By engaging in healthy activities such as exercise and connecting with other people in recovery, you can drinking out of boredom begin to build a new and more meaningful life without alcohol or drugs. It’s easy to slip back into old habits when you’re feeling restless or unmotivated, which is why it’s important to find healthy ways to occupy your time and keep yourself busy. Boredom may cause unsatisfactory feelings of anxiety and stuttering. It takes up a lot of brain space, which makes it easier to feel boredom when mental obsessions fade. It can be difficult to quit drinking or pull out alcohol from your life when you think about your everyday stresses and pressures. Many high-functioning drinkers who try to take a break from alcohol find that boredom is one of the hardest emotions to deal with when getting alcohol-free.
The Kindling Effect: Why Quitting Alcohol Gets Harder Every Time
- Life can sometimes feel repetitive, and many people find themselves with idle time.
- Also, if you have that extra drink, Sunnyside lets you interact with others who struggle with bored drinking.
- When you get sober, you realize there is an entire daytime pulse in your city or town that you never really felt before.
- For resources related to AUD, including how to get support, please visit the NIH website.
- If you always have a bottle open when watching TV, then it quickly becomes a very hard habit to break.
Various addiction treatment programs are available for those struggling with alcohol use Sobriety disorder and boredom drinking. These programs should address substance use and any underlying co-occurring mental health disorders to ensure the most successful outcome. The best approach to treatment includes access to follow-up therapy, management of skills, group or peer support, strategies to prevent relapse and prescribed medications if needed.
Reasons You Might Feel Bored in Sobriety
- Eating out of boredom can cause unintentional weight gain.
- Finding a healthy activity that interests you can be a great way to break away from boredom and start enjoying your life in sobriety.
- Or you lose interest in an existing hobby because it’s easier to drink.
- There’s a very fine line between social drinking and problematic drinking, and one could easily lead to the other and cause serious health implications.
This will help you regain control of your life and improve your overall mental health and well-being. Many scientific studies have proved a positive relationship between boredom/loneliness and excessive alcohol use. AspenRidge Recovery offers online treatment programs that make it possible to receive recovery care while still maintaining a flexible schedule. AspenRidge Recovery methodologies prove to support clients through recovery and long-term care.
Developing New Hobbies and Interests
- Sunnyside is not designed to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD).
- A lot of people don’t feel good when they first get sober, so it’s totally understandable if your feelings are all over the place.
- So, when we’re bored and our brain is looking for that dopamine hit, it can often recall that alcohol was a past source of reward.
- I read recently that looking at what you enjoyed doing as a child is a clue as to what you should be doing to fulfil yourself as an adult.
- This means you may experience feelings of boredom, apathy, and low motivation for some time in early sobriety.
Once you have really looked at your habits, consider alternative solutions. If you like gin and tonic when you’re vegging on the sofa, swap it for fizzy water with lemon. If you know your willpower weakens after 9 pm, get up before then and go and have a warm shower instead. Say you have downtime on a Saturday afternoon after a challenging week at work. “Getting through the week” might be your rationale for pouring a glass of wine. I also binge eat prettt bad when I eat alone which is a separate issue, but I guess I’m asking how do you guys avoid drinking when you’re bored or you’re really wanting a form of escape?
When referring to alcohol addiction, some may conjure up an image of a person consuming multiple daily bottles of low-end vodka and struggling to hold a steady job. Alcohol use disorder impacts millions across the nation, many of which are considered high-functioning. Getting clean and sober is a big deal if you’re facing alcohol or drug misuse, particularly if it’s your first time going through the recovery pro … If you or someone that you love is struggling with drug or alcohol dependency, other compulsive behaviors, or even chronic boredom that you think