Honestly? At first: weed. I was already a heavy weed smoker before I quit drinking and when I gave up alcohol, it helped soften the blow. I ended up quitting that too a year or two later though and that had an equally positive effect on my life. When I quit weed and had no substances left, I just rawdogged sobriety until I got used to it.
I wouldn’t recommend substiuting one substance for another though. If I had to recommend something to replace an addiction it would probably be exercise. A few years after quitting weed as well I discovered road cycling and that’s been a great thing to get invested in and it motivates me to stay sober. It’s been really rewarding to see what I can achieve if I really push myself to the limit and sometimes it’s actually strangely enjoyable to suffer on the bike (type 2 fun).
Honestly? At first: weed. I was already a heavy weed smoker before I quit drinking and when I gave up alcohol, it helped soften the blow. I ended up quitting that too a year or two later though and that had an equally positive effect on my life. When I quit weed and had no substances left, I just rawdogged sobriety until I got used to it.
I wouldn’t recommend substiuting one substance for another though. If I had to recommend something to replace an addiction it would probably be exercise. A few years after quitting weed as well I discovered road cycling and that’s been a great thing to get invested in and it motivates me to stay sober. It’s been really rewarding to see what I can achieve if I really push myself to the limit and sometimes it’s actually strangely enjoyable to suffer on the bike (type 2 fun).