Many men and women entering a life of sobriety are not accustomed to having fun without the use of alcohol or drugs. For many of us, our sole source of pleasure was derived from substances and we cannot imagine ever experiencing the same sense of joy without being under the influence. Many of us forget, however, the intense feelings of loneliness and despair brought about by our drug and alcohol use. Through sobriety, a vast array of possible sources of happiness begin to appear in our lives. Prolonged exposure to mind and mood-altering chemicals dull our ability to feel happiness. When we remove these substances, we finally begin to understand ourselves in ways we never thought possible. Suddenly, we’re re-experiencing life and find ourselves able to explore our passions in ways we never could during our time in addiction or alcoholism. Early recovery may be a time to pick back up old interests and hobbies or find new ones. We choose to look at our early sobriety as a time for personal growth and exploration of ourselves, including what it is that we truly enjoy in life. We must keep in mind, however, that engaging in enjoyable activities is not only fun, but immensely important at this stage of our sobriety. For many of us, boredom was a contributing factor in our drug and alcohol use, and often can lead use back into addiction. Alcoholics Anonymous addressed the concern many people have about life in sobriety being boring by suggesting that we embrace the fellowship, and “there you will find release from care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead. Thus, we find the fellowship, and so will you.” The recovery community is immense and continuously growing. Friendships are always forming in the rooms of 12-Step fellowships, allowing us to find like-minded, sober people to have fun with. We find that our social lives grow when we engage with the recovery community. Many 12-Step fellowships sponsor sober events like concerts and cookouts that we can attend, or we may prefer to spend our time with a smaller group of recovering friends. As we heal, we find that our social lives improve, our ability to enjoy ourselves grows, and we no longer miss our days in active drug or alcohol addiction. Early recovery is not boring, so long as we take time to explore the opportunities provided to us in sobriety.
You can make the choice to change the story of your life. Oceanfront Recovery is a treatment center with a professional and compassionate staff of detoxification specialists dedicated to making the process as comfortable as possible. For more information about Drug and Alcohol Detox Programs or other treatment options, please call: (877) 279-1777
