People in recovery are having a lot of ups and downs during the pandemic. You and people you care about may be struggling with loneliness, relapse, or the loss of somebody close to you. Online activities aren’t exactly the same, but making an effort and trying to connect with others who feel isolated can make everyone feel less lonely. To do this, you’ll need to think of some fun sober activities for the holidays.
Connecting with other people is essential. Using online technology or even 3-way call conferencing can help you connect with others and try to entertain yourself and your loved ones. (You can set Zoom up to have a call-in line for older members of your family or others who can’t use a computer.)
At-Home Sober Activities To Try
Of course, these ideas can work for any time during the pandemic, especially if you feel like your social life needs more:
- Just meet up for coffee with a loved one or friend online. It’s so simple, but it can boost your day! Ask them to set up a time for you in the morning, and make sure you have both brewed your coffee or tea. Sober activities like this can help you get closer to your support network.
- Meet up with friends for online gaming. You can meet up online to play first-person shooters through a video game system. But what about connecting your older relatives? You can meet up with friends and family to play a variety of card games
- Play a board game with sober friends. Have one person sit out and be the game administrator, who will roll the dice and move the game pieces for you. This works well with Chutes and Ladders and Monopoly.
- Have a baking session where you compete to see who can make the cutest cakes or cookies. Plan a safe drop-off to a third party will then judge it based on different qualities. Host the “awards show” and taste test online. Kids will love to be involved in this one.
- Watch a movie and Zoom with your best friends or your family. Agree to take intermissions to chat at a particular time. Afterward, host a “feast” and discuss the film. (Everyone will eat their own foods in their own homes, but there can be a theme to the meals.)
- Have a “lights contest” and compete against friends making yourself an outlandish display of lights this year to cheer healthcare workers or neighborhood kids. You can use wire hangers to shape letters and words. Use outdoor, waterproof lights, and attach them using pull ties or packaging rope. Then have judges decide who “wins”.
- Sign up for an online class for yourself and one or two other people. There are free classes almost nationwide available at Eventbrite. There are painting classes, meditation groups, and even exercise groups that now meet every week online. Some are paid, and some are free. Find something you’ve always wanted to try. There are a ton of sober activities online that you can do with other people in recovery.
Take some time to be “social” even if you feel like you don’t need to. The pandemic is taking its toll on everyone. Staying sober doesn’t make you immune from burnout or loneliness. People need people, especially those in recovery. Giving yourself some time to have fun and be social is important. It may seem awkward to video chat at first, but please keep trying! Connecting with other people is so essential to mental health and life itself.
Try out some of these ideas to meet up online with your friends and loved ones in your support network. Staying connected is especially important during these trying times.
About SOARR
The Society of Addiction Recovery Residences is an alliance of sober homes and addiction professionals who work together to set the industry’s highest standards. To learn more about our organization or find a sober house, please browse our website or call us at 619-828-2001.
