It’s rare for me to run a therapeutic group in PHP or IOP in which I don’t hear someone mention the word “boredom” in the context of their early recovery living in a New Hampshire sober living or sober house. It might surprise you to know that boredom can precipitate a relapse. Why is boredom such a tough state to tolerate? Each person in early recovery goes through a period of transition in which he or she learns how to enjoy life without a chemical crutch. In the early days, it can be hard to comprehend how to do anything without drugs and alcohol, let alone glean any sense of satisfaction. After living an intoxicated life – from the beach to the boardroom – it feels alien to do it any other way. Substance use becomes the wired norm. Boredom can also be a direct result of not knowing how to sit still, or not feeling comfortable in your own skin. After months of enduring limitations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, boredom has become an even greater threat to those in the most delicate stages of their recovery.
In an effort to come up with some sober living boredom busting strategies for your sober house, I scoured Pinterest and Google for suggestions. Many of these ideas are not my own and have been adapted from creative minds around the web. If your sober house – or family – is struggling with low morale, try one of these 30 ways to beat the boredom blues:
- Create quarantine playlists. After an allotted amount of time, gather together (perhaps outside) and share a song or two from each playlist. Have everyone explain why their song choices are meaningful.
- Arrange a cornhole competition. If you have access to supplies, build and paint your own cornhole platforms.
- Create a time capsule. Write a letter in which you tell the future about what you are learning from the pandemic and your recovery journey. Talk about an average day, what you are looking forward to, what you wish the world would take from this experience, and how you are staying resilient.
- Start a garden, even if the only available place to plant is a container.
- Design a new tattoo.
- Call someone important and interview them (could be a parent or grandparent, or someone else significant). Write down all the questions you want to ask. Use the interview to create a keepsake or gift. Share each interview with your housemates and reflect on the impact of your conversations.
- Throw a Chopped contest. Check the pantry for untraditional ingredients. See who can come up with the best tasting dish.
- Alternately, throw a baking contest. Drop trays of goodies on someone’s porch.
- Host an in-house prom. Decorate the space and create a prom playlist. Encourage everyone to dress in their best outfit and do their hair and makeup.
- Take a Meyers-Briggs Personality test. Free tests are available online. Share and compare your results.
- Play glow-in-the-dark bowling. Add glow sticks to plastic water bottles and use a ball to knock them down.
- Schedule a home spa afternoon. Paint your nails, deep condition your hair, apply facials etc.
- Plan a themed dinner. Have everyone show up for dinner dressed in themed clothing (80s, 90s, all-one-color, polka dots, stripes, etc.) If it’s a decade theme – don’t forget the playlist!
- Write a thank-you note to someone. (A family member, a staff member, a friend, an essential worker etc.)
- Clean up a neighborhood street or park.
- Plan an evening of “impersonation”. Think The Office episode in which Jim impersonates Dwight: Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galatica.
- In a similar spirit, plan a stand-up comedy, slam poetry, or open mic talent night for your sober house.
- Host an in-house tea party. Explain the benefits of certain teas (chamomile for sleep, for instance). If you’re feeling ambitious, make tea sandwiches and cookies.
- In line with the themed dinner party, plan a decades dance party at your sober living.
- Draw silly portraits of your housemates. Guess who each participant chose to draw. Vote on the best drawing and give out a small prize.
- If you have the appropriate space and are operating within city or town guidelines, build a fire pit and have a bonfire recovery meeting.
- Designate every night of the week as a special night: Movie Night, Game Night, Taco Night, Pizza Night, Trivia Night, TV Marathon Night, Ice Cream Sundae Night, Sunday Dinner Night, etc. Get creative and start a new house tradition.
- See who can pull off of the best prank or “scare”. Keep it all in good fun.
- Practice floral arrangement with wildflowers (or make paper flowers).
- Throw a sober “Paint ’n Sip” (or challenge everyone to follow along with a Bob Ross episode!)
- Record encouraging video messages and post them on social media to uplift others.
- Paint a mural wall.
- Start a house blog.
- Arrange an evening of fortune-telling. Read horoscopes or tarot cards, and interpret your dreams using an online dream dictionary.
- If you have a backyard, make the best of it with a barbecue, picnic, or campout.
Autumn Khavari is the Process Recovery Center’s in-house writer. She received an education in Substance Use Counseling from Beal College in Bangor, Maine.
