Substance Abuse Recovery Activities

It's one thing to quit drinking, smoking or drugging. But once you quit, it's a whole other dilemma to know what to do. Now that pursuing your drug of choice doesn't take up your time and energy, you need some new activities that do. Preferably, those will be things that help you stay sober and move you down the road of recovery.

Go to Meetings

• If you've heard it once at a 12-step meeting, you've probably heard it a thousand times: "Keep coming back." A 2003 study conducted by the National Alcohol Centre in London attested to the fact that recovering alcoholics who attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings regularly had a better outcome (i.e., they drank less) than those who did not. If you're tempted to use, go to a meeting.

Types of Meetings

• There are many types of meetings--Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous and Al-Anon (meetings for people who are in relationship to addicts)--that meet daily at times that are convenient to most people.

Call Someone

• The phone is an excellent tool if you have a history of substance abuse. It can be too easy to get caught up in the old thought cycle that led to isolation with your drug of choice. Instead, choose to pick up the phone and tell someone what you're going through. Even if you don't know them very well, take that risk. Research from Chicago's DePaul University, conducted in 2006, indicates that close relationships and consistent connection with people leads to improved sobriety rates.

Nurture Yourself

• Many times, the only way substance abusers have known how to experience pleasure is through their drug of choice. Instead, explore other ways to be kind to yourself. Consider inviting someone over to cook a nice meal together. Or take up a hobby and begin going to classes. Begin attending church services several times a week and learn how to meditate and engage with your higher power. Make yourself hot tea, and settle down with cozy pajamas and a good novel.

Enjoy Simple Pleasures

• Margaret H. Kearney, with Boston College's School of Nursing, reported in a study published in 1998 that the basis of addiction is a lack of ability to self-nurture in productive, appropriate ways. You can reverse that, though; teach yourself how to enjoy simple pleasures that don't involve your drug of choice. Don't forget--if you feel lonely, practice doing these things with other people, as well.