Quitting Cannabis? Avoid Boredom-Relapse with 50 Fun Alternatives to Getting High

OK, you’ve quit cannabis – now what? How will you enjoy your free time?

A lot of people struggle with boredom when giving up marijuana. It’s not surprising, since filling leisure time used to be as easy as lighting up, but it’s a problem that you need to solve, since:

1. Boredom increases your marijuana relapse risks – the more engaged you get in alternative activities the less time and mental energy you have to fixate on cravings.
2. Boredom is boring! You can have a better life without cannabis.The first few weeks of abstinence can be difficult, but in the long run, you need to work to make sure your new life is more fulfilling and satisfying than your previous existence.

You can reduce your risk of relapse, especially in the first couple of weeks after quitting, by scheduling in lots of fun activities that keep you from dwelling on your desire to get high. And in the long-run, engaging in enjoyable or meaningful recreational activities brings balance, healthy socializing and satisfaction to life.

How to Get Started

If you’re newly quit and struggling to fill the time, or if you quit a while back but still don’t find life as enjoyable as it could be – then filling your time with fun cannabis-free activities should help a lot.

• If you’re stuck in a rut, or not sure what to do, think back to your pre-marijuana days? Are there any leisure activities from your past that you might like to try again?
• If nothing comes to mind, read down this list of 50 suggestions and pick a couple or more to try over the next couple of weeks. Ideally, avoid any activities on the list that you associate strongly with marijuana.
• If you feel like you can’t take it anymore and you’re about to give-in to temptation, pick something (anything) from this list and try something different instead.

50 Fun Marijuana Alternatives

In no particular order:

1. Go camping, or for a day-hike in the woods.
2. Go to a play or other theatrical production.
3. Go to a concert (be careful with this one if the music you enjoy attracts marijuana smoking attendees).
4. Get on your bicycle and go for a long ride somewhere new.
5. Go to an auction and hunt for bargains and hidden treasure.
6. Join a local recreational sports team.
7. Go fishing.
8. Fix your car – or take an auto repair course.
9. Attend a professional sports event.
10. Start a wood-working project.
11. Pick up some new music and sit back and listen to it.
12. Meet a friend for a dinner out at a new restaurant.
13. Volunteer to coach a kid’s sports team.
14. Play golf or mini golf.
15. Hit balls at the batting cage or driving range.
16. Get a group of friends together to play paintball.
17. Go surfing, sailing, kayaking, canoeing or paddle-boarding (get out on the water.)
18. Walk around and take pictures.
19. If you can play an instrument – make some music. If you can’t yet – sign up for music lessons.
    
20. Go bowling.
21. Go ice skating.
22. Go for a picnic.
23. Look through some cookbooks/food websites to get ideas for a meal you’ve never made before. Spend an afternoon getting ingredients and then cooking for friends and family.
24. Play chess or checkers.
25. Make a model.
26. Do crossword puzzles or other brain sharpening puzzles.
27. Get some DIY ideas and redecorate a room in your home.
28. Start a ceramics or pottery project.
29. Go to the movies.
30. Learn amateur robotics.
31. Go for a country drive.
32. Go to a bookstore  or library and pick up a great new book to read.
33. Go horseback riding.
34. Go to your local museum or art gallery.
35. Test your strength at an indoor rock climbing wall.
36. Start a jigsaw puzzle.
37. Go swimming at your local community pool.
38. Take a personal interest course at a local college.
39. Act like a tourist in your own city and go sightseeing.
40. Go to the gym.
41. Karaoke.
42. Go skiing, snowboarding or snow-shoeing.
43. Try your hand at geocaching.
44. Join a book club.
45. Hunt for bargains at thrift shops and estate or garage sales.
46. Modify or sew your own clothes.
47. Draw or paint a picture – or write a story or poem (any sort of creative expression.)
48. Bake bread or cookies or cakes.
49. Hit your local farmer’s market, or a local community festival.
50. Have an outdoor bonfire/campfire.

 Add as many more as you can think of...

Get Out and Do Something

Inertia fuels boredom, so even if you can’t think of anything to do and nothing from the list appeals, just pick something and get out and do it. Most of the time, getting active and involved with any new activity or project will be enough to cure your tedium and keep you distracted from your marijuana cravings and temptation.