim their lives from addiction. Contact us for a confidential assessment and to learn about enrollment at our California drug and alcohol treatment facility.

How a Joystick Can Help Alcoholics Avoid Relapse

Could a video gaming joystick help you stay sober? That’s what researchers are looking to discover in an ongoing study in Berlin. Study participants were asked to use the device to push away alcohol-related images and pull images of water and non-alcoholic beverages closer in an attempt to prevent relapse.  

Before the training, the majority of participants associate alcohol with ‘approach’ but, after the training, alcohol is associated with ‘avoid,’ according to the press release. Along with conventional addiction treatment, the joystick therapy was found to lower relapse rates.

The Signs of Relapse
Unfortunately, relapse is a pretty normal part of recovery –  and just the image of alcohol can be enough to trigger some people with alcohol use disorder to start drinking again. But a relapse is more than just returning to using – and, in fact, there are warning signs of long before the first drink occurs. 

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, when people who have had a stable recovery and have done well begin to relapse, they:

• Return to addictive thinking patterns 
• Engage in compulsive, self-defeating behaviors 
• Seek out situations involving people who use alcohol and drugs
• Think less rationally, and behaving less responsibly
• Find themselves in a situation in which alcohol use seems like a logical escape from pain

Aftercare Planning at Hope Academy in CA
Young adults are particularly vulnerable to relapse during the first 90 days after treatment, but sobriety is a never-ending battle. At Hope Academy, we offer our clients support groups, transitional living options, aftercare programs and sobriety-college living. To learn more about how we can help you or someone you love get and stay sober, contact our credentialed addiction specialists today! Call 866-930-4673.

5 Tips to Survive Memorial Day Sober

Memorial Day is the kick-off to summer – and it’s also a prelude to the upcoming season of BBQs, bonfires, beach parties, outdoor concerts and festivals, and most often, alcohol. It’s easy to get nostalgic for those party days, or to feel like you’ll need to lock yourself inside to stay sober. But you don’t. You can still have fun and be sober – it just may take a little planning! Start with these tips. 

1. Identify your triggers ahead of time. It goes without saying that you need to be aware of your personal triggers – and to have a plan in place to avoid relapse. Especially if you’re brand-new to sobriety, your best bet may be to skip alcohol-filled BBQs or concerts this Memorial Day. Or, bring a sober friend along and make sure your sponsor is just a call or text away. 

2. Keep your glass filled—with water. Whether plain or sparkling or with a wedge of lemon or lime for flavor, good old H2O can help you beat the heat and keep cravings at bay. Plus, having a non-alcoholic beverage in your hand can help prevent any awkward questions about why you’re not drinking. 

3. Keep active. Start the long weekend with a good sweat session. It will help you feeling stronger and increase your confidence in staying clean and sober. Plus, exercise can give you a natural high to replace the artificial ones you may be craving.

4. Have an exit strategy. For example, you may ask a trusted friend to call you at a specific time to see how things are going, or tell the host ahead of time that you may have plans later. Knowing what you’re going to say ahead of time will help minimize the stress if you feel the need to flea the scene.

5. Create a brief gratitude list – and put it in your pocket. This can serve as a simple reminder about all you’ve achieved in your recovery and how grateful you are to be sober and alive! 

Making Better Choices Year-Round

Learning to make better choices is a key element of the young adult recovery program at Hope Academy. Our clients, ages 18-26, receive clinical treatment as well as one on one coaching in healthy nutrition, exercise, relaxation, and coping skills. Armed with this knowledge, they are able to recognize and manage their addiction triggers and cravings, and make healthier life choices. To find out more, call today: 866-930-4673.

7 Steps to Better Stress Management

We don’t have to tell you that stress is a normal part of life — family conflicts, financial woes, job worries, and health concerns are just a few of the many stressors you’ll likely encounter during your recovery journey. But stress is also the leading cause of relapse, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

Unfortunately, you can’t avoid it, but you can find healthier ways to lower tension so it’s no longer a tipping point into using again. 

How to Manage Stress

Start with these tips to tame daily stressors:

• Take a walk. Sounds simple enough, right? Exercise can increase those feel-good endorphins, leaving you in a calmer, more positive state of mind.
• Streamline your day. Taking on too much too soon can quickly lead to stress, especially during the first 90 days of recovery, when you’re most likely to relapse. Try to hone in on the recovery essentials, like 12-step meetings or counseling, and strive to complete one or two tasks per day. It’s also important to go easy on yourself on those inevitable days when nothing goes as planned.
• Get some shut-eye. A good night’s sleep — aim for seven to eight hours — can improve your mood and ability to cope with stress. That’s because solid slumber helps to restore your body and mind.
• Write it out. Journaling is a great way to identify the cause of your stress — and then release it by writing down your thoughts and feelings.
• Hang with others who “get” you. Surrounding yourself with people who are also battling addiction can be a powerful stress reliever. Start by finding a support group in which you feel comfortable talking through your tensions.
• Find your mantra. A mantra can be nothing more complicated than a saying or expression that gets you through. For example, “I am in control of my life,” or “I am making progress,” or whatever phrase helps you stay calm and focused on your recovery.
  
• Escape with entertainment. When you feel tension creeping, take a time-out from daily life and push your stressors aside. Let it all go, and lose yourself and your worries by reading a good book, playing music, baking, or watching TV.

Finding Support at Hope Academy

Stressors inevitably arise as you begin working toward your academic and career goals.  The professionals at Hope Academy sobriety college can teach you to manage these pressures without resorting to substance abuse. In addition to providing a therapeutic environment for recovery, college attendance, and career planning, Hope Academy offers one-on-one coaching opportunities for residents. Call 866-930-4673 now to learn more.