Firefighter in Early Recovery? 10 Ways to Kick Boredom

Firefighters in early recovery are at risk of relapse, no matter what the time of year. The transition from active and focused treatment to independent living in recovery is a critical time, and when it occurs in the summer, one of the threats to maintained sobriety is finding new ways to fill downtime that do not include drug and alcohol use.
Because boredom can be a trigger for relapse, it is important for those who are new to recovery during the summer to find fun and healthy ways to spend their free time. Here are 10 ways for you to kick boredom during the summer months if you are new to recovery:
- Head down to the firehouse. Though you may be ready to get off work and get out and do something more fun, if you are bored and looking for things to do, you can start by showing up for your shifts a little early and/or staying a little late. Talk to the people you work with, help out, and spend some time building stronger relationships with your firehouse family.
- Take the kids to the pool. Or to the park or out in the backyard. Spending time with little people doing nothing but focusing on them can make the time fly by.
- Plan a short trip. Pick anything — a museum, an historical site, a local nature spot — within a few hours’ radius and go exploring. If you haven’t gotten out much recently to explore your surroundings, this can fill a lot of time.
- Hit up extra meetings. It’s common for attendance to fall off when the weather warms up, so you can have interesting, connected meetings with fewer people. Try new 12-Step meetings you haven’t been to and keep your recovery schedule full.
- Plan a sober party. Pick a theme or focus, ask people to bring food, supply lots of nonalcoholic beverages, and spend some time hanging out with people who are supportive of your recovery.
- Try new holistic therapies. Sign up for a handful of acupuncture or yoga sessions. Join a tai chi group in the park. Try a mindfulness-based therapy. See what works for you.
- Get sober friends together for a concert or festival. There are food festivals, music concerts, street fairs, and lots of great events happening in the summer, but these are often full of people who are drinking heavily and using drugs. If you are going, make sure to have a strong group of sober people with you and a backup plan for how to get out if it ends up triggering the urge to relapse.
- Start a meditation practice. Sitting still and focusing on the breath for 10 minutes a day can help to improve energy, clarity, and focus any time of year.
- Volunteer. Giving back to others reminds you of all you have, helping you to stay sober, and it fills up your schedule with something positive.
- Set a summer-specific recovery goal. What can you accomplish in three months? Set a goal and take the first steps toward achieving it.
July is Anti-Boredom Month, and if you are a firefighter in recovery who finds it difficult to manage boredom without relapse, American Addiction Centers can help. Our firefighter-specific treatment programs offer intensive and comprehensive treatment to those who are struggling with trauma-related disorders, including emergency responder exhaustion syndrome (ERES) and/or substance use disorders. We offer support for individuals that includes directed therapies provided by therapists who are trained to work with first responders as well as EAP/MAP interactivity to help you get back to work as quickly as possible.
Contact us at American Addiction Centers today to learn more about how we can help you begin to stabilize in recovery this summer.
