Pick up some hobbies

I have spoken in a previous post about how much free time I now have since quitting drinking.

And it’s true. Now that I am no longer drinking regularly I have so much more free time to devote to other things. I am completely caught up on all my chores, I’ve been exercising regularly, the dog is getting so many walks.

But still there is free time.

And with free time comes boredom.

And with boredom comes temptation.

And we know where temptation leads…back to drinking.

In order to cut this off at the pass what we want to do is utilize our free time so that we don’t become bored. Particularly early on we want to keep our minds occupied to stave off any thoughts of drinking.

To start make sure that you are keeping up with any commitments. You don’t want to pick up a hobby only to begin to neglect other areas of your life. So make sure you are up-to-date in work and with any chores around the house. Keep up with your exercise program. Maintain your relationships with friends and family. If you find you are ahead of the game in all of these areas and still have free time then consider taking up a new hobby.

Which Hobby?

This isn’t a question that anyone can answer for you. You need to decide for yourself what activity will provide you with what you need.

Here’s some thoughts to keep in mind:

• Pick something that will keep you entertained long term. When I first went sober I started to learn web and app development. It was good at first but then started to feel more and more like work as opposed to a hobby I was doing for fun. I still keep it up but I have started to make sure I have another “fun” hobby to keep me entertained
• Avoid existing drinking hobbies, particularly at first. For me it was gaming. Every time I’d sit down to play a game I would have a can of beer with me. When I quit drinking it was hard at first to separate the activity from the drinking.
• The more sociable the hobby the better. Hobbies are more fun when you have people to share them with. But not just that, the more sociable a hobby is the more likely you are to keep it up. The other people keep you accountable.

After learning to code lost its excitement factor I picked up cooking. Great hobby in my opinion as it teaches you new skills and also comes with instant rewards in the meals you produce.

Other things I looked at were learning a new language, picking up a new sport, becoming a collector.

In the end whatever keeps the mind away from the booze is all that is needed

IWNDWYT – I will not drink with you today