100 Activities for Sober People
Fun activities are plentiful for those of us in recovery. In fact, now that I have a few years sober, I see how delusional it was to believe that my life was going to be so limited. For some reason I believed I had been having fun while I was drinking and using. However, as some policemen, family members, hospitals and jails can tell you, I was not having fun. I was extremely miserable.
If you are new to recovery, do not waste time worrying about whether or not your recovery will be limiting- it will not. In fact, living sober will open your life to new experiences, people and situations. So, below are some fun activities you can do in recovery. Enjoy and spread the joy!
Activities
1. Gym
As you might have guessed (if you know about our program), we prioritize exercise. But, beyond generalized exercise, going to the gym can be an awesome activity for sober people. The gym not only allows you to better yourself physically, but it can be an excellent way to hang out with friends, expand your gym knowledge and get into great shape.
Other Active Things to do:
2. Go on a walk.
3. Rent a bike and find a trail.
4. Take a sober companion and go on a hike.
5. Get your hands dirty with some ping pong.
6. Go to Main Event and play some pool.
7. Buy a jump rope and jump until you are dripping in sweat.
8. Play some basketball.
9. Find a pool and get some swimming in!
10. Look up outside yoga and join a class.
11. Try a hip-hop dance class (no judgments, right?)
12. Frisbee. Get some pals and throw the frisbee around.
13. Sprint around a track at full speed.
14. Look up a Go-Kart place and become an amateur racer.
15. Walk around the mall.
16. Rollerblade without regard.
17. Practice your spiritual principals and push karts into their correct place at Walmart.
18. Buy some cards and get a spades game going.
19. Get lost in IKEA.
20. Go to a comedy show.
21. Zumba Class!
22. Make a ton of sandwiches and pass them out to the homeless.
23. Knit or sew. Not only for old ladies!
24. Do volunteer work at a retirement home.
25. Bowl. Bowling is fun for anyone.
26. Go to the movies.
27. Watch a live band. It doesn’t matter if you have heard them or not! It’s fun.
28. Buy a dart board and play darts.
29. Get some board games and play with some friends. Monopoly, anyone?
30. Clean your house (or one of our sober living homes)
31. Do 500 push ups in an hour.
32. Walk around your neighborhood and pick up trash.
33. Introduce yourself to new neighbors!
34. Rearrange the furniture in your house (our one of ours).
35. Take a nap! Active, right?
36. Do some puzzles.
37. Draw a self portrait.
38. Clean out your closet.
39. Write down some things you would like to accomplish.
Sober Exploring Ideas
40. Explore
Exploring can mean many different things. Whether it’s going to an a new part of town, taking a road trip, or trying new foods, exploring can be a great way to get out of ourselves, lower our anxiety and learn something new.
Specific Exploring Ideas:
41. Find historic places in your city.
42. Collect rocks.
43. Follow an ant trail.
44. Find some flowers to pick.
45. Go to an art gallery.
46. Get new books at the library.
47. Go pet puppies at a shelter.
48. Find a new restaurant.
49. Get lost in a new neighborhood.
50. Drive around and look at the nicest houses in your city.
51. Make a scavenger hunt.
52. Watch the sunset at a new place.
53. Go to some yard sales (And buy some awesome stuff).
54. Check out all the local thrift stores.
55. Drink coffee at a local establishment.
56. Go to the zoo!
57. Find a new religious service and try it out. No harm done!
58. Go to a public place and watch how weird people are.
59. Explore all the unique communities online. There are tons.
60. Research a time in history and learn everything about it.
61. Explore your meditative side by keeping quiet for an hour.
62. Visit a museum.
63. Take scenic photos.
64. Look at places to travel and make a plan.
Sober Hobbies
65. Find a new hobby
This is obviously a general statement. After all, there are so many hobbies. You could spend every waking minute finding new hobbies and still wouldn’t get close to discovering the number of hobbies available. Finding positive hobbies are extremely important for those of us in recovery. We must find new productive outlets!
66. Search Meetup.com and join a book club.
67. Find a rec league sport.
68. Start woodworking.
69. Take cooking classes.
70. Collect baseball cards.
71. Garden. Go find some plants and make some magic!
72. Join a movie club.
73. Learn about investing and make some money.
74. Learn how to diet properly.
75. Salsa dance!
76. Find a way to learn magic tricks.
77. Focus on beating a world record. I’m sure there is one you can beat.
78. Listen to podcasts.
79. Learn another language.
80. Start your own club.
81. Try your hand at puppetry.
82. Geo-catching.
83. Poker. But don’t gamble too much!
84. Taxidermy.
85. Hunting.
86. Learn how to make cool graphics.
87. Scrap book some of your favorite memories.
88. Make a comic book. You can be the super hero!
89. Learn to play an instrument.
90. Get into local politics. It’s worth a shot, right?
91. Start a hug club. Like a fight club, but without violence. Not that we can talk about the hug club…
92. Paint a masterpiece.
93. Become a world renowned food critic.
94. Start reading more books.
95. Study astronomy and be like Neil Degrasse Tyson.
96. Go bird watching.
97. Practice martial arts.
98. Join a lecture club and argue with people.
99. Become an actor on the side.
100. Start on online community.
Activities that help others
The most important thing for us (people in recovery) is to find productive hobbies that include helping others. Whether that is an H&I, leading AA/CA groups, helping at a religious establishment or volunteering to mentor kids, helping others is our number one goal. So, as you have seen, there are a hundred and one things to do every day. There should never be an excuse to be bored or without direction!
Need to find some productive hobbies? Drop us a line. All conversations are free and confidential.