fun things to do on your own

shadowcomplex

when your off the booze?

GerB40

Learn how to play an instrument, read a book, send threatening letters to politicians you're not fond of, exercise, the list goes on as far as your imagination..

Sunnyisland

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057197240

See my post in there ,good luck :-)

hubba

Photography is great for wandering around alone. Walks. Sunsets, sunrises. I go to cinema and theater alone too. The latter can be awkward at the interval though. Cycling is great alone. Shopping is better done alone but not much fun if you ask me. :)

superblu

Just go for a walk. I'm fortunate to live near the Phoenix Park. An hours stroll in there regardless of the weather is a fantastic tonic

LeonardNelson

Movie marathon. Watch all Marvels and X-men series. Plus Game of Thrones

curlzy

Painting, drawing, hula hooping, juggling, yoga, reading, cooking, baking, whatever sparks your interest really.

snaphook

Golf is fantastic for this. Purely solitary. Just you and the ball.
It can never be perfected which is the beauty of it.

You can while away an hour or two at the driving range and a standard round takes up to four hours.

You can also continue playing the game into your twilight years.


Golf is happiness for

Happiness is achievement.

The father of achievement is motivation

The mother is encouragement.

The fine golf swing is truly achievement

Man may lie, cheat, and steal for gain.

But, these will never gain the golf swing

To gain the golf swing man must work.

Yet it is work without toil

It is exercise without the boredom.

It is intoxication without the hangover

It is stimulation without the pills.

It is failure yet its successes shine even more brightly

It is frustration yet it nourishes patience.

It irritates yet its soothing is far greater

It is futility yet it nurtures hope.

It is defeating yet it generates courage

It is humbling yet it ennobles the human spirit.

It is dignity yet it rejects arrogance

Its price is high yet its rewards are richer

Some say it's a boy's pastime yet it builds men

It is a buffer for the stresses of today's living.

It cleanses the mind and rejuvenates the body

It is these things and many more.

For those of us who know it and love it

Golf is truly happiness."

-- Paul Bertholy

mickydoomsux

You can do anything really, as long as it isn't drinking

That's a weird thing about the addiction/our attitude to alcohol. It's seen as a hobby for some reason.

I'm on a dating website and 99.9% of the woman on there list either "drinking" or "going out with my friends drinking" as one of their hobbies. Most of them want the first date to be "meeting up for a few drinks".

Corkgirl210

check out sober activities with other non drinkers.. like sober slice etc. check out meetups

Walking!

Set yourself a challenge to walk all 800km of the Camino Francés (the main camino/way of 12 or so "Camino de Santiago"). I did and it was life changing. The morning I arrived in Santiago I could have started off on another one. I was absolutely buzzing, and proud of myself when I thought of the crucifying pain that I inflicted upon myself by overdoing it in the first two weeks especially. I've never felt as healthy or alive.

I did it on my own in just shy of a month - the only sensible way for me as I could focus on improving myself and was not a burden on anybody else, nor they on me. I lost a ton of weight - 15kg - never drank once (and had no incentive to as I was knackered each day from the walk and the heat). It was also super cheap - budget €15 per day (including accommodation at c. €5) and you'll be grand. If you have any interest in history or Spanish culture it's a no brainer, too. You could also start learning Spanish in preparation, and maybe download language practice work to your ipod and practice as you're walking. Travel lightly, very very lightly (it's hot there!) The sense of camaraderie and goodwill across the Camino just enhances everything beyond words.

Since I came home I'm walking hills and forests everywhere - you could do a trial run before the Camino by walking the Wicklow Way or, if you're not fit yet, walk along the flat for 144km on The Royal Canal Way from Dublin to the River Shannon.

I don't know the science behind it but walking for me releases amazing chemicals that change my mood and give immense peace at the same time.

Best of luck.

Carpet diem

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Walking!

Set yourself a challenge to walk all 800km of the Camino Francés (the main camino/way of 12 or so "Camino de Santiago"). I did and it was life changing. The morning I arrived in Santiago I could have started off on another one. I was absolutely buzzing, and proud of myself when I thought of the crucifying pain that I inflicted upon myself by overdoing it in the first two weeks especially. I've never felt as healthy or alive.

I did it on my own in just shy of a month - the only sensible way for me as I could focus on improving myself and was not a burden on anybody else, nor they on me. I lost a ton of weight - 15kg - never drank once (and had no incentive to as I was knackered each day from the walk and the heat). It was also super cheap - budget €15 per day (including accommodation at c. €5) and you'll be grand. If you have any interest in history or Spanish culture it's a no brainer, too. You could also start learning Spanish in preparation, and maybe download language practice work to your ipod and practice as you're walking. Travel lightly, very very lightly (it's hot there!) The sense of camaraderie and goodwill across the Camino just enhances everything beyond words.

Since I came home I'm walking hills and forests everywhere - you could do a trial run before the Camino by walking the Wicklow Way or, if you're not fit yet, walk along the flat for 144km on The Royal Canal Way from Dublin to the River Shannon.

I don't know the science behind it but walking for me releases amazing chemicals that change my mood and give immense peace at the same time.

Best of luck.

Amazing journey

Carpet diem

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Walking!

Set yourself a challenge to walk all 800km of the Camino Francés (the main camino/way of 12 or so "Camino de Santiago"). I did and it was life changing. The morning I arrived in Santiago I could have started off on another one. I was absolutely buzzing, and proud of myself when I thought of the crucifying pain that I inflicted upon myself by overdoing it in the first two weeks especially. I've never felt as healthy or alive.

