Activities That Helped Me Move Toward Positive Change

One of the issues I faced in early recovery from opioid use disorder was what to do with myself in my free time. How do I know what I will like? I had essentially lost who I was and had no idea what my interests were anymore.

I know I'm not the only one with this problem—I even had a friend who kept requesting extensions at a treatment center because he had no idea what to do on his day off.

How should I fill my free time in opioid recovery?

If you find yourself asking the same question, one simple suggestion I can make is to think back to what you were doing before life became chaotic with substance use. For me, that was skateboarding. So that’s what I started slowly getting back into. Over time, it transitioned into many other hobbies.

Not only did skateboarding give me something to occupy my time with, but it also gave me something to look forward to. Later, I took on snowboarding, pickleball, working out, meditation, and so on. All of these activities gave me the same outcome, and the variety kept me from burning out on any one activity. Each of these activities taught me how to focus and be present, and meditation practice showed me I can achieve this anywhere.

Getting fulfillment out of my hobbies

Participating in hobbies also allowed me to connect with others and enriched my mental and physical health. I was able to set tangible goals and push myself to obtain them.

For me, structure was a huge part of my life in early recovery—and still is today. Setting an intention to get out and participate in my life always made me feel good. It made me feel alive, and it taught me how to get uncomfortable. In fact, today, I’m comfortable with having to get uncomfortable.

I remember being uneasy going to the gym for a few months and worrying what others thought of me. But after some time, I realized most of the gym community is positive. People are just there to focus on themselves. If you struggle with this, I suggest asking a friend to go and be accountability partners.

Get out of your comfort zone

These activities have not only allowed me to heal and process so many things, but I’ve found some of the best friendships as well. I’ve been able to apply this to other areas in my life and push myself to levels I never thought I could achieve before because of the self-confidence I obtained through my hobbies.

If you’re indecisive (and I know a lot of us are) I would suggest making it a goal to try something new either weekly or biweekly so you’re putting yourself out there. You may not find what is right for you in the beginning, but you will get some life experience.

One of the best decisions I made in early recovery was pushing myself to be uncomfortable. It’s allowed me to have experiences that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have had.

What hobbies did you pick up to fill your free time in opioid use disorder recovery?