You Can Have the Last Laugh in Recovery: Why Humor is Key

Active addiction is nothing to laugh about. It can be a detrimental thing for people to experience which has lasting impact on their lives. Life cannot be taken too seriously, but addiction is very serious for people whose lives have been ruined by drugs or alcohol. Having a sense of humor can help people navigate the challenges of addiction and recovery. Find out why you can have the last laugh in recovery.

Finding Healing

When people think about laughter in recovery, it may not bring up the best feelings. Sometimes it is a reminder of the seriousness of addiction, but it may also make a person realize just how serious everything is in the moment. Even if it feels good to laugh, it is not always possible to try and laugh at life’s circumstances in recovery. It can feel downright stressful to try and navigate addiction recovery without thinking about when or where a person might laugh about something that hardly seems laughable. However, a good hearty laugh now and again can actually improve a person’s health and mood.  It may strengthen the immune system or help a person feel less stressed and more at peace in recovery to have a laugh now and again.

Looking for Laughs

Humor is a great way to lighten the mood in recovery. At a certain point, it all seems so serious, it can be hard to remember the last time laughter was a part of the journey. For a few laughs, check out these options that might be good ways to incorporate humor into the journey of recovery:

• Movies: either at the cinema or at home, it is easy to take in a movie that suits your personal interests. Search for comedy and see what appeals or have a movie night in with sober friends with popcorn and soda. Sometimes a hilariously bad movie
• Free content: take advantage of sites like Vimeo or YouTube and podcasts which run Moth stories or other TedTalks and other comedy videos for free to get a cheap laugh. It can be a good way to screen for sober content or ask friends for content which is free of references that may be triggering
• Check out sober comedy: there may be people in the area who are performing sober comedy acts and events for those who are in recovery. There are also faith-based activities which may appeal to those who want something like that, which tend to stay away from drug or alcohol references in their comedy skits

There are times it feels good to laugh in recovery. Not only can it boost your mood, but it may just lighten things up long enough to gain a new perspective on life. Even though it feels difficult most days, or only some of the time, laughter can be the medicine that smooths the rough edges and creates space for a different kind of healing in recovery.

Oceanfront is located in Laguna Beach, California. The challenges of recovery can make it hard to laugh but we provide a safe, unique place for you to begin the healing journey. We help you navigate the bigger challenges of recovery from detox to treatment and beyond. Call us to find out how we can help you navigate addiction recovery: 888-981-4295