loss of interest

[Crankie Yankee]

Hi all,
I am hoping someone can shed some light on a little problem I've been having lately. I have experienced this in the past and I'm going through it again being that I am just coming back after about a 1 year long relapse. The problem is that I find it very hard to enjoy certain activities, without the use of alcohol or drugs, that I always have enjoyed doing. These activities are very healthy and fun things for me to do. It's not so much a loss of interest as it is wondering how I can enjoy myself doing these things without drinking or druging. I'm afraid that if I just throw myself into doing these things, I might get the f*** it's, pickup and go off to the races again down the miserable road we call a relapse. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. :sad:
Mike

[ginny]

HI,
That is a challenge. When I got clean, that was one of the things that I needed to do, figure out how to have fun without the drugs. The first time I went canoeing, I went with my sponsor. In years past that was a big drunk day. Maybe if you take someone in the program with you, they can help with this transition. It sounds crazy to have to be taught how to have fun, but I really didn't know how.

[FOOLINTHERAIN]

Hi Mike,
Great advise from Ginny.
I struggled with this early in my sobriety.
I found the only answer for me was people places and things.
If it was a Trigger it had to be changed!
I could no longer do the things i once enjoyed, without fear of the drink.
It was painful i lost many friends along the way.
But the good news is eventually they where all replaced with people and things i never thought i would enjoy,but do Immensly!!!
Hang in there Mike and remember One Day At A time!!!!!

[Prescott]

:17::42:

[admin]

Hi Michael. Some activities that I enjoyed during the years I drank, I don't enjoy now that I am sober just because I have grown and those particular activities just don't interest me anymore. There is nothing wrong with that and I am ok with it. I am just different now. There are other activities that I do now that I enjoy more. It's sort of like I played with dolls when I was a little girl but as I got older I grew out of doing that.

When we come into recovery we have to relearn how to live life sober. I think Ginny made a great suggestion. If there is an activity that you enjoyed doing while drinking and you would like to continue it sober, see if there is someone you know who is in recovery that you can take along with you.

[Crankie Yankee]

Thank you all for sharing your experience with me. After listening to what you have to say and talking it over with my sponser, I have come to a solution that works for me for now. I'm sure there are some things that I will outgrow but one of the biggest joys in my life is sailing. You would have never guessed that huh? :mrgreen: I am entered into the competition of a big regatta this weekend. At this point in my recovery it would be too much of a temptation to drink or drug if I was to sail with the usual crew that I have sailed with in the past because they all are big drinkers. For some reason most of the sailors that I know have an unbelievable ability to consume alcohol in mass quantities and still function. Anyway, I have chosen to step down and drop out of the competition. I'm getting a lot of BS from some people about it, but I have to do what I have to do and stop trying to please everyone else. I don't need to race in a big competition to have fun sailing, nor do I want to get completely wasted after the races at the party back at the yacht club afterwards. Maybe next year I will be able to handle being around those people, but for now I'm convinced it wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe I'll just sail my own course in the opposite direction that the rest of the fleet is heading and have a nice day with some people who are very supportive of me instead of getting caught up in all the chaos that goes along with a big organized event. Thanks again for all of your support. Like they say, "our best thinking got us here in the first place", and God knows my thinking isn't exactly very sane at the moment. I now know I need to take some direction from some clean and sober people.
Mike

[Crankie Yankee]

Hi all,
Wouldn't you know, after coming around from negative thinking to a positive state of mind, I just realized that I might just begin to do some things that I haven't done SINCE I became active in my addictions! This has absolutely blown me away! It might seem stupid to some people, but for me it's a revelation and a freeing realization. Another example for me of how, if you hold on for a little while longer, things that have become suppressed or I think are impossible become very apparent and possible. :11:
Mike