In our previous blog, we discussed why laughter is important in early recovery, but why it can be hard to come by. Addiction affects dopamine production, which is how the brain relays messages of pleasure. Finding things pleasurable or humorous can be difficult in the early months of recovery. Laughter helps build new neural pathways that help the brain find pleasure in life again. With a wealth of health benefits for mind and body, making time for laughter is an important practice for men’s recovery, as well as their lives.
Watch Funny Shows, Movies, And Comedy
On your downtime in the early phases of recovery, you’re likely to consume a lot of media. Early recovery can be a special time to explore new areas of culture. If you’ve never paid much attention to comedy, the early months of recovery are the time to do so. Watch shows known to be funny, comedy movies of all kinds, and stand up comedy. Start with classics and the original kings of comedy who changed the game forever. Give yourself a history lesson in ‘funny’ gaining laughter and dopamine production along the way.
Go To Comedy Clubs
Hanging out at bars or dance clubs can be triggering for many men in early recovery. Regularly attending comedy clubs is more rare for modern men, but can become a great past time. Though alcohol will be served, there won’t be as much pressure to imbibe. Get a group of sober peers together and head to a comedy club for the night. You’ll be too busy laughing at jokes to remember alcohol is even around. For a different twist on comedy, look for improv games where there is plenty of funny happening on stage in addition to opportunities for you and your friends to get involved.
Learn Improv
Improv comedy is full of life lessons you wouldn’t expect it to be. The rules and philosophies of how to interact in an improv setting are really meditations on how to interact with life. Attending improv can be fun. Working with someone offering an improv class is a whole different experience. Instead of watching people do improv, you become the improv player, gaining life skills with each get together.
Laugh At Life’s Plot Twists
When you stop taking life too seriously, you can recognize the sheer hilarity life as a human being on Planet Earth sometimes brings. Comedy can help you shift your perspective from seeing things as stress to seeing things as hilarious. Taking time to stop and see the madness from a comedy point of view takes the load off of life’s seriousness. The best parts of comedy are the unexpected parts. Life is full of unexpected moments.
Tree House Recovery in Portland, Oregon offers men’s addiction treatment programs. By creating sustainable change, our programs help men create a sustainable recovery for life. Call us today for information on how we’re helping men find freedom from addiction: (503) 850-2474
