I’m the kind of person who doesn’t really get bored because I have a lot of hobbies and interests, but I can see how it would be difficult for people to figure out how to spend their time if they’ve committed to a life of sobriety.
And if the bulk of your social life and activity was drinking or doing drugs with your friends, I imagine it’s gotta be hard for some folks to stay busy while putting that part of your life in your rearview mirror.
Sober people on AskReddit opened up about what they do to pass the time. Let’s take a look.
1. New hobbies.
“Find some hobbies.
I do lapidary, paint, and woodburning. I love looking for rocks to use in my lapidary stuff.
Gets me out of the house.
I’ve never considered myself creative or the artsy type.
It’s mostly tracing and painting by copying the original that you print out.
The results are usually pretty cool though.”
2. Nice work!
“I quit s**king and drinking about 4 years ago.
I got drunk to overcome social anxiety, but I found the fun in hanging out with my drunk friends while staying sober.
Plus I learnt that, despite my worries, people really don’t care if you’re just having a soda instead of al**hol.
If you’re hanging around the right people, they won’t judge you.
Other than the social aspect of s**king, I realized that I got pleasure from s**king just by going outside, taking a break, and breathing.
I continued the habit without s**king. Went outside and enjoyed the fresh air.
When you smoke you focus on the smoke going in and out of your body, and in a way that’s a kind of meditation.
So I tried meditation and yoga to focus on my breathing and continue to enjoy that moment of taking time to breathe.
Another habit I took up was making good tea and coffee.
I enjoy the ritual of grinding the beans/choosing the leaves and taking time to brew everything correctly.”
3. All good things.
“Grocery shop.
YouTube Learn Korean.
Study for work stuff. Clean.
Organize my house better.
Exercise.”
4. On the straight and narrow.
“Netflix, work, started college again, work, sleep, W O R K, try to spend time with friends, started exercising, did I mention that I work?
It’s good though. All this keeps me out of trouble.
Highly recommend.”
5. Gettin’ work done!
“I knit hats for charity to justify watching copious amounts of television, garden.
And I make customized bath bombs because the market doesn’t support my taste in musk.”
6. That’s helpful.
“Cross stitching.
Stabbing holes in fabric is very good for letting your anger out nicely.”
7. I like the sound of all this.
“Yard work, garden, foster dogs, send care packages to deployed military, take my dogs to the park, eat Blue Bell ice cream, try unsuccessfully to grow roses.”
8. Staying busy.
“Read, exercise, listen to music or podcasts, chores around my house, watch TV or movies, play with my pets, talk to my family, things like that.
Prior to the pandemic, I loved going to the movies or coffee shops.”
9. A ton of things.
“Oh man a ton of things.
Gym, read, Reddit, tv, walk the dog, meet with people for meals, go on hikes, take classes, volunteer, go to local markets”
10. Try doing stuff…
“I gave up drink and drugs to devote more time to Family and my career.
Try doing stuff- stand up comedy, exercise, read, rock climb, surf, skateboard, parkour- literally there is so much more out there.
Just devote as much energy into a new thing as you did to getting f**ked up- you’ll enjoy it.”
11. Celebrate your own potential.
“Run, read, write, work out, hike, garden, learn code, learn a new language, forage for mushrooms, fish, camp, cook, bake, play instruments, skateboard, play with my dog and cat, bike, work on my bike, play video games, meditate, reflect on yourself, go to therapy.
If you’re drinking a lot then chances are you’re just bored and don’t know how to kill time, you’re probably also trying to drown out some profound insecurities.
Taking up hobbies helps to kill time and also provides you with a sense of self-satisfaction that alleviates the need for that instant gratification.
If you’re struggling with something, let your friends know.
The more you celebrate your own potential, the lighter the world seems.”
12. Very productive!
“I enjoy learning different hobbies.
I taught myself how to play the violin, learned how to fly drones, bought Rosetta Stone and learned Russian, picked up photography, started a company doing aerial and real estate photography.
I go hiking and rock climbing whenever I can, I just picked up ice skating.”
Are you sober?
If so, how do you pass the time?
Talk to us in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
