AceDace

I'm creating this thread because I am wondering whether anyone has experienced this. I find it hard to enjoy or get into stuff usually I love when not drinking. For example music and films. I basically have no interest when sober>>>? Is this just a prolonged hangover I just have to get over.

I'm sorry I can't describe it better....

Spawn

Have you tried something else instead of alcohol?

tyler

How long have you been sober. I felt the same way when I first quit smoking pot, however, over time it got better, much better. I quit about 10 months ago. I look at where I was personally then and where I am today and it is nothing short of amazing. I'm not saying life is perfect, but it's pretty darn good.

I think part of it is not having the same expectations of what an experience will be like. Nothing that you did while under the influence will be the same as it is when you're not using. That doesn't mean it's not just as good, or perhaps even better, it's just different. That's been my experience anyway.

Welcome to our Sober Community. Take care.

HIgby442

I have experienced the same thing, but over time I noticed I was able to get back into some of the old things again, like music and movies/tv. I note "some" because my sobriety is two-fold:

1st- Some things are not appealing anymore because I am sober-and I look at that as a good thing because I have been finding new interests I never would have explored in music when I was not sober. I love music and grew up around it and for me to get back into checking out new music was a great thing.

2nd- I am still new in recovery-just creeping up to 3 months, so for me some movies are triggers that I am recognizing I need to stay away from. Especially some movies/tv programs I used to watch when I was drinking the most. I tended to glorify those times, and now I need to focus on what I was really getting out of those programs-validation for my drinking, or was I really enjoying what I was watching? For me it was cool to see other people in situations like mine (except they were functional in the programs where I was not).

So, I think it is probably different for a lot of people. For me though, its been a good thing, and something I stay watchful of. But, I have gotten into new and interesting music which is helping me in my sobreity. And, i think over time I can re-introduce some things, while being aware of what will be triggers for me.

Good luck, give it some time, and check out some new things if your into that. If not, just beware of what might be triggers for you.

All the best

Zencat

and welcome to the SoberRecovery forums AceDace.

I too have lost interest in some of things that I used to enjoy. But I think it has balanced out with my new interest in other stuff. Especially doing new things that I just couldn't do loaded on drugs.

I do know that I wouldn't trade my sobriety for drug use again just to do a few of the things I liked to do when high. Interest come and go, but without sobriety everything falls apart in the long run anyway.

Ceres

"Especially doing new things that I just couldn't do loaded on drugs."

Yep. Reading. Hard to read all strung out or intoxicated. Also, I can actually REMEMBER the movies I watch. :-)

Stayinfree

Hi and welcome
I find that the things I wanted to do when I was drinking are not the same as what I like to do now I'm sober.

When I was drinking, I couldn't wait to get kids to bed, tidy round, pop the cork, then sit at the computer till I was soo p*ssed, then go to bed.

Now I'm sober I like to tidy round too, have a bath, relax, read, go to bed early and read some more!

Best of all I like to wake up the next morning feeling great....never did that when I was drinking!!

angharad

Same here! I used to rush home make dinner and clean just to sit down and open the bottle! Now I have time to do those relaxing things or indeed to go out in the evening to swim or gym etc.
First few weeks I was like "hmm life is SO boring without drinking" but that feeling soon goes.

Tazman53

AceDace my biggest fear of sobriety was dying from boredom!!! In the end I did NOTHING unless I could drink while doing it.

Well the most important thing I did was to start hanging out on a regular basis with SOBER alcoholics who knew how to stay sober! These folks taught me how to stay sober and be happy doing it.

What I have found is today I can do every thing I did while drinking with 2 differences:

1. I did those things better!
2. I remembered them the next day!!!

I also found that there are a ton of NEW things I can do sober that I could not or would not do while drinking!

When one is sober there is nothing they can not do except of course drink & drug! LOL

smacked

What I found out, after living sober for a chunk of time, that when I was drunk/high and thought I was "enjoying" things, I was just experiencing them drunk or high.. I didn't even really know what truly enjoying life or activities was like, I only knew how to experience things in a buzz.

I can't believe I'd deluded myself for so long, thinking that my incoherance created some sort of enhancement to things in life, when really all it did was blur everything out.

