So you’ve gotten sober. Great work! So now what? How do you keep things interesting and fun? It won’t be easy, especially if you’ve been reliant on alcohol or drugs to have a good time for as long as you can remember. But with the right attitude and some open-minded thinking, there are lots of ways to have fun in sobriety. If you feel like your life has been drained of all its joy because of your drinking or drug use, it might seem like there is no coming back from that point. How will you ever manage to get out of bed in the morning, let alone continue living a full life without alcohol or drugs? The good news is that even if it feels impossible right now, it isn’t. Let these tips help you find ways to have fun in sobriety.

Exercise by playing sports or joining a fitness class

Exercise is one of the best ways to help yourself feel good about your body and your health. It’s a great way to release stress, increase self-esteem, and it can even be an effective treatment for depression and anxiety. Many studies show that exercise also reduces cravings for drugs and alcohol. There are tons of different sports and fitness classes out there that you can try. You can even join a team sport if you want to make some new friends while improving your health and social skills at the same time. You can reconnect with a sport you love, or you can even try something new that you’ve never done before. Sober livings like Bridges have home gym equipment on site, and residents often go to parks and courts to blow off steam together.

Go to movies, concerts, and shows

The vast majority of people would be surprised to know that you can go and enjoy many of the same experiences you would normally have at a bar or a club without needing to drink or use drugs. You can see live musical acts, comedy shows, and enjoy the same types of movies you always did, just without the alcohol or the drugs. In fact, many bars and clubs now offer non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails, so you can go out and have fun without drinking, too. You will generally find that people are more than happy to talk to you, so you don’t have to feel left out if you don’t drink. And if you are worried about feeling uncomfortable without alcohol, just remember that so many other people are in the same boat as you. Chances are, there are multiple other sober people at any of these events – and few people will even notice that you’re not drinking. Those who do may even be jealous!

Get creative and express yourself through art

Whether you want to paint, write poetry, sketch, or do some pottery, creative pursuits are a great way to express yourself and have fun. You don’t have to be a professional artist to get great benefits from these types of activities. You can make these things a big part of your life to help you stay sober in a number of ways. Art has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood and self-esteem, and even be an effective treatment for depression and PTSD. It can be a great way to express your emotions, work through things that are troubling you, or just get some thoughts out of your head so you don’t have to keep thinking about them. It’s a great way to feel like you have some control in your life, especially if you’ve felt powerless or out of control because of your addiction. Art can also be a really great way to meet new people and make friends.

Travel the world

If you’ve always wanted to travel, now’s the time. This can be as simple as booking a trip to visit a nearby city you’ve always wanted to see, or as ambitious as buying a one-way ticket to a foreign country and just going for it. You’ll be amazed at how different the world appears to you when you are sober. And you’ll be even more amazed at how many new friends you make and how many places you can visit without alcohol or drugs. If you’ve got big dreams about traveling, but you’re worried that you can’t afford it, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to save money to fund your travels. In fact, you’re probably savings hundreds or even thousands of dollars simply by not buying alcohol or drugs. And if you’re worried about having nothing to do when you’re in a new country, don’t worry. Just go out and meet new people. Tourist attractions are full of people just like you who aren’t drinking. So you’ll have plenty of things to do and new friends to do them with.

Discover new hobbies and activities

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. And if you’ve been relying on alcohol or drugs to have fun every weekend, it’s even easier to fall into a routine without them. So now is the perfect time to explore and discover new hobbies and activities that you like. You don’t have to go back to the same old things you did before you were drinking. There are so many new pursuits and challenges you can try. You can do anything from taking a language class to learning how to knit, from playing a sport to going to see a play at the theater, from taking up a new artistic skill like photography to going to art galleries. There are so many ways to have fun in sobriety. The only limit is your imagination and your willingness to try something new and different from what you’ve always done.

Meet New Sober Friends in a Sober Living Home

If you’re looking to stay sober but you don’t know how you can possibly meet new friends in your new sober lifestyle, don’t worry. There are lots of ways to make new sober friends. You don’t have to go to wild parties or crazy bars to meet people. You can actually meet lots of new sober friends just by enrolling in a sober living house. Not only do people in sober living homes have lower rates of relapse, but they have a built in social support group. The friends that residents make during their stays in sober livings allow them to engage in just about any activity or hobby without compromising their sobriety.

If you are ready to stay on the path to soberiety and learn how to have a good time without drugs and alcohol, reach out to Bridges today.