What do you enjoy doing in sobriety?

[Niagara]

Since getting sober, I find I have time on my hands that I no longer fill with the stuff that I used to, be that drinking, hours in front of the tv not really watching anything, or whiling the wee hours away with computer games, just to shut my mind up since I just couldn't sit, or sleep. Even with a drink in me, at the end. Attempt to occupy myself until I passed out. Enjoy none of it.-

I find my creative side is coming back big style. It's been a while. I enjoy painting, and drawing. I'm considering making my own clothes, soft furnishings etc. I'm a baker and a cook, and before next years spring I intend to get my greenhouse fixed up and get planting again! It's great to feel productive after a long period of well, not.
I'm a lover of all things crafty....why buy something for £5 when you can make it for £50 worth of crafting supplies!

So, have you guys learned any new skills or picked up old hobbies again since getting sober?

[Tosh]

Nice post, Niagara...

It's good to be sober and doing the stuff I just used to think about doing, when I was drinking, but not doing anything.

I've posted about all my stuff though; running and photography. I'm not much into TV, but I can get hooked on the occasional TV series. Don't watch Breaking Bad, it's like booze; once you start, you can't stop watching.

I still have a predilection for being an 'all or nothing' person. I can't just run a few miles, I end up doing a marathon, and then get injured training for an ultra marathon. I can't just do a 'bit of photography', there's an obsession stage to go through first. I can't just watch a few series of Breaking Bad, I've got to binge watch them.

My sponsor reckons we should have some semblance of balance by two years sober; I'm six this month.

[Niagara]

ahhh breaking bad. I binge watched that too Jesse blowing the yellow suit up because he was bored. Comedy gold Dexter and sons of anarchy also binge watched. Darn you netflix, darn you.

[Tommy-S]

Thanks for the post Niagara

I actually went to my sponsor early on and asked, "What do I do now that I'm not drinking?' Honestly, I felt like I had 36 hours in a day back then.

He told me I could do anything I wanted, as long as I didn't drink. So besides the belated growing up I had to do, I started learning. Not necessarily school(s), though. I would learn or hear about something new, something I never tried or was afraid to try while Behind the Drink in case I couldn't do it perfectly the first time, and just start trying/learning/doing.

I've seen furniture I liked and learned how to build it. I've seen photos taken or pictures painted by others and thought, "Maybe I could, too?" Seeing a dish on TV or at a restaurant, I'd internet search for recipes and give it a whirl (I actually have dish and a cake I haven't named yet). I bought a fly rod once and learned how to cast it in the desert of Iraq.

In essence, I've tried to learn something new each day, and while I can wrap a fly line around everything in sight or cook something the dog won't touch, I've been able to try without worry that I'm won't perfect the first time, or even the 100th sometime. I've become a Jack of all Trades and Master at None...and it's been great though like Tosh, I tend to hit the extremes until I burn out (or hurt myself), then I look for something else

It's a Freedom that is best prefaced with "Hey, y'all watch this" as I can jump head long into something new, and then halfway through the dive I'm wondering "Where did I put those instructions on this" or "what was I thinking"

Some 24 hours later, like a kid trying to get into everything (I, also, should have Adult Supervision). But what a wonderful life I got because of AA... Thanks

Tommy

[avaneesh912]

Back in the Dot Com era, I was almost convinced like Bill W, I have arrived, I am going to be a Mutual Fund manager. All went down quickly, due to greed, I was lured into options and with the Dot Com bust, money quickly evaporated. Recently I have entered the trading zone, however with caution:No margin and no option cash only trades. I love to study the stock charts, various patterns that IBD founder William O Neil talks about in his book "How to Make Money in Stocks".

[FullFlightKY]

I personally struggle with finding things I enjoy doing... I find myself reading books and reading internet material. I work about 50 hours a week, I attend 6-8 meetings in the 3 days I am off work, I go out to eat with my sponsor every Wednesday afternoon, I work on step work with him as well as read the book. Whenever I have free time (which isn't much) I find myself bored.

I personally used to love web design and anything IT related but alot of what I know is 8-10 years old (which is about how long I have been running) and on top of that I can't currently afford the equipment I need to get back into it just yet. I have to watch that as well because I used to use technology as an escape from reality, spending all of my time behind a computer screen (from the age 10 til 21)... along with that became the material collection. My other passion is automotives but that is even more costly and I realize that the adrenaline rush from racing (whether it was on the street or at the track) was also used as an escape. I was obsessive over both of those hobbies and I certainly can't afford either at this current time.