I did it on my own in just shy of a month - the only sensible way for me as I could focus on improving myself and was not a burden on anybody else, nor they on me. I lost a ton of weight - 15kg - never drank once (and had no incentive to as I was knackered each day from the walk and the heat). It was also super cheap - budget €15 per day (including accommodation at c. €5) and you'll be grand. If you have any interest in history or Spanish culture it's a no brainer, too. You could also start learning Spanish in preparation, and maybe download language practice work to your ipod and practice as you're walking. Travel lightly, very very lightly (it's hot there!) The sense of camaraderie and goodwill across the Camino just enhances everything beyond words.

Since I came home I'm walking hills and forests everywhere - you could do a trial run before the Camino by walking the Wicklow Way or, if you're not fit yet, walk along the flat for 144km on The Royal Canal Way from Dublin to the River Shannon.

I don't know the science behind it but walking for me releases amazing chemicals that change my mood and give immense peace at the same time.

Best of luck.

Amazing journey

souls

For me the key is to create a new life instead of feeling like you're deprived, or missing out on everything having made the decision not to drink. Ive left people who i thought we're friends behind now as i realize we were little more than drinking buddies, it was rather sad to find this out but necessary none the less..

In response to your query OP just do what makes you happy. Only you can answer that. It may take time to discover, but it will be worth it! dip your toe into new ventures and see if anything takes your fancy. embrace a bit of fear and channel it!

chinacup

Gym, cycling, horse riding. Be creative in whatever form that takes writing stuff, drawing, taking a pottery class, re arranging your space. Start something new like a tiny home business, my friend makes handmade cards and gets a great little profit from it!

Go for a jog somewhere scenic. . They say it takes 21 days to make a habit so stick a piece of paper with 1-21 written up on the wall, marking each one as you go. Practice meditation, yoga, cooking, baking.

Start a garden or see if there's plots for sale in your city. Go to a farmers market. Sell at a food market. Find out where the best food is in your area. Order a takeaway! Watch a DVD with your takeaway..

Trawl through vintage and second hand stores. Try new cafes and bring a book. Do or make something nice for someone. Volunteer. Get a bus to a random town or city for the day. Start a class. Go shopping. Start a conversation with a stranger. Start a blog.

Read up on a topic you want to know more about, go to the library, start a project, go to a university lecture. Go on a weekend break to an amazing city and do it through couchsurfing. org or on air bnb.

Fota wildlife park, aran islands, connemara, cliffs of moher, giants causeway, Bundoran horseriding across the beach and sand dunes. Road trip!

Can't think of any more & sorry if someone's already posted some of these, didn't have time to read them all. There is so much to do and this is just a list that appeals to me off the top of my head. If I was thinking about a list for someone else it could be completely different like go to a comic book convention, get your palms read, practice magic (thinking of my brother). Its really up to you to explore your own interests or develop some and take action. Good luck, hopefully you'll take some suggestions on board and get started on a hobby soon.

Carpet diem

Carpet diem wrote: »

Amazing journey

Presume you seen the film with Martin sheen in it doing the Santiago ?

Thinking I might do it next year.

Carpet diem

Carpet diem wrote: »

Amazing journey

Presume you seen the film with Martin sheen in it doing the Santiago ?

Thinking I might do it next year.

Carpet diem

Carpet diem wrote: »

Amazing journey

Presume you seen the film with Martin sheen in it doing the Santiago ?

Thinking I might do it next year.

Carpet diem

Carpet diem wrote: »

Amazing journey

Presume you seen the film with Martin sheen in it doing the Santiago ?

Thinking I might do it next year.

Carpet diem

Carpet diem wrote: »

Presume you seen the film with Martin sheen in it doing the Santiago ?

Thinking I might do it next year.

Yeah, it's a good film albeit a big dramatised what with the American girl losing the plot. That was based on the Camino Francés also, but they went on to walk the Camino de Fisterra to the sea after they arrived in Santiago de Compostela, about 140km more.

Paulo Coelho's The Pilgrimage is possibly the most famous Camino-inspired fiction. Worth reading, although I only heard (a lot) about it when I was actually walking it. If your Irish is decent enough Mícheál de Barra from Kildare's An Bóthar go Santiago was, for me, a very moving non-fiction account of walking it. The best, and most prevalent among English speakers, actual guide for the Camino Francés is still from Dubliner John Brierley simply titled Camino de Santiago (Brierley's Camino Guides website is actually a good place to start your preparations). Another Irish guy called Gerald Kelly has written a guide lately but I've never read it, even though I met Gerald in a tiny village once and had a good chat with him (He had walked three different camini at that stage, if I recall).

If you only have a week or two rather than the required month to walk it, I'd walk from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port/the start rather than from Sarria near the end; there is more isolation and fulfillment at the start whereas loads of people join from Sarria in order to walk the minimum 100km that is needed to get a compostela from the Catholic Church. I did it in June so got a fantastic medieval festival in Logroño on the way. You could time your walk to see the bull festival in Pamplona also, or avoid it as I wanted to. Lastly, I was in immense pain in the first two weeks as I had done no walking in preparation and my body was in shock. While this made the subsequent weeks and finishing it all the better, it would be smarter to get in decent walks beforehand. All the best!