steve-in-kville

An informal poll: what hobbies and/or interests did you take on once you found victory in staying sober? Perhaps it was something you did before alcohol ruined your life, or a totally new thing.

Post 'em up.

BrendaChenowyth

Yeah.. everything. Too much to name. Without the drinking obsession, I am interested in just about everything there is to do. My biggest thing is my faith, so I would say Bible study and learning more about that is a hobby. I have been enjoying reading novels, too. I love Jodi Picoult. I like Hallmark and Lifetime movies now.. I am thinking about getting in to selling Scentsy.. I love going thrift shopping.. I am planning to join the Y and use the gym there, might take the adult swim class coming up, because I can not swim and want to get over the fear, and then maybe I'll start swimming for exercise.. I want to get a gun and learn to shoot, gonna take a women's gun safety training course.. A lot of these are things I am interested in learning to do. I play with the idea of writing a novel because I've wanted to since first grade, and I have some ideas now.. There's all this free space in my mind and in my life now and confidence to do things with it. Excited to see if this carries in to my efforts to complete nursing school next year.

One more hobby that might sound weird: Getting things done. Handling adult responsibilities, like a phone call I had to make today regarding my federal student loans. I make to-do lists and tackle them, and I enjoy it immensely. Odd. But I love getting things done.

Berrybean

Some things on my list are completely new and some others were rekindled from pre-drinking (childhood)

Choir
Bell ringing (up in a church tower - this didn't last long)
Running club
AA meetings
Creative writing group
Playing trumpet with a brass band
Sewing (making clothes and other small items - I'm a bit rubbish though to be honest )
Meeting (sober) friends for a walk or coffee or both
Going away for sobriety or meditation retreat weekends occasionally
Volunteering to help at local events
Seeing my mum (I DID see her before, but always in a rush so I could get back to booze. Now I take time and relish her company)
Church activities and duties
Having quiet time to myself - I add this because this is a newfound pleasure. In the past I didn't really like being alone and quiet.

CajunPrincess

This is a really great post. Thank you for this.

I actually had a pretty fulfilling life before I started drinking. Well, in a way. I was sober but had plenty of unhealthy coping mechanisms. I like to think that my newfound sobriety is forming a better version of who I used to be before I ever drank.

I have a lot more time to dream. Ever since I was a little girl, I had a heart for travel. I'm now using this extra time, motivation, and money to put towards taking a trip to Rome next year. I've never been out of the States. My last opportunity to go out of the country for a mission trip was squashed pretty quickly due to my drinking.
So it's been really fun and exciting to be able to start to create the life I always wanted.

Definitely been reading a lot more. Used to always love getting lost in a good book. Now I'm returning to that. Been ordering sooo many novels off Amazon.

My faith. I'm a Christian (it's such a widely used term that is used so lightly, so I hesitate in even saying that phrase), and I've been able to work on my relationship with God... plus getting back into church.

I know there's so much more, but I'm not going to type out an entire novel on here. Haha. Those are the main ones. Thanks for letting me share. Looking forward to other responses.

***And to the OP, what are some of yours?

Darwinia

I have not changed anything in 5 months of sobriety except I do not drink. I wish I could find some new and exciting passion but it is just not happening. I work very hard during the week and weekends I play golf and read. This I have done for the last 20 years. Only now I come home straight after the game and don't stay at the club. I avoid social events like the plague. Used to be quite social before. I guess my only solace is reading. But that I did before just with a drink next to me. I admire people who manage to improve their quality of life in sobriety.

SnazzyDresser

I've always done Sudoku and crosswords, but I've also started doing jigsaws in my sobriety. I always keep one active on my living room table and chip away at it, no rush. I really think it's helped me with patience and persistence. And it's very satisfying when the pictures/pieces fit together.

MissPerfumado

I started playing chess online again. I was all over the place the first few weeks and made some dreadful blunders, but now I've evened out.

Next weekend I'm taking my first flying lesson. Now that's a childhood dream that will come true if I eventually get my pilot licence.

Quincy

I really like this thread also. Having hobbies again is one of the biggest rewards of sobriety to me. There were so many things I enjoyed especially outdoors related that I either barely did or gave up on when I was drinking.

When drinking I would think about all the things I was going to do over the weekend during the sober work week, but come Friday I would drink afterwork and start early Saturday morning which frequently meant all plans were off.

