Recovery can get boring. There’s nothing but truth to that statement. Recovery can get boring. If you do the same thing, every single day, and bring no variety or fun into your recovery, recovery can get boring. In fact, recovery will get boring because what starts off as fun, new, and fresh, eventually becomes routine and routine gets boring, especially for men in recovery. Keeping habits and activities new in recovery isn’t about not liking routine or not being able to handle routine. A common misconception in addiction recovery is that a firm, unshakeable routine has to be established so that men who are recovering don’t find any wiggle room to get uncomfortable. Such a theory goes directly against men’s inherent need to be spontaneous, adventurous, creative, and imaginative in their life.
“If you think adventure is dangerous,” author Paulo Coelho famously said, “try routine. It’s lethal.” Routine is necessary for men in recovery. Part of mens’ routine in recovery has to include spontaneity and creativity, which means changing up their routine often. Routine is a matter of habit, habit which takes the place of addiction. Those habits also have to supplement the need for pleasure and excitement which was left behind by addiction. Research shows that habits get boring because routine gets boring. Many men fail to meet their goals because they don’t perform intermittent evaluations on their routines and habits to find the areas where they are becoming uninspired, unmotivated, and uninterested. Especially in early sobriety, it is easy to lose motivation for staying sober and stray away from our habitual routines entirely, which can quickly lead to disastrous relapse.
Thankfully, recovering in a place like Portland, Oregon, provides ample options for keeping sobriety lively and exciting. From the world renown nature and adventure of the Pacific Northwest to the culture of the city of Portland itself, there is an endless amount of things to do and ways to do it. Keeping habits healthy is a matter of keeping habits fresh while maintaining the necessary backbone of routine for recovery.
While at Tree House Recovery in Portland, Oregon, men build the foundation of a positive recovery lifestyle by creating sustainable change. Our men’s addiction treatment programs show men the path to freedom in their lives. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474
