If you believe that living clean and sober means giving up fun, you couldn’t be more mistaken. Not only are there endless ways to have a great time in recovery, you get the added bonus of waking up the next day feeling great and free of regrets!
Below we’ve listed some ideas for fun during recovery, but don’t limit yourself to these.
Recovery Communities
The Phoenix is an active recovery community with a mission to provide a unique, exciting environment for those in recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD). Founded on the belief that “fostering human connections in mental, physical and spiritual fitness is a powerful way to rebuild wounded bodies and spirits and restore hope,” The Phoenix community helps members enhance their recovery through a variety of physical fitness activities, classes, and events.
Membership is free to anyone with 48 continuous hours of sobriety. Classes may include CrossFit, climbing, hiking, boxing, running, cycling, yoga and more. The Phoenix even provides necessary athletic gear free of charge. Classes are available in 22 states, including Tampa, Florida. Refer to the map for facilities and off-site programming near you.
There are many other recovery communities, from Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to groups that are secular, for women, for transgender individuals and more. The Temper gives helpful information on several such communities in their article, “The Top 24 Sober Communities Beyond Traditional AA.”
Sober Vacations, Cruises, and Groups
The sky’s the limit when it comes to the variety of recovery centered vacation opportunities available. Whether you’re looking for a cruise, a safari, a beach-side resort, or a budget-friendly excursion, there are several companies or groups that offer sober alternatives.
- Travel Sober, Sober Vacations, and Sober Celebrations all cater to those in 12-step recovery and their families. These adventures include worldwide cruises, safaris, beach vacations, and more. These companies provide not only great destinations but 12-step meetings and speakers on recovery, as well.
- Sober Travelers offers some budget-friendly options like camping trips and music festivals, as well as cruises and other activities.
- Meetup offers many sober meetup groups around the world.
- Clean Fun Network is a Facebook group for who those want to have fun while enjoying a clean, sober lifestyle.
Don’t forget to consider all the outings you can plan on your own, such as visiting a wellness or meditation retreat, museum outings, cultural events, hiking, camping, ski trips, road trips, picnics and much more.
Sober bars
Alcohol-free bars and nightclubs have become a welcome new trend. Offering music, dancing and delicious, innovative alcohol-free drinks, you can have a great time socializing while safeguarding your recovery. Learn more about sober bars at The Temper in their article, “5 Sober Bars You’ll Definitely Want to Travel For.”
Recovery dating
How do you find people in recovery to date? It can be very difficult to maintain your own recovery if you’re dating someone who drinks or uses drugs. Participating in activities or groups mentioned above is a great way to meet someone who supports and understands your journey in recovery. Dating sites can also work well. DatingAdvice.com put together a list of the “8 Best Free Sober Dating Sites” of 2020. Check them out to make sure you’re looking for love in all the right places.
Turning Point of Tampa’s goal is to always provide a safe environment and a solid foundation in 12-Step recovery, in tandem with quality individual therapy and groups. We have been offering Licensed Residential Treatment for Addiction, Eating Disorders and Dual Diagnosis in Tampa since 1987.
