This very first holiday of Summer signals more than simply the arrival of warmer weather conditions; for lots of who remain in recovery, specifically those freshly sober or still battling to keep sobriety, Memorial Day used to mean one more day to party. Now, the long weekend looks like a total mystery: what to do, now that drugs and alcohol are off the table? Many people won’t have to work, and all sorts of places are closed.
It can be simple to look back on previous memorial day weekends (or gaze with yearning at the social media feeds of pals that are still drugging and consuming) and relive those ‘excellent’ times with euphoric recall. There were steaks to eat, boats to fall out of, beverage in hand, up at the cottage; getting high while laying on a blanket enjoying the fireworks; no boss or teachers breathing down your neck Monday morning. Not a care in the world.
Then, of course, came the bitter hangovers early Tuesday morning, the battles with loved ones, relationship separations, car accidents … for some reason, it’s more challenging to bear in mind the reality of the extreme repercussions that can take place, once drug usage gets out of control.
The secret to having fun in recovery on memorial day holiday, instead of sighing over the ‘great old days’ or moping about at home, is a little prep work and learning more about sober living. Do not wait until the holiday to find something to do; take a look at our list of fun things to do sober during May holiday, and begin considering your own plan. The hardest part is that the weekend isn’t going to be long enough!
1 Get Physical
If you like sporting events, Tampa has all sorts of leagues, from football to basketball, and city pools and rinks are open for a cost-free swim. You can also order some close friends from a meeting, neighbors, a loved one, or whoever and start up a friendly game of dodgeball in the driveway.
2. Make Something With your Hands
Maybe you believe you aren’t proficient at making things, but have you tried painting? Building birdhouses? Beading? Weaving? T-shirt making? Canning? Most craft shops provide cost-free drop-in classes and recommendations, or you can YouTube it and discover something new online.
3. Go To The Beach
I almost thought about omitting this because of how obvious it is, but sometimes we forget about the most obvious! Pack a lunch, grab some water and sodas and head to one of the many beaches on the Gulf Coast. (I suggest the beaches on Anna Maria Island)
4. Go to the YMCA
Now’s your chance to take that class you’ve been meaning to take … or take the youngsters to spend some high-quality time in the play zone.
5. Have a Barbecue
You do not need an invite to hang out outdoors; go to Tampa’s several big, beautiful public parks (might we recommend Hillsborough River State Park or Richloam Wildlife Management Area?) and have a barbecue. Bring some bread to feed the ducks and take the trails with a team of pals. Make it a point to collect something interesting to remind you of the day.
6. Spend Time with Animals
Nothing relieves the soul like reminding yourself you are connected to something larger, and what could be bigger than Mother Nature? The ZooTampa at Lowry Park is incredible, Busch Gardens is just as fun; if you like aquatics, attempt The Florida Aquarium.
7. Help somebody
Spend one day of the three-day weekend break volunteering at a shelter, house for the elderly, neighborhood sale or drive, roadside cleanup, church, wherever you can help meet the needs of the helpless. Your other two days will certainly feel a whole lot sweeter even if you end up simply vegging, watching too much Netflix.
8. Start something
A weekend might not be long enough to complete a course, compose a book, or learn a language, however, you can start something you’ve always wanted to do. You don’t have to bother with just how and even when you will finish it; as the saying goes, a journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single action.
9. Spring Season Cleaning
If this sounds like a terrible task, consider how a messy home, storage room, or bedroom can be mentally and physically cluttering your life– and just how great it will feel to ultimately take on that heap of dirt, clutter or ‘stuff’ that you no longer need that’s holding you down.
10. Take a Little Trip
Even with a little gas or a Greyhound ticket, if you split the cost with a close friend or two, you can both invest an evening somewhere clean, comfortable and fun, and see one of the wonders of the world, for around $200. We suggest St. Augustine. St. Augustine is a beautiful place to walk around and tour!
