Leave the past behind you and create new memories with new people in new places. They say that’s the easiest way to stay on a path to recovery. This also means finding new hobbies. It is important to keep your mind busy during recovery, even if it means you are busy meditating. Ridding your mind of any and all thoughts is a great way to stay busy, ironically enough.

Below is a list of other hobbies to pick up in sobriety.

4 Hobbies to Pick Up in Sobriety

1. Exercise

There have been numerous studies done over the years that confirm a direct correlation between exercise and good mental health. If you are in recovery, paying conscious attention to the status of your mental health is important. Fitness therapy is a great way to do that. You can also learn more about the benefits associated with fitness therapy directly on our blog.

Essentially, anything that gets your heart rate up and promotes your overall health is considered fitness therapy. That said, you should have a goal in mind. We all work harder and stay committed longer when we have an end goal for ourselves.

2. Reading – the escaping hobby

At the other end of the spectrum, reading is a way for you to lose yourself in someone else’s world, quite literally. You obviously want to steer clear of topics that could be triggering, but generally, this is a great sober hobby to have. Reading teaches new things, especially if you read from old non-fictional texts or discoveries in science and things of that nature.

In a study done on the development of verbal intelligence found that reading absolutely increases your vocabulary and overall world knowledge.^[1]

Not only that, but it is a great way to pass some time rather than watching a tv show you’ve already seen.

3. Writing – the expressive hobby to pick up in recovery

Writing is a tool for the ages. Everyone is a writer in our own way, and writing during your sobriety is one of the simplest ways to… get the lead out. The greatest thing about writing is that all it takes is a pen and paper. You can write about anything and everything.

In fact, one exercise that is quite effective is:

Sit down and write for twenty minutes. Find a seat and something to write with, and set a timer on your phone for twenty minutes. Then, start writing. You can write anything in the world! Maybe a story just came to your mind, or maybe you are angry and need to vent a little. Maybe you barely have anything on your mind at all. Just start writing about the things you see in the room you are in. Your thoughts will eventually take hold, and before you know it, your timer will be going off.

The best part about this exercise is that you can burn the evidence directly afterward if that’s what you want. You can say whatever you want to that piece of paper, and no one ever has to know!

This is a great way to relieve stress you didn’t even know you had.

4. Knitting – the forgotten hobby to pick up in sobriety

That’s right, knitting. You might be shocked, but according to Helaina Hovits Regal from The Temper, she was in a sober knitting class, “alongside big dudes with tattoos who were fresh out of rehab.”^[2] Knitting is a hobby many people in recovery choose to pick up because it is something that keeps their hands busy as well as their minds.

Not to mention, you can knit to show your appreciation for the loved ones in your life.

Finding a Fulfilling Life in Recovery

These are four great examples of hobbies you can pick up during recovery, but they are by no means the only ones to choose from. Find something you enjoy and stick with it. You may find that you enjoy a few different hobbies along the way, but it will teach you more about yourself you didn’t know beforehand.

You can discover your strengths and weaknesses alongside the friendly and professionally trained staff at Clear Life Recovery. We are a full-service rehabilitation center and want to see you succeed in your recovery! Call us today!

Sources:

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8447247/
[2] https://www.thetemper.com/knitting-in-sobriety/?utm_content=buffer6af67&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer