Jay Hanna likes to keep busy.
For the past four months — in the middle of preparing for a May graduation, looking for a job and deciding whether to go to law school — he has played on two indoor soccer teams, as well as on a team with his fraternity, Delta Chi.
Hanna said that's just who he is. He has always been an active person. In high school, he played four years of soccer and kicked for the football team.
More recently, in October, Hanna completed his first marathon in Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Now, he uses indoor soccer to stay busy, and keep in shape when the weather doesn't allow him to run outside.
"It's hard to run 18 miles on a treadmill," he said.
The supply chain management senior chose running to recover from a drinking problem last year. Unlike running, soccer isn't something he is doing to keep his mind off the past. He plays for fun and to keep active.
"I've always played soccer," he said. "I love the game. It's become a part of me."
Although he said the teams he plays on are laid-back, there also can be some serious competition.
"There are people from all different backgrounds, so we see different styles of play," he said. "It's competitive but fun."
Running less did not hinder his success with sobriety. Drinking is no longer something he has to focus on daily.
"Drinking is always going to be there regardless of what I do," he said. "There are still rough spots, but drinking or not, that's always going to be there.
"There are still bumps in the road. (But) I'm happier than ever. I can't complain."
Hanna's core group of friends have stayed the same — despite his choice to be sober — but his friends from the bar aren't as much in the picture anymore.
"You can't run away from alcohol," he said. "Drinking is always going to be there."
He started training for the Detroit marathon, his first, six weeks before it was scheduled and gradually increased the miles he ran week by week. Hanna admits he probably could have trained harder, but added that either way, finishing it was enough of an accomplishment.
"As cliché as it sounds, anyone can do anything that they put their mind to," he said. "We didn't have a strict training regimen — and we pulled it off."
Hanna has no marathon plans for the near future, but hasn't given it up as a future goal when his life begins to settle down.
"Another marathon is still something I want to do in the future, but it's tough to train with school and going on job interviews and flying places on weekends," he said.
Even without running as a part of his everyday schedule, Hanna has enough motivation to continue to stay active and sober. He said he always keeps the feelings of how he was when he was drinking and partying in the back of his mind to remind him it is a place he doesn't want to go back to.
"I've seen people that have maintained sobriety with similar problems," he said. "Seeing what they've done and how truly happy they are — that's my motivation."
