Sober Things to Do in Thailand

I remember before given up alcohol a few years back I worried about managing life in Thailand. This was my main pastime and life without it seemed dull. In fact the one thing that really attracted me to Thailand in the first place was that it seemed like a boozer’s heaven. I arrived after spending a bit of time working in Saudi Arabia. I loved this new country for all the reasons that I’d disliked Saudi – it seemed so free and to me freedom meant getting alcohol wherever and whenever I liked. During my first six years living here I made sure that there was also booze close at hand. So the idea of finding sober things to do in Thailand really scared me at first.

I have met a few ex-pats in Thailand who have found themselves in a losing battle with the booze. Their concerns tend to mirror mine when I was in their situation. How can the possibly live here without alcohol to make life fun; should they return home to their own countries? The good news is that there are plenty of sober things to do in Thailand. My experience has been that life is in a different league to how things were in those dark days.

A Few Ideas about Sober Things to Do in Thailand

The great thing about getting sober is that our options in life grow because of it. I soon found that the days were too short for all the things I wanted to do. I’m sure anyone else getting sober will find the same. Just in case, here are a few ideas to get you started.

– Brush up on your Thai language skills. One of the things to shock me when I became sober was that my Thai was nowhere near as good as I thought. It seems that I was in denial about more than just alcohol. Being sober means we can really devote ourselves to a task like learning a language. The other great thing is that Thai people are more likely to talk to you when they don’t think you are a crazy drunk.
– Go on weekly trips around Thailand. This has really been one of my great pleasures in recovery. I visited a lot of waterfalls and parks over the years in Thailand and all I ever really saw was the first restaurant that sold beer. I hated doing anything touristy unless there was alcohol involved. These days Sundays is a time when I take my wife and son and we explore a new place or an old favourite.
– Get fit. Being overweight and out of shape is easier to conceal in western countries because we can hide behind a lot of clothing. In Thailand it is there for everyone to see. Getting fit is a lot more than just trying to impress other people though. When our body is fit our mind feels great as well. I recently began learning Muay Thai and I’d recommend that to everyone. Almost all Thai towns have a gym, and many have parks with free outdoor exercise equipment.
– Learn meditation. Thailand is a superb place to learn meditation. Some of the greatest meditation masters on the planet live here and there are plenty of retreats going on all the time. Meditation has been a real cornerstone to my recovery from addiction and I highly recommend it.