peace28

OK, I haven't drank all week. Now the weekend is here. This is where I always fall off the wagon. As of right now I'm feeling really good about the challenge. What do you guys and gals do with the free time. I need to keep busy! Any advise appreciated.

tallcactus

Hello and Welcome,
Lots of things to do. Just stay busy and away from where alcohol will be.
You have to want to be sober more then you want to drink.
Go to a AA meeting.
Go to a movie or out to eat.
Read a book. Anything, but do not drink.

Bombshell

Hi Peace, well done on not drinking all week. Weekends are what I'm dreading too (first day sober for me!!)

Have you any hobbies? This weekend I'm intending to get back into practising the instruments I play, and have neglected for months because of the drinking. Now you have more free time maybe you could spend more time at a hobby or interest. Or take up a new one!

You seem up for the challenge, I've no doubt you'll make it through without drinking!

ImReadyToQuit

Run.

CarolD

Here is a list compiled by SR members....


150 Things To Do Instead of Drinking

1. Read a book
2. Take a walk
3. Play a musical instrument
4. Knit
5. Clean your closets
6. Research your genealogy
7. Cook a gourmet dinner
8. Write an article for your local newspaper
9. Go take some pictures
10. Clean the mildew in your bathroom
11. Start writing that book you've been planning
12. Plan a garden
13. Plant a garden
14. Play with a pet
15. Read to a child
16. Visit someone in an old folks' home
17. Watch a news special on TV
18. Set up a family budget
19. Make a web site
20. Take up archery
21. Exercise
22. Go to an online recovery meeting
23. Surf the internet
24. Call your mom
25. Learn a foreign language
26. Write a poem
27. Play golf
28. Take a bubble bath
29. Draw
30. Teach a parakeet to whistle
31. Take a nap
32. Listen to music
33. Paint
34. Clean your desk
35. Start a stamp collection
36. Go window shopping
37. Browse in a book store
38. Go to an art gallery
39. Go for a drive
40. Paint a room
41. Watch the clouds go by
42. Play darts
43. Do target shooting
44. Do home repairs
45. Clean your garage
46. Sort your photographs
47. Make a scrapbook
48. Climb a tree
49. Plant a tree
50. Make marmalade
51. Make a list of things to do
52. Write a letter to the editor
53. Volunteer somewhere
54. Take a hike
55. Take a college class
56. Try yoga
57. Meditate
58. Get a massage
59. Make fruit smoothies
60. Bake cookies
61. Do a crossword puzzle
62. Go to the gym
63. Plant a color bowl
64. Sharpen your pruning tools
65. Change your engine oil
66. Sew
67. Groom your dog
68. Go see a play
69. Write a sonnet
70. Sort your recipes
71. Play solitaire
72. Go bird watching
73. Write a letter to a friend
74. Read a poetry book
75. Repot your houseplants
76. Go to a movie
77. Mow your lawn
78. Put up (or take down) your Christmas lights
79. Make pickles
80. Go jogging
81. Watch sitcoms
82. Plan menus for a diet
83. Do a jigsaw puzzle
84. Play chess
85. Write a country-western song
86. Watch a video
87. Go for a bike ride
88. Plant an herb garden
89. Start an online journal
90. Dye your hair
91. Go to a restaurant
92. Lift weights
93. Bake some bread
94. Learn a martial art
95. Polish the furniture
96. Make a flower arrangement
97. Read the newspaper
98. Start some seeds
99. Sort your magazines
100. Do some laundry.
111. Take a nature walk
112. Play with your kids
113. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
114. Volunteer at a school
115. Pick up garbage in a park
116. Tickle your kids
117. Play basketball
118. Volunteer at an animal shelter
119. Read to a child or pet
120. Sign up for obedience training with your dog
121. Take a walk and pick up litter you see on the way
122. Spend time at the library
123. Sort all your digital photos and make an album to print for holiday gifts to family.
124. Help your kid organize his closet.
125. Figure out the melody and chords to your current favorite tune on the piano.
126. Practice your holiday cookie recipes
127. Make crackers from scratch (that one didn't go so well).
128. Make tortillas from scratch (better).
129. Reread a book you haven't read for years.
130. Tango
131. Learn about someone else’s religion.
132. Reread one of your college textbooks.
133. Key out a wildflower.
134. Do your nails.
135. Do word puzzles.
136. Play a board game.
137. Burn CD’s of some of your favorite music for a friend.
138. Plant a bonsai.
139. Play Mad Libs.
140. Speak only in heroic couplets for an hour.
141. Read poetry online.
142. Ride a stationary bicycle.
143. Set up a domino topple.
144. Play backgammon.
145. Build a house of cards
146. Make an entry in Wikipedia.
147. Read a world almanac.
148. Publish a family newsletter.
149. Throw cards at a hat.
150. Go to bed.

In early sobriety....I attended many AA meetings to find others
who shared my goal of a sober future.
Worked out really well for me...

All my best

whiskerkissed

AWESOME!!! Happy birthday!!!!

AA meeting is an awesome idea! I attend mainly NA and often we go out for coffee after. Dessert is optional!!

For me - my organization went to crap over years of druggin/drinkin. I would take one kitchen drawer at a time and clean it when I was getting clean. Doing that today!! I've got three closets. Not disasters yet, but getting cluttered. I have under bed storage totes to help organize. When I would look at all of them at once I'd get pretty overwhelmed - so my sponsor suggested the drawer closest to the wall and start there. Don't think about the rest. Works for everything! One thing at a time!

Volunteer somewhere. There are soup kitchens, animal organizations and many more to busy the day. Those also give a great feeling of doing something for someone else.

Just don't pick up a drink. AA will give you phone numbers so when you get that strong urge - you can all them BEFORE you drink and they'll help you through it.

whiskerkissed

CAROL!! I love that list!! I'm printing it for my own use!!!

least

To keep myself busy in early sobriety I used to walk my dogs - a lot! It made them happy and the exercise was good for all of us. Now I walk them just because I can and because it's good for them. Being sober means I'm a better dog-mom.

Reset

I never drank during the days anyway, but the first couple of weekend nights I holed up in my room with my laptop, movies, books, and lots of tea.

The other thing is that the weekend isn't *that* different from a weekday. Just another day on the calendar.

Dee74

I hope you, and everybody, has a good, sober, weekend peace28.
You'll always find us here too

D

artsoul

It's easy to feel deprived the first weekend or two, so give yourself something to look forward to each day..... What I did was to think about what kind of decadent meal I wanted and ordered it from a restaurant - I did this on and off for a month, and it worked well considered I had a huge appetite after stopping.

Movies are also great evening fillers (and ways to "escape")..... I heard the King's Speech was fabulous. And if your fidgety like I am, take up knitting (it's easy and you could work on scarves or an afghan for next year's Christmas present....) Just some random thoughts.

Sometimes I just hang out here (and there's always meetings). Hang in there - there will come a time when you don't have enough hours to do all the things you want to.:ghug3