Be it sport, hobby, or free time spent just lazing around, leisure has various meanings, depending on the way it is spent, or one’s preference. What is constant about it is that leisure is an important time for everybody, from workers to scholars; everybody needs some free time at which they can do their favorable stuff.

Leisure means different things to different people. Some people like to do sports or hobbies. Other people think of leisure as free time spent away from chores, work, school, or other obligations.

Leisure can be active or inactive. It can be physical (like sports or running) or an activity like reading a book o​r working in the garden. It can be something you do with other people or on your own. If it’s something you like to do and it makes you feel good, it’s leisure.

Making changes can be hard. You might need time to figure out what you like to do best. It might take a while before you feel like you fit into a clean and sober world. However, it will get easier with time.

Sourced From: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/what-is-leisure.aspx

Leisure can be a great way of dealing with addiction. Be it alcohol, drugs or any other addiction, shaking it off can be quite handful sometime. This is where leisure activities should come in as part of the addiction treatment process for people seeking treatment to help them recover from whatever is dragging them down.

When clients are admitted to an inpatient treatment center to get help for their addiction to drugs or alcohol, they realize that they are embarking on a complete lifestyle change. To achieve long-term sobriety, they will need to be willing to let go of their old method of dealing with stress, depression or boredom, which was to get drunk or high.

Since a good portion of an addict’s waking hours are consumed with his or her addiction (thinking about using them, obtaining them, or recovering after using them), sober activities are used to fill in the time once taken up by the cycle of addiction. They help to provide structure for a person’s day. Boredom and being at loose ends are two things that should be avoided.

Sourced From: https://aboveitalltreatment.com/blog/sober-leisure-activities-part-of-addiction-treatment-process/

Its normal to be baffled by the boredom, idling and deprivation that haunt one who has quit drug or alcohol use or even gambling. This is the time to look for an activity that can keep you committed to avoid the previous routine of events sneaking back into your life.

Do you find yourself wondering what you’ll do with your free time now that you’re not drinking, using drugs, or gambling?

Are you bored and worried you’ll never really enjoy yourself again?

Did most of the things you used to do involve alcohol, drug use, or gambling?

Now that you’re in recovery, these are some of the questions you might be asking yourself. These questions are all about the role of leisure in your life now that you’ve quit drinking, using drugs, or gambling. You can have fun without alcohol, drugs, or gambling, but you might need to make some changes.

Much of your leisure time in the past probably involved alcohol, drugs, or gambling. The challenge is to find things you like to do, and learn to do them without using or gambling. Over time, you’ll need to develop positive leisure routines, connect with people, and have fun in healthy ways.

Sourced From: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/Leisure-and-recovery.aspx