Sobriety and Staying Busy in Recovery

Staying busy in recovery while sober

Recovery treatment and Sobriety involves not only changing your attitude about substances but also your own lifestyle and habits.  In recovery, people need to learn how to use their time differently so that they won’t feel the need to use drugs to fill up their time.

Boredom and free time can be very dangerous for a person in recovery because they can start to feel depressed or think about using drugs again. Changing their lifestyle means completely changing their habits so that they are a busier person every day. This could mean creating a schedule that fills up the gaps in free time so that they don’t think about using.

A busy schedule for someone in recovery should include things like steady work hours, attending support groups, getting involved in healthy hobbies, exercising, spending time with sober friends and time for self-care. Having a busy schedule without allowing it to become too stressful can play a key role in a healthy recovery experience. Being busy helps people feel more confident and connected to others so that they aren’t spending time feeling isolated or ruminating alone.

It can be helpful to make a list of activities that are always available to help you stay busy when you are feeling triggered. Things like going running, cooking, going out with a friend, or writing can all be useful when you need something to do. Setting up a regular schedule that feels comfortable for you will help you have something stable to rely on and maintain your sobriety.

Being busy is a great way to manage issues in recovery and can be a crucial skill in preventing relapse.