Enjoy the new perspective you have!

littlefish

I am only speaking for myself, but I really got into films when I was drunk. I became the characters. I would watch the same films over and over, watching favorite scenes just like I was living them. I was using films to escape reality and the fuel that ran the whole escape machine was alcohol.
Music, was a similar story. Oh, and drunk dancing.

Now, I can say I enjoy films very much, and I am much more sensitive to plots, the characters, I notice things in scenes and the dialogue that I didn't pick up before because I was sloshed.

Hevyn

AceDace, as you can see - it's very common to feel that way & you're not alone. I anesthetized myself for over 25 yrs. & was numb alot of the time. I had to learn to live again without that feeling - and it did take some getting used to. Now I realize I was cheating myself out of really experiencing life. You will enjoy everything again - in a new way. Give yourself a chance to heal.

Glad you have joined us! Feeling not alone anymore is a huge help.

Mcribb

Do you want to quit? How far are you willing to go to quit? Are you willing to give it up and not enjoy some things for awhile? There was alot of stuff I didn't have fun at without alcohol, but I want to quit. I am tired of feeling horrible. So big whoop I didn't have as much fun as I could somewhere. Slowly learning to get over the awkwardness of not drinking I could enjoy things again. Did you enjoy movies, music, video games before alcohol? you can enjoy them again. It takes work and TIME.

Mcribb

It sounds dumb, but Dance and dance hard to music, no matter even if you are listening to dance music or not, do something silly when you are listening to music. It's supposed to be fun DO somethin fun. Or write if you are listen to music that is supposed to make you think. If you are playing music just groove with the music. I never thought I could play drums without drugs or alcohol, but you have to FEEL the music and just go with it. Just let stuff go when you are listening to music. Sometimes even with all this it doesn't help there are some songs that make me want to grab a cold one, well I am not normal and it is not good for my life so I Just accept that I can't have a cold one and enjoy the song as best as I can.

Mcribb

I still "party" too. This is just me, but I drink water and try to remember what party's are about, being silly, talking to friends, talking about life, slapping hands, being more silly, you can do that without alcohol. Just have to let go of what you think you look like. The worst thing about giving up alcohol and still going to party's was not interacting.

Anna

I hope that you will find things in your life that are fun to do.

For me, I had pretty much given up everything, in order to be able to drink all the time. So, sobriety was such a blessing and I got back to doing all the things that I love to do.

CAPTAINZING2000

I really enjoy going to concerts now. My tastes have changed in what I enjoy listening to over the years. I remember them the next day. I never drank before going to a movie so, I'm not sure how to answer that

coffeenut

Welcome to SR.....

I made such a mess of things while I drank, I'm glad I can't remember half of it. The half I do remember, I'm ashamed of.

redwine

Me too on the films. I've slipped up because of that. It is one if my triggers -- to get wine going with a movie that will trigger some emotional intensity.

Thanks for mentioning it -- didn't know anyone else did that with movies. It's still a trap for me: open the wine, put on a movie, drift into mergence with the characters.

yeahgr8

When i did last 5 months stint by myself i couldnt get into anything, i bought new films, music, xbox360, wii, playstation 3, lots of books (i had a huge amazon delivery box every week at work, my nickname was crazy cliff), 2 52" plasmas, new cross trainer (never used), porsche and went on holiday every month and would fly 'friends' up to see me every month...crazy huh?! Couldnt find any enjoyment in any of it!

After drinking again in 2 short months i had gone from having all this stuff and a $100k a year job and $50k savings to...$50k in debt, no job and stuff in storage. Good huh?! There is an old post of mine from February 2009 where i post about taking time off to move to Gibraltar and go to AA...by May i was in rehab and then out again and finally into AA...i think i was worried about being out of work for too long on that post in February what a ride! They say put your sobriety first or you will end up losing everything anyway...no you don't say????!!!!

I only got peace going to AA and working the steps, this time round i deleted all my music and gave all my dvds away in the first couple of months...then got sober and ended up downloading the music again and getting the same films again...it really amazed me how different the music and films were when i was really sober and not winging it...forgotten about that already thanks for reminding me:-)