One of my old hobbies that I've started up again is fishing. I don't take it too seriously because just being out near a lake, stream, or river with my dog is more of the experience and purpose than actually catching a fish.

JeffreyAK

Early in sobriety, I got into building model cars, motorcycles, airplanes, rockets, tanks, ships... I used to do this when I was a kid, and now I have a couple dozen models strewn around the house and at work, plus several more given away as gifts.

Much more recently, I got back into playing guitar, which was my life from early teens through late 20's. Electric guitar, acoustic 6 and 12 string, plus bass and even mandolin. Lovin' it.

zjw

i started buying parts to antique lamps and redoing them and assembling my own out of the odds and ends.

I started reading more.

walking then running

6 months ago or so I started taking lessons on playing the bagpipes i figured what the heck you only live once right?

started trying to be more mentally aware of present moments and trying to take them in and enjoy them more.

theres more on my todo list of stuff to do but I find this is all i have time for at the moment.

steve-in-kville

I used to do quite a bit of fishing and hunting. My older boys hunt but I would much rather fish, I think. Doesn't matter if I catch anything... sitting quietly is enough for me!

GnikNus

I've loved to fish since I was 8 years old. It's always been a constant in my life. During my drinking days, my weekends and free time were spent either recovering from drinking or drinking and fishing was only an occasional thing. Now, after closing in on 2 years sober, I fish on a regular basis- every Sunday and several times during the week. It's become a central part of my life and I've come to depend on it- being in nature, enjoying the simple elemental things in life- sun, clouds, wildlife, mountains, trees- all of this helps me in life and recover from the years of drinking. And I've become better at the different types of fishing I've loved but never had enough time to try. It's meditation, it's poetic. Very grateful to have fishing back.

Maudcat

I have rediscovered sewing and knitting and travel. I used to hate to travel because, well, how could I be sure they had bourbon in that country? Last year we made a trip to France. First time. It was lovely. Paris is magical. Sadly, the terrorist attacks happened several weeks later. I felt so sad for Paris and its people. We are planning a return trip to Florence in spring of 2017. It's nice to travel sober.

MattM316

My interests have not really changed from when I've been drinking and when I've been sober.

The thing with me is that when I get interested in something I get pretty obsessed with it, so it's impossible for me to have loads of genuine interests, although I try to learn a bit about everything.

I used to be really into music. I used to buy albums all the time and go to see bands all the time at gigs or festivals, but in the past couple of years I've just lost interest in music.
I haven't bought a CD or saw a band in over a year.
Because I am so heavily into my other interests listed below, there just isn't enough time to be really into something else.

So my huge interests are now football/soccer (Arsenal fan), MMA (Mixed Martial Arts ie UFC), movies and reading.

With reading I pretty much 90% read factual stuff. Currently reading the 'Helter Skelter' book about the Manson murders.
With movies I'm just obsessed. I own over 600 blu-rays and I'm just obsessed with movies.
And with football and MMA it's a similar obsession, just can't get enough of either.

BrendaChenowyth

Matt M, in sobriety. Like in recovery. It's different in the absence of addictive thinking, but you describe still being in it.

steve-in-kville

Lots of great replies. Appears we have a diverse group here on SR!

zjw

fishing and hiking are 2 i lvoe but honestly dont have time for it seems like. Lucky for me tho liek say with fishing i never drank while i fished so its at least not a trigger. but I dont care sitting byt he lake drowning worms is fine by me too very relaxing.

hunting is a funny one years ago i went a few times. and honestly i'd get int he woods and it would be so peaceful and quiet I didnt care if i got nothing and often i pondered just taking a nap then i thought about just telling my wife i'm going hunting so i can go take a nap HAHAH never did do that tho.

CajunPrincess

Same for me with travel! Except I'm planning my first time out of the country to Italy. Haha. I used to think how neat it would be to do my drinking in a different country, but now that I think about it, I would hate it. I'd wake up the next day feeling miserable and lying in bed for hours and not able to experience the day or the new place. So glad I'll be sober.


** Loving reading all of your responses. Keep em coming!

steve-in-kville

Since bow hunting is in full swing, I hear of hunters falling asleep in the tree stand. I could see myself falling asleep while fishing, but never 15' off the ground in a chair strapped to a tree!

BrendaChenowyth

Do you use the kind of crossbow Daryl Dixon uses? Point and shoot? I could do that!