LionOfJudah

1. Exercising and drinking lots of water
2. Reading
3. Watching movies
4. Getting and maintaining a JOB
5. Going back to school / earn advanced degrees
6. Going rock climbing
7. Going for a walk
8. Cooking
9. Taking a bath with some tea
10. Driving
11. Travelling... going to the mountains
12. Farming / Gardening
13. Hunting and Fishing
14. Completing this list...
15.Attending AA
16. Counselling
17. Riding bicycle
18. Reading newspaper
19. Organizing plans
20. Cleaning
21. Learning a language
22. Computer programming
23. Drawing and painting
24. Smoking a pipe
25. Smoking marijuana
26. Drinking tea or coffee
27. Working / JOB
28. Writing
29. Playing video games / computer games
30. Model building
31. Listening to music
32. Pottery making
33. Playing the piano / guitar
34. Secret societies / join / magik
35. Meditation
36. web surfing
37. Photography
38. Science / astronomy / star gazing
39. Target shooting
40. Survival / Trekking / Backpacking
41. Learning martial arts
42. Flying a plane
43. Mountaineering
44. Sailing
45. Shopping
46. Art collecting
47. Reptiles
48. Collecting things
49. Gambling
50. Yoga
51. Climbing
52. HACKING
53. BOOKS
54. Growing marijuana and many other things
55. Spending time with my KIDS
56. Building EVERYTHING
57. Spending time with animals
58. Meeting people
59. Obtain certifications and ******** in all fields known to man
60. Writing RESEARCH papers and books
70. Working on Cars/ Engines
71. Taking apart things / Studying them
72. Botany
73. Sleeping
74. Keeping a journal
75. Horse riding
76. Electronics
77. Camping
78. AQUARIUMS
79. Amateur Radio

LionOfJudah

But... I use it for ptsd.

Berrybean

I had a list like that.

Might be worth adding 'Working the Steps' onto it if you're going to AA. Right at the top.
I'm coming to my 1 year sobriety birthday (in 2 days) and know that this year would have been a lot easier if I'd started working the steps a bit sooner rather than just going to AA and hoping that it'd just kind of seep into me.

Congratulations on your decision and 1st day sober. Hope it's going okay and you haven't got too much washing-machine head going on.

Dee74

so you're prescribed it?
I only ask cos I know I had great difficulty staying off booze when I was stoned.

if there's another alternative for your PTSD I'd strongly consider it.
D

Berrybean

Apparently the 12-step approach is very positive for PSTD - not that I have any experience of it myself as such (although it has helped me come to come to terms with sexual abuse in my early teens though which I really didn't expect to find any peace about in AA).

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Applying the Twelve Step Approach

gaffo

Things to DO besides drinking:
Not drinking. That's hard enough in the beginning. I just concentrated on that. All the other good ideas come in to play gradually.

MelindaFlowers

I am just so thankful I can drive anywhere, anytime.

Johno1967

Thanks for this. Is there a forum around for alcoholic veterans dealing with PTSD and reintegration issues?

Johno1967

Things to do when sober? Doing something for someone else for a change. Alcoholism is the most self indulgent disease in existence. It's the "me and nothing but me" disease by a long shot.

mpr

Your list covers just about everything.

Really I would say anything is a good thing to do as long as it does not have a negative effect on yourself. Things that helped me personally...

- Reading
- Movies
- Fitness
- Drives
- Fresh air
- GF
- Dog
- Family
- Gaming
- Learning new things
- Reading about celebrities who have become sober, kinda weird but I dig it at the same time and respect it!
- Food
- Being healthier
- Rewarding oneself via treats(food), gifts with $$$ saved
- Travel

TheNatural

Smoking pot or doing anything that inebriates you will only trigger you. The idea of sobriety is just that, to stay sober. Being high is not being sober. I don't buy into the gateway drug stuff, but I do buy into the mentality of "F*** it" being dangerous, and when you allow yourself to get inebriated with one thing, it's putting you that much closer to drinking.

LBrain

DING-DING-DING!

I also noticed the mj mentioned twice. Didn't think I would read the whole list did you? I drank to deal with my ptsd.

Aellyce

If I were you, I would also make a plan to work through the PTSD with help from mental health professionals -- there are many different possible approaches. The problem with weed is that even if it helps, it only alleviates your symptoms temporarily, you "check out" with it instead of actively resolving it. I know that's what medication is for, to help symptoms... but in this specific case (PTSD), I am sure there are many things you could try to actually resolve it rather than just medicating. I've never liked weed much and am not anti-marijuana either, it's just probably not the best solution for things that could possibly be resolved in other ways as well. Actually speaking from some experience here... not about weed and PTSD, but I've had a love affair with psychedelics and I still think about them and get tempted at times, sometimes quite intensely, despite not using any for over 6 years. And it's a feature that came back more intensely during my sobriety... I know that many people like and use them occasionally without problems, without its becoming an obsession, and I also think that's what I used to do... but examining this more deeply, I see how a lot of my interest in these drugs come from places that are not entirely good for me, they represent substitutes and other things. So I'm trying to get to the bottom of those "places" in other ways.

Good list regardless. So now you can maybe start to break it down and work on those "projects" in small installments

alaina742

Mind games: free cell, solitaire, scrabble on my phone

Dee74

not on this site but I found a few hits on Google Johno?

D

sugarbear1

I know of several sober people who deal with PTSD. They use prescribed medication for that and they work the 12 steps of AA.

LionOfJudah

How are you doing sugar?

LionOfJudah

that food looks delicious... on your page. but yes, there is medication for PTSD... of which I use. Haven't gotten the sober thing down though.

LionOfJudah

I'm going through a home detox tomorrow with valium.

Soberwolf

Good luck LoJ remember acceptance is key