When teens complete a treatment program for a substance abuse disorder, they want to regain their social life but need to learn how to do so while remaining sober. Finding fun teen sober activities can help them still have relationships with their peers while continuing their recovery. Relapse prevention is a big part of the recovery process, so finding these activities can help make or break your teen’s efforts.
We have several ideas you can share with your teen to help them spend their free time in a sober environment.
Ideas for Fun Teen Sober Activities
Movie Nights
Help your teen plan a movie night or take a couple of their friends to see a movie at a theater. Home movie nights can be fun (and less expensive!) because you can incorporate other activities with your movie viewing. Your teen can create a personalized snack bar with popcorn, candy, and other treats. You can even get some slushies to bring home!
If the weather allows, your teen can host the movie night outside. It is always fun to add a little twist to a regular movie night. If your space allows, you can even have a small bonfire afterward and make some smores.
Sports Game or Outdoor Game Day For Teen Sober Activities
Encourage your teen to get their game on! Whether it’s an indoor day at the batting cages or a game of flag football outside, plenty of sports can serve as fun, sober activities.
Some teens may enjoy a little throwback game day with activities like kickball. Even adults enjoy a good game of kickball from time to time!
Exercising, whether indoors or outdoors, can have a positive effect on your teen’s mental health. Endorphins are released post-exercise to help boost mood and bring an overall enhanced sense of well-being [1]. This can be highly beneficial for teens who may have been battling or continue to face mental health issues with their substance use disorder.
Plan a Beach Day
Your teen can plan a beach day with their friends when the weather allows. Grab a frisbee or football for the day and soak up some sun. Hit the water with some bodyboards or maybe even a small kayak. Take advantage of all your area offers for this fun and sober teen activity.
Plan a Fancy Dinner
Getting dressed up shouldn’t be saved for the prom or graduation. Your teen can dress up and meet friends at a nice restaurant for a group dinner. This is an excellent way for your teen to feel like an adult while dining in a restaurant that doesn’t have a drive-thru!
Cook a Meal at Home with Friends As One Of Your Teen Sober Activities
If your teen enjoys whipping up a new recipe and has friends who share the same interests, having a night at home to cook a meal can be a fun and sober activity for them. Each guest can bring ingredients for a part of the meal. All of the teens can put on their chef hats and get cooking. This is not only a sober activity they can share with friends, but it also helps them build those much-needed culinary skills.
Go Camping
For those who enjoy the great outdoors, a camping trip can be a fun and sober activity for your teen. Your camping trip can include fishing, hiking, and whatever else your teen enjoys doing. Spending a night under the stars can promote relaxation in what can still be a stressful time as your teen learns how to remain sober in the post-rehab world.
Plan a Self-Care Day
Your teen can turn your living room into a home spa. Plan a self-care day at home filled with facials, manicures, pedicures, and relaxation. Let your teen take the necessary self-care time during recovery while spending some much-needed time with friends.
Any of these teen sober activities can allow your child to have fun while remaining on track.
Seek Treatment for Teen Substance Abuse at Ember Recovery
Ember Recovery is here to help if your teen is seeking treatment for a substance abuse disorder. We deal exclusively with teens and their challenges as they learn to live sober. We offer residential programs as well as a variety of therapies. Call us today or reach out online to learn more.
Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC474733/
Andrea Dickerson is a Licensed Therapist and Certified Substance Use Counselor who has worked in behavioral health since 1997. Currently, Andrea is the Director of Behavioral Health, overseeing the Ember residential treatment programs and YSS outpatient counseling clinics throughout Central and North Central Iowa. She became a Motivational Interviewing (MI) trainer in 2006 and provides MI trainings throughout Iowa.
Andrea specializes in working with adolescents and their families and enjoys seeing the family relationships grow through therapy. Andrea is also a CARF International Surveyor, going around North America ensuring behavioral health organizations are meeting required standards.
In her free time, Andrea enjoys cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs, as well as being an active member of Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA), a global organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. She has been a member of the SI of Des Moines club since 2012 and has been actively involved at the regional level, currently serving as Co-Governor of the Peaks to Plains Region.
Through her involvement in SIA, Andrea has been actively involved in the Dream Programs, coordinating annual Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls projects, which give girls the tools they need to achieve their education and career goals, empowering them to break cycles of poverty, violence, and abuse.