Finding a new activity and hobby such as working out can provide something to look forward to each day. At Promises Behavioral Health, we understand that the decision to seek out help for alcohol addiction can be a difficult one. We are here to provide the support and treatments you need to achieve lasting recovery.
Practicing Mindfulness and Stress Management Techniques
The truth is that not drinking right now is your entire job. It may feel like all you’re doing is reading a book, watching TV, making tea, going to bed. You are doing hard emotional and physical work every single minute. Are you tired of drinking out of boredom and ready to embrace a sober life in 2024?
Drinking to cope with boredom is never a sustainable solution. While it may provide temporary relief, the long-term effects are far more damaging. The cycle of drinking to fill time leads to mental, emotional, and physical challenges that can be hard to reverse.
Support
In 2023, Jordan joined the clinical team at AspenRidge Recovery. Specializing in diverse mental health challenges, including depression, addiction, and trauma, Christy embraces a person-centered approach. She tailors interventions to individual needs, drawing from modalities like mindfulness, DBT, CBT, and EMDR. She is a trauma-informed clinician who prioritizes the relationship between clinician and client.
- It does nothing to change any external circumstances.
- Jill enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, friends, and pets when she is not in the office.
- In other words, it’s about suspending the need for instant gratification.
- If someone expects that every Friday night they should be out on the town with friends, but they’re alone on a couch, it may be easier to justify boredom and self-pity, followed by booze.
- Right now, you’re doing a very hard thing, and sometimes hard things feel lonely.
Since then, she has worked across various settings including outpatient, inpatient, and community corrections programs. Jill is a Colorado native who received a master’s in clinical psychology with an emphasis on women’s studies from the University of Houston. Jill has worked in several inpatient and outpatient centers, treating clients in all levels of care in both individual and group settings. Give us a call and we can help find the right treatment program for you or your loved one – even if it’s not ours! Also know what you are going to drink and select from alcohol alternatives. Bars are more frequently providing alcohol-free beverages to help encourage safe drinking habits and reduce risks of accidents caused by driving while intoxicated.
An estimated 15 million people throughout the U.S. struggle with alcohol use disorder, but only 10% receive treatment. Alcoholism profoundly affects the entire body, especially the brain, heart, pancreas, mouth, liver, and the immune system. Despite its negative impacts, more Americans than ever consume alcohol regularly, especially women and minorities. But I PROMISE you, if you keep moving forward, things in your brain will start to click.
The most effective treatment provides access to ongoing therapy, skills training, group or peer support, relapse avoidance techniques, and prescribed medications, if necessary. Taking a personalized approach allows many families and individuals the chance to adjust treatment to best suit lifestyle, needs, and long-term goals. Another way to fill time meaningfully is by connecting with others.
Exercise and Physical Activity
Yet, no matter how much pain it causes to the individual or family, alcohol is one of the most difficult substances to remove. And despite anecdotal evidence that says otherwise, boredom doesn’t lead to inspired breakthroughs and increased creativity, research shows. Instead, it’s the moderately engaging activities, like showering or taking a walk, that actually lead to inspiration. The shower or the walk is neither so engrossing or boring as to distract your thoughts from churning — that’s the sweet spot you should be aiming for.
- This can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and stress when not drinking, which might make sober times feel particularly empty or boring.
- You sleep a lot and you feel a little down your body and your mind and your emotions are adjusting to life without alcohol.
- Specializing in diverse mental health challenges, including depression, addiction, and trauma, Christy embraces a person-centered approach.
For more information on how alcohol affects physical health, see this article. When boredom leads to drinking, people often reach for a drink without realizing the long-term consequences. What starts as an occasional glass of wine or beer to “take the edge off” can quickly become a habitual coping mechanism, making it harder to break free over time. Before long, individuals may drink more often and in larger quantities without even enjoying it anymore. Drinking to cope with boredom might feel harmless at first, but it can snowball into a serious problem. If boredom drinking becomes unmanageable or leads to alcohol addiction, seeking professional help can be crucial for taking control of your life and preventing potential health risks.
Your brain needs time to recover.
As a drinking trigger, boredom affects more people than you might think. In a 2022 survey of Sunnyside members, 5% said boredom triggered them to drink. The only triggers that ranked higher are unwinding after a long day, habit, relieving stress, and celebrating something important. Alcohol can be in a unique position of being both the solution to and the cause of pain.
Looking for Help with Alcohol?
And if you need a place to start, we have a wonderful private Facebook group full drinking from boredom of people wrestling with some of the same questions and concerns you have. After a while, you’ll notice that your interests start to narrow, as does your social circle. If our body perceives a harmless situation as dangerous, we start to experience increased levels of stress and anxiety. This can lead to drinking more and more, potentially developing into harmful patterns or alcohol use disorder. Tired of battling alcohol with sheer willpower, only to fall back into the same cycle?
Most people drink in order to fill a void of some sort, e.g. an unhappy relationship, an unfulfilling job, loneliness or feeling bored with your daily routine. If you take alcohol away, but do nothing to change those other factors, you’re probably going to feel it. Exploring creative outlets and learning new skills can be a great way to find fulfillment and combat boredom without relying on alcohol. Understanding your drinking patterns empowers you to take proactive steps to prevent boredom drinking and stay on track with your goals. You can use this knowledge to create a personalized plan for overcoming boredom drinking and maintaining a sober lifestyle.
Plus, we’re always introducing new features to optimize your in-app experience. We recently launched our in-app chatbot, Melody, powered by the world’s most powerful AI technology. Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol. You’ll meet millions of fellow Reframers in our 24/7 Forum chat and daily Zoom check-in meetings.
I ordered the cedar raised beds from the gardeners supply company, I planted dahlias and then took pictures of them when they grew and gave myself bouquets of fresh flowers. I planted cherry tomatoes and ate them right off the vine. I planted strawberries so that I could eat them and gather them with my daughter and take pictures. We have raspberries and I’ve made jam out of them. And I have to tell you, I am not a crafty person. Before sobriety, I killed literally every container gardener plant of anything that I’d ever grown.
And I know so many people have adopted dogs, or gotten puppies during the quarantine, but also in early sobriety, and just the joy that that brings you is wonderful. Some of my clients have done this and they absolutely love it as sober treats. They bought themselves watercolor paints, or beautiful crayons. They sit on their front porch, and they paint pictures and they learn.
Some of the things they experience in early sobriety that may lead them to go back to drinking. And even once you’ve quit drinking, there is a time between when your life was filled with alcohol, and with drinking events. And with the connections that you made and had the adventures that you had, while drinking and the period of time before your life is filled, and joyful and exciting without alcohol.
Dopamine depletion can cause apathy, boredom, and lack of motivation. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of happiness, well-being, and pleasure. It’s also responsible for moderating moods and emotions. Serotonin depletion can cause major mood swings and feelings of sadness, anxiety, and irritability. I’ve been where you are, as have thousands of other sober people who had to learn to have a life again after sobriety. Say your main drinking occasion is when you socialize with friends.