I have been trying to find something inexpensive and new to do... I have been trying to run/jog on mornings that I am off work but that is probably the most unenjoyable activity I have tried thus far as my knees aren't equipped to jog on asphalt or atleast not yet. I thought about purchasing a bicycle instead. I quit smoking about a month and a half ago just so I could get my breathing manageable for cardio activities. I find myself down by the river along, practicing prayer and meditation as much as possible, it is the most peaceful spot around my area to get away and clear my head. I was thinking about buying some fishing gear soon, and renewing my gym membership. Physical health has been a recent concern of mine after getting sober (again). Most everything I come up with requires money which I don't have much to spare since I've been trying to save. I am open to suggestions.

[whipping post]

I find myself down by the river along, practicing prayer and meditation as much as possible, it is the most peaceful spot around my area to get away and clear my head. I was thinking about buying some fishing gear soon, and renewing my gym membership. Physical health has been a recent concern of mine after getting sober (again). Most everything I come up with requires money which I don't have much to spare since I've been trying to save. I am open to suggestions.

Kayaking. Be it whitewater or flatwater. I quit kayaking because it interfered with my drinking . The first time I did it after sobering up it was almost spiritual. It forces you to really focus on the present moment. Nature is very spiritual to me as well. Those new stand up paddle boards would be great for that and exercise as well.

I spend as much time as possible with my kids now. It's good to be present. I have also rediscovered the joy in gardening which I had lost. Sobriety has given me so much. This is a great topic.

[Tosh]

I am open to suggestions.

The running is good, but like recovery it's really tough in the early days; just be careful and follow a beginner program which in reality should include a mix of running and walking. Be consistent and sensible. At some stage, you will enjoy it. Try to find a parkrun (5k); google for them if you don't know what they are. They're free, all standards of 'runners' do them (many jogging and walking) and they're a good way to meet people too.

You don't need to spend money on running shoes either; cheap ones will do. Good running form is more important than running shoes. Check out some youtubes on how to run properly; it may help with your knees too.

You can also use running as part of your spiritual practice.

Not every run will be enjoyable either; just think that you've got to get the first 20 runs out of the way before you begin enjoying them, but you will find that the added fitness and well being may improve every other area of your life.

[maurits]

I personally struggle with finding things I enjoy doing...

same here, even though i do realize that my ability to enjoy life is healing (very slowly),
i do struggle from time to time with this mainly when i become obsessed with expecting a certain outcome without giving the actual experience a chance to be experienced,

work in progress,
step by step, one day at a time

[FullFlightKY]

I find myself down by the river along, practicing prayer and meditation as much as possible, it is the most peaceful spot around my area to get away and clear my head. I was thinking about buying some fishing gear soon, and renewing my gym membership. Physical health has been a recent concern of mine after getting sober (again). Most everything I come up with requires money which I don't have much to spare since I've been trying to save. I am open to suggestions.

Kayaking. Be it whitewater or flatwater. I quit kayaking because it interfered with my drinking . The first time I did it after sobering up it was almost spiritual. It forces you to really focus on the present moment. Nature is very spiritual to me as well. Those new stand up paddle boards would be great for that and exercise as well.

I spend as much time as possible with my kids now. It's good to be present. I have also rediscovered the joy in gardening which I had lost. Sobriety has given me so much. This is a great topic.

That sounds excellent... I have wanted a kayak for so long. That will be a goal in the near future.

[FullFlightKY]

I personally struggle with finding things I enjoy doing...

same here, even though i do realize that my ability to enjoy life is healing (very slowly),
i do struggle from time to time with this mainly when i become obsessed with expecting a certain outcome without giving the actual experience a chance to be experienced,

work in progress,
step by step, one day at a time

Very good point. Enjoying the moment has been a hard concept to grasp. That is a problem I struggled with and currently working on.

That "certain outcome" is never good enough, I found that out weight lifting and once I reached my goal I still wasn't happy. Actually I never reached my goal because my goal kept increasing lol, and then I went to trying anabolic steroids for a few months and once I cycled off I felt as miserable as ever.

