As you may have guessed from my other recent posts I'm having a hard time keeping my mind occupied during this time of transition but what's weird is I'd expect my main hobby would help pass the time but that's not how it's goin' - I've found it semi-difficult to concentrate on anything but my main hobby I've found it most hard to concentrate on... ... ... That's just weird...
So my question is have other people experienced this? Does it get better as time goes on?
If you read my posts from my initial "soberizing" you prolly already know that my main hobby is video games. That said, though my spike in drinking to a dangerous level was caused by a specific bit of politics it was sustained as a compliment to my gaming (Yep - Open the floodgates for people to try to convince me I should never touch another game again). I mean the only sense I can make of this is that my need for companionship/human interaction to keep my mind occupied during this time of transission has become greater...
Either way, I loved games when I was sober so it's kind of odd they're not able to hold my attention like they used to. I just bought quite a few of 'em and can't really bring myself to play 'em more than like a half hour - Hell, I had a game arrive in the mail that I've wanted to play for years at the beginning of all this and I haven't even tried it... That's, yeah, kinda' strange...
I'm just lookin' to see if others had similar experiences with any particular hobbies they had and whether they found them fun once again later. I think once I get over this anxiety things might normal out but just thought I'd ask this question for anyone who wants to give an answer (obviously the people that're striving for sobriety won't have the answer to "will it return to being fun?" like the recovered people but any replies are appreciated)...
Anyways, yeah... I'll pop my head back in here occasionally. In the meantime I think I'm gonna' force myself to play through more than just that of a game and see if one of them "clicks" (oddly enough, I've had to do that in the past and it's worked - I found a great experience where I'd otherwise wouldn't have found it because I forced myself to go through the boring part and ended up having a great time after that)...
Maybe I'll take that game I've been waiting to take for a spin for so long out... Either way, yeah, any other perspectives from people who experienced similar stuff would be appreciated...
I could not concentrate on anything early doors. My house was full of half finished chores, i was always being distracted by another pending chore I had a shit load of obsessions and mini addictions and became enslaved by ritual and routine. I was like a meer cat and a beaver rolled into one! I didn't have any hobbies as i had been consumed by the one that i had chosen to put downSo i ran about like a headless chicken trying to occupy myself and manage my thoughts. The only thing that brought relief was sharing with others in recovery, going to meetings, picking up the phone and walking with my dog.
Interesting question. My first 30-60 sober days were spent largely in an agitated fog as my system physiologically detoxed. My lifestyle barely allows time for any hobbies, and what ones I embrace do not require much by way of concentration. Thus, I do not know if I would have lost interest in any quiet types of activities or not. I can say that I was a distractable, irritable mess. THAT aspect did get better. I basically went through a period of hyperactivity as my body adjusted, and that made it hard to do non-hobbies that required calm and attention.
Certain other hobbies took a backslide as they were triggers for drinking (boating, fishing, camping, music), but I was able to add those back in later, without incident.
Good luck with this twist - it sounds frustrating and confusing, but might pass - in time.
I'm new to the boards and fairly new to sobriety (haven't had a drink for 6 years and 5 months) they say the first five years is the worst. My experience in the early days was that i hadn't a clue about anything especially who i was or what i liked. I picked up at 13 and quit at 35 so i guess that is a big lump of life experience and un-learnt lessons right there. I'm still a work in progress, it is that 'more will be revealed thing' but the very fact that i get through 24 hours without picking up is a miricale and to further that miricale i've been doing that for 6+ years. Perhaps i do not do it well but i do do it and compared to the shell of a woman i was its pretty damn near perfect and i have alot to be grateful for.
my hobby was going to bars.. but obviously couldn't do that anymore haha... no but seriously your body and mind are completely changing right now. It is going to take a little while to figure out who you are as a sober person-trust me... it DOES get better. I have a couple months sober and I am now beginning to enjoy new things and open up my mind to them. It's a good thing... roll with it for the time being while you are transitioning and try some new things. Maybe some human interaction is what you need right now and that is why you are finding video games boring. Best wishes!!
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"Advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer but wish you didn't"
Yesterday I grilled out. First time in two years. It only makes sense, we drank while we did EVERTHING... so now every thing seems different. Yeh, I thought life as I knew it was over. If I couldnt drink, well then I couldnt go camping... cause you GOTTA drink when you camp... and a BBQ wasnt a BBQ without gettin smashed. Booze made a good movie better... and so on and so on.... The simple fact is this... I drank when I did everything. Without drinking, I can still do those things, I just need a replacement for booze. The only replacement that works for me is the program. Through the steps I learned a new attitude towards life, and the things in life. Ive learned to do many of the things I used to do without being drunk, and Ive learned they are still fun. Imagine that. Heck, when I first quit drinking, waking up wasnt even fun any more. All those things I used to love... guess what . THEY never changed a bit. It was the way I looked at things that changed. It does get better... ALOT better. Once you change your attitudes and thoughts about the world around you. I did loose interest in just a few things completly, BTW... those were some of the more childish, time wasting, useless and irresponsible habbits that came with my disease. Like sitting around watching TV for eight hours a day. I now spend my spare time trying to be productive in society. I dont miss acting like a child a bit....
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My warranty on tomorrow has run out. My guarantee on the past is void. Nothing is going my way... and I like it like that.
A fishing trip was a reason to buy imported beer instead of plain old Budlight, cooking for a dinner party couldn't be done without a bottle of wine, pool parties were a reason to pull out the blender for frozen margaritas.
Since getting sober I have been on a couple of fishing trips and had a great time without the booze. I learned I can actually catch something besides a buzz! I don't have dinner or pool parties anymore unless it's with sober friends = I changed my playmates. Hanging out in the pool means no more sunburn cause I was too drunk to realize I'd not re-apply sunscreen!
LIfe is good.........
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
How much time were you spending on video games? Maybe now you'll get a real life! I agree with the post that says that we usually have a few addictions,, and the posts that share how changing the one big habit of drinking can lead to good changes in our whole lifestyle. I also see that,, some suggested good changes are, again, for you to start coming out of isolation and go to meetings.
love in recovery,
amanda
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do your best and God does the rest, a step at a time
I had a shit load of obsessions and mini addictions and became enslaved by ritual and routine. I was like a meer cat and a beaver rolled into one! I didn't have any hobbies as i had been consumed by the one that i had chosen to put down
So i ran about like a headless chicken trying to occupy myself and manage my thoughts. The only thing that brought relief was sharing with others in recovery, going to meetings, picking up the phone and walking with my dog.
