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Thursday, June 13, 2019

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.
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