Sober and Enjoying Life
in Oklahoma

In the United States, there are literally millions of people living in recovery. Each one of them had to learn new ways of having fun other than drinking their weekends away or losing track of their lives while stoned or high. Sometimes, maintaining sobriety takes rethinking how you spend your free time. It usually requires leaving a few friends behind because they don’t want to change their ways. And it might mean finding a few new friends who are enjoying their sobriety. In Oklahoma like any other state, it’s possible to find ways to enjoy a sober life. If you’re just getting started, we thought we’d offer you some suggestions to ease your way into this new lifestyle.

Sober Activities in Oklahoma

It’s a lot easier to locate sober groups and activities if you are familiar with using the internet. If you’re not, just visit your local library and ask for a reference librarian to help you. If you live in a very small town, you might need to visit your nearest medium-to-large city to get the help you need. We’ve included some ideas and websites below to excite your imagination.

  • Your Church: Many people utilize their church as a sober support group. While this doesn’t mean that everyone in your church is sober, they may have sober support meetings or even Twelve Step meetings. Social events set up by the church are likely to be sober. And if they have community benefit projects, those are a good way to feel better about yourself.
  • Oklahoma CART Association: This is an organization dedicated to changing attitudes toward addiction. They offer training to enable people to productively get involved in community projects. You can look for events and opportunities on their website: http://ocarta.org.
  • Community Events: NewsOK maintains a calendar of events in the Oklahoma City area. They range from sporting events to art shows and art lessons, from club meetings to family yoga night. There’s enough there to give you lots of ideas for sober activities. You can find their directory at www.newsok.com. In other cities, check with your local television news services or newspapers for their community event directories.
Athletic activities like water aerobics through a local YMCA offer opportunities for sober socializing.
  • The YMCA or YWCA: There are twenty YMCAs in Oklahoma, ranging from Ardmore to Perry. Visit www.ymca.net to find the location nearest you. For example, the Shawnee location offers wellness challenges, bible study, group exercise both on land and in the water, martial arts classes, personal training assistance and adult sports including softball, baseball, and volleyball. There are social and family events offered all year round at this YMCA, and volunteer opportunities. Don’t forget the YWCA. If you’re female, you can find a YWCA in Enid, Oklahoma City or Tulsa. www.ywca.org.
  • Learn to Dance: There are dance studios and schools in just about any medium-sized town. This is a great way to meet people and get yourself out of the house. Plus you have the added benefit of getting physical activity.
Volunteering is an excellent sober activity.
  • Volunteering at State Parks: Through the website www.volunteer.gov, you can find opportunities to volunteer at state parks in every corner of Oklahoma. Currently, they offer cleanup and maintenance projects and even duty as a volunteer map editor.
  • Music and Theater: Did you play a musical instrument when you were younger? Or take part in acting? Consider taking up these activities again. The Oklahoma Community Theater Organization can help you find and connect up with local community theaters. There are 36 to choose from in Oklahoma, including Chickasaw, Lawton, Muskogee, Ponca City and Owasso. www.oktheater.org. For music lessons, you can search online, consult a classified ad website or ask at any music store.
  • Art Lessons: Were you a budding artist in your younger days? Larger cities will often have art centers or museums with classes. For example, the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City offers classes in photography, ceramics, fiber arts and more. Smaller cities also have art groups, like Muskogee’s Art Guild and Creative Arts Enid.
  • Learning: Is there a subject you’ve always wanted to learn more about? Like history, aviation, space travel or healthy living? Visit your local bookstore or library and ask them to direct you to books on the subject.
  • Host Your Own Sober Events: Include friends and family or open your doors to other people looking for sober events. Have a barbecue in your back yard or organize a hike through a nearby park, a boating party or group trip to the Tulsa Balloon Festival or Poteau Balloon Fest. Take a leadership role in helping others maintain their sobriety.
  • Meetups: The website www.meetup.com offers people a way to connect up with other people interested in the same activity. At this writing, there were no Oklahoma listings on this site however, if you set up your own sober picnic, fishing trip or state park hike, you can use this site to make the event available to others.

These are only a few of the hundreds of different ways you can enjoy your sobriety. When you first get started planning sober social activities, it might take a little work and a little discipline . Once you engage in your chosen activity, we assure you that it will get easier. Your sobriety is worth it. Enjoy!

AUTHOR
KH

Karen Hadley

For more than a decade, Karen has been researching and writing about drug trafficking, drug abuse, addiction and recovery. She has also studied and written about policy issues related to drug treatment.

NARCONON ARROWHEAD

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION