Five Reasons Why Your New Sober Lifestyle Should Include Golf

The golf course is a tranquil place. You can hear the breeze rustle the trees, the birds singing and there’s even something therapeutic about hearing a swing and a thwack. Unless you hear “FORE!” at the top of somebody’s voice following it.

For those that play the sport, they know the charms and slow lifestyle choice it can bring outside of the competitive space, which is why more and more people are turning to it for their mental health, and more and more should.

That can especially be the case for those seeking a sober lifestyle. Many experts recommend taking up the sport after going through treatment, whether that be for alcohol addiction, opioid abuse or having gone through cocaine rehab for all manner of reasons.

So, if you’ve worked hard to go through addiction treatment and you’re looking to maintain a sober lifestyle, here are five reasons you should get out on the course and learn to play…

Gentle Exercise in Nature

Going into recovery poses its challenges but one way to tackle those head on is by exercising. It’s always recommended by professionals, and golf provides not just the exercise you need as you make your way around the 18 holes, but also the tranquil setting that can also ooze calm and comfort.

From an exercise standpoint, golf provides exactly what you need when moving into a sober lifestyle, and over a significant period of time in a day too.

When getting over alcohol or drug addiction, one of the biggest gaps in a day is the social element of them. You can’t really go to the pub, and often people have to leave their old friends behind.

While golf courses of course have the clubhouse, where alcohol will be prevalent, there’s no need to actually go in it and the round itself can be a great replacement for the camaraderie and connection you’ve left behind from some of your more toxic hobbies.

Being a member of a golf club is a wonderful community, and in fact there are actual communities all over the world where you can actually live in and around the course if you’re that in love with the game, providing even more of a community.

Mindful Focus and Concentration

Throughout rehabilitation, improving focus and concentration is a big part of learning to live in recovery. Often this will be taught through the likes of meditation and yoga. However, it’s also something that golf very much provides.

There’s a real strategic approach needed to get around the course, from where to try and land the ball to the clubs you use, while you need to really concentrate ahead of each shot.

This practice can then be used in day-to-day life to maintain sobriety and stay on track with your life.

Stress Relief and Relaxation

Now, we know plenty of golfers who do not find getting around the course a stress-free experience. However, on the whole it certainly is. The fresh aid, the green space, moving your ball through the natural elements offers a real escape.

Even in the rhythmic motion of swinging you can find stress relief and a real disconnect from the pressures of day-to-day life. Just don’t take your game so seriously it starts to have a negative impact on your wellbeing!

Goal Setting and Achievement

Finally, you have to take one step at a time when maintaining sobriety, and that involves breaking down goals and achievements into bitesize chunks. Get through one day sober, move on to a week, go back to work, go to a party for the first time sober. These are all achievements in themselves.

Due to the nature of how golf works, you can also set milestones and that goal-getting attitude can really align with what you’re trying to achieve in life too. It’s all about establishing positive habits and celebrating milestones, and channeling energies onto the golf course can create an infectious mentality that will aid goals right throughout your life.

Golf really can be a saviour for so many people. There’s no pressure to become an expert or get down to a handicap of 1. You can move at your own pace in a thriving and supportive community, of which many others have turned to it for similar reasons.

Make golf a part of your new sober lifestyle, it could be just what you’re looking for…