[Niagara]

i do realize that my ability to enjoy life is healing (very slowly),

I must confess that I get these feelings (like today, first day on a new job) where I get kind of tearful and think 'how did I get here'. Or something nice happens, like a meal out with my children the other night, and I'm still half expecting to have the rug yanked out from under me. It's hard to fully enjoy when I'm expecting a disaster round the corner in my mind.

These days, I try to be present no matter what I'm doing, because even if a disaster is looming, worrying won't change it, it'll just spoil the moment I'm supposed to be enjoying.

Previously, I'd worry about things years in the future without giving a second thought to the misery that that was putting me in today. Crackers.

[clouds]

Thhis is a nice topic Niagra. I didn't have extra time early in my sober years with raising the kids and sponsoring and AA service work, like gsr etc. After my kids were in schoolmost of the day I went back to university and to my shock, pulled in all top marks and was amazed. I studied philosophy, early and middle english literature, classical, medieval and renaissance history and art. Later after my kids left home (at their father's insistance so he could have the house sold) I got a bad case of the empty nest syndrom and figured instead of that self pity trip I would quit my job at the museum and then I went to join a convent in Rome where I taught english in their school for italian children. I wish now I had entered the Benedictine cloistered convent where the abbess had accepted me in Colorado. I imagine I would still be there now, living a quiet prayerful life. But Rome was fun! I was a sort of quasi resident at the convent of a not very regulated religious group because I was a bit afraid of commiting going into a cloister with my daughters still possibly needing me even if they were grown up and out of home.

After leaving the religious Roman Catholic private school teaching voluntarily situation I studied in Rome at a large university there and AA meetings in Rome were great with so many english speakers from all over the world. Mind you, the only ones who knew anything about the steps were sme women who had sobered up in rehab in England. They told me that they had had to do the first 5 steps before they could leave rehab and so they were all done with the steps when I met them. Still, they were sober and our meeting halls were out of this world for architecture. There in Rome I studied architecture, a bit of library science, more art and classical history. I got a bit too smart for my own good. I also got super dogmatic about faith and well, its a good thing I lived through that bit to tell about it without having to get drunk. I am even shocked I didnt drink again I was so full of myself and so feeling superior, you see I had come so so far from what I was when I first came to AA. Eventually I got filled up with 'My Will Be Done'.

I returned to Canada after three years study in Rome and within a couple of months my daughter was killed. It nearly killed me. Evry morning I would wake up and not understand how I could be alive and her dead.
I was unable to hold a job for many years, the grief was overwhelming. I kept trying though, I would hold a job for months or a year at a time. I met my second husband at that time and I have been surprised that loss of faith and the heavy burden of fear on caring about any human again, that after having my heart broken beyond my wildest dreams from my daughters death, I actually found I could face another close relationship. Since then I have taken painting courses, life drawing, colour at university. I also am musical. play piano. accordion a lot and flute. We moved to Europe from Montana where we had looked after my very elderly grandpa, (nearly a hundred). We had chickens and a milking goat in Montana; an experience I am amazed to have had of all the things I have ever done. Nothing like making cheese with milk squeezed from my own goat. Yogurt and soft cheese, hard cheese and yoitost(something you make from the whey leftovers after making the hard cheeses. Then we moved to Italy, where we lived a year in Orvieto ( people think its funny How I never tasted the famous wines they make there, lol), then the south of Italy, calabria, so many stories I can tell about south Italy, then we lived inVenice, a very nice and crowded town. Now we are in france for almost two years, in the south where it is so hot lately probably will move back to italy I am thinking. I paint when I can.
So, you have a lot of fun ahead of you, skies are the limit if your own house is in order!
Happy life to you Niagra!

[Niagara]

Wow, what a rich and varied life. I'm in awe A term my sponsor uses about this program 'from disgrace, to grace'. There's still a part of me that believes at heart I don't deserve all that, yet I've seen it happen with two people now...my sponsor, and yourself. I know there are others out there, too.

I tried learning the flute once. All I got was a headache and a kind of squeaky sound I love music, but alas, I am not talented in that direction.

I can imagine the empty nest syndrome. I know that will get me too, when the time comes. Hopefully I will handle it with grace, as you did.

I'm sorry for your pain with your daughter. I can only begin to imagine the depth of that.

Thanks for sharing x

[Tosh]

Wow, Clouds, what a powerful share. Respect.