Music and Nature and Sobriety

In the heat and sunshine of summer, it can be difficult to navigate socializing and sobriety. With all the barbeques, live music, pride parades, and pool parties, there are many challenges for people in recovery. While it is always an option not to attend some events that may be too triggering, it is equally important to find a way to gather and celebrate life. A helpful tip that people often learn early in recovery is to always have your own transportation and bring your own beverages. Summer, however, allows for physically active gatherings which are less focused on sitting and drinking. Finding these activities can keep your body and mind busy enough to avoid potentially tempting situations. Swimming, fishing, dancing, and cooking are all wonderful ways to enjoy community with a focus on something other than “partying”. Gathering with our recovery communities is a great building block to learn how to socialize without chemical assistance. But most people in recovery have family and friends that are not sober. If events with your loved ones are centered around substance use (alcohol or otherwise), you can always be the one to organize an alternative event to enjoy one another in a different setting. A single support person can be all you need to try something new or dip your toe into what you used to love.

Before getting sober, live music was a fundamental part of who I was. It took a year of sobriety to feel confident enough to go out to see live music because it had such strong associations with drinking for me. It took even longer to feel confident and safe enough to see live music by myself, but once I did, I rediscovered a part of me that had been in hibernation. Letting ourselves embrace the things that feed our souls is crucial to continued recovery, even if it is scary at first, after all, getting sober was too. Whether it is in the water, on the dance floor, in a backyard, or on the streets celebrating with your community, there is a way to participate without jeopardizing your recovery. Use your support system, talk to your sponsor, connect with healthy friends who support your journey. Find a way back to yourself and your loved ones during this season of parties and play. All the discomfort, lessons, joy, and serenity from putting yourself back into the world will be worth it. Trust yourself to know when to leave and when to stay through the anxiety and push through to the happiness you once found in these activities because it is still there, waiting for you to rediscover it.