How Can I Keep Myself Busy While In An Alcohol Treatment Center?

The idea of having to put life on pause is daunting, especially when you’ve always embraced the concept of living each moment to the fullest. When you aren’t drinking, you might have a busy lifestyle that is filled with responsibilities such as caring for your family and being productive in the workplace. You might even have hobbies that you enjoy such as making videos for social media or going hiking.

Although having an alcohol addiction can interfere with your ability to get things done, you might even find that drinking makes the time go by when you don’t have anything else to do. The prospect of spending days upon days in rehab may cause you to feel an impending sense of boredom that makes you wonder how you can keep yourself busy while you are in an alcohol treatment center. Figuring out what to do in treatment isn’t so hard when you pick the right place to go, and you’ll find that exploring how you’ll spend your time can actually get you excited about your upcoming trip to rehab.

The first thing you’ll need to know is that your treatment plan will include multiple things to do each day. Addiction treatment planners understand that having too much time on your hands can cause you to focus too much on your cravings, which is never a good thing. For this reason, you’ll likely find that your daily schedule is packed with activities that include the following things that will keep you busy.
•multiple daily group and individual counseling sessions
•scheduled meals along with snack times
•opportunities to bathe and tend to your personal hygiene
•recreational activities that include free time and organized workouts
•crafts and workshops
•visiting hours to spend with family and friends
•quiet times for meditation, journaling and other forms of self-care

Make the Time Fly By As You Create Your New Sober Life

Every rehab center creates their own rules, but you’ll likely need to avoid using your electronics and scrolling through social media. At first, this might seem a little weird, and you might wonder what people are up to. However, you’ll also likely find this to be freeing. Without having social media to fill your mind with negativity, you’ll begin to discover a new you. Spending time in rehab also gives you the chance to really dive into who you are and figure out what makes you tick. People often find that they remember things that used to bring them joy, and you might just decide to revive a former hobby or personal interest. Painting, playing an instrument or just goofing around with your new friends are all potential things that you can do as you work on getting sober.

You’ll also find that it isn’t hard to stay busy when you are quickly moving from one part of your daily schedule to the next. Counseling sessions can often get intense, and you might not notice that you’ve reached the end of a session until the very last minute. This is because you’ll be so busy learning more about yourself and how to stay sober that you won’t feel like you are sitting in treatment. Professional therapists also know how to keep group therapists on track and interesting enough that you won’t find yourself staring at the clock. Getting excited about your new discoveries and progress makes it easier to see the importance of investing your time in getting sober.

Despite your packed schedule, you’ll still have plenty of downtimes that you can use to decompress and relax. These times are specifically designed to help you find what you prefer to do during your spare time. Many of the habits that you start now will follow you through to your new lifestyle after you finish your rehab stay. If you find yourself struggling to find something to do, then all you have to do is ask a member of the staff to help. They can point you towards the gym or hand you a pen for journaling. You might also find that reading, talking to other people and drawing are options that you can do to relax and fill up your time.

Have you been wishing that you had healthier ways to fill your time at home? That can all start now by choosing to go to rehab where you’ll learn how to stay busy without using drugs or alcohol. We’ve got the most enjoyable places to go to treatment so give us a call today at 833-610-1174 to start picking out your best place to stay.