11. Stay in With Good Friends
If you do this potluck style, every person can delight in a feast, adhered to by whatever you want: charades, movies, music, games. Piggyback this with a meeting and you’ve filled your weekend.
12. Begin Gardening
If you do not have your own plot of land, get some pots, seeds and dirt, and begin a windowsill yard. Just recognize that what non-addicts commonly do on the weekend break of May 25th is to plant their gardens for the new summer. Why not follow the crowd, purchase some flowers and plants, and place them in the ground?
13. Go Eat with Sober Friends.
Nobody will be thinking about alcohol consumption or using as you all appreciate your favorite foods and a fun evening out. Piggyback this with a trip to a comedy club, a concert, a shopping exploration or a film, and you’ve got yourself a weekend.
14. Go Camping
Entertain an evening on the cheap, and you can recapture your youth while delighting in the silence and serenity of nature. Kick back with a bonfire with your close friends, telling stories and toasting marshmallows; have a BBQ on the beach; swim in the ocean. If the thought of all that wild without amenities makes you tremble, remember that there are several camping sites that have showers, bathrooms, and electricity– and the entire point is to escape your phone for a while!
15. Create your Bucket List
This is for the introspective, soul-searching tasks that holidays were developed for. A lot of us used to overlook our internal lives terribly, however, sobriety offers the long-awaited opportunity to learn more regarding ourselves and what we truly intend to be, have and do in life. Do a deep meditation, write out your thoughts, musings, dreams and goals, discuss where you’re stuck and what you believe you can do regarding it. If you won’t invest these moments to pay attention to yourself, who will?
16. Make a Vision Board
This is an excellent task with close friends: find a meeting room (like someone’s living-room) and bring a bunch of old magazines. Together, remove images and words that resonate with where you intend to be and what you wish to achieve in the future. Make a collage that you can then mount and put on your wall, due to the fact that what you think about (and see consistently), you bring about.
17. Start a Recovery Blog
Along the lines of the vision board, novices to recovery can frequently feel rooted out and pointless because they get on a new course, and new can be frightening at first. To focus where you’re going, setting up a brand-new social media profile or even better, your own blog. This is a good way to redefine yourself and cut loose from old behaviors, people, or mind-sets.
18. Get Some Pampering
If massages and facials are not accessible, mani-pedis are low-cost and you will certainly feel unbelievably spoiled, which can be an action in the self-care instructions. #TREATYOSELF
19. Redefine Your Space
Paint an area, go to IKEA and finally find the storage space options you need, transform out your old hefty winter month curtains for some light and airy sheers. Sand and redecorate that cupboard you’ve been wanting to get to forever, improve the flow of your room with a nod to feng shui. Just like with clutter (or addiction, for that matter), we can get used to and tolerate adverse things. So, if everything looks blah and you can’t visualize how to change it, ask a pal to take a look at your space with fresh eyes.
20. Get Bakin’
Make a cake and decorate it, even if you’ve never done so in your life. What’s the celebration? Why it’s Memorial Day! Your following challenge will be to find a friend (or 7) to share it with you.
Make a Plan
Recovery addicts are often informed to ‘remain in the here and now moment’ and not fret about the other day or tomorrow. Nonetheless, the fact is that lots of recovering alcoholics also deal with anxiousness, and stress and anxiety. These feelings can develop from not knowing what the following step is and not feeling prepared.
Maximize your mind to enjoy this memorial day weekend to the max, by writing out what you will do the following week. Do you need to look into school registration, discover real estate, or send out some resumes? Do you need to speak with a social worker, return a collection book, call a buddy for her birthday? Getting it out of your head and onto an online or paper preparation tool will certainly assist you to make use of the mind for its intended purpose: handling, not storage. Now relax, kick back, and watch Netflix.
In active addiction, things that were once pleasurable took a rear seat to alcohol consumption and using. Fortunately, you can discover those things again– and a whole number of brand-new things you might never ever have even attempted. Fun in recovery is as easy as choosing among this activities-– or several– and giving them a straightforward try, to reconnect with who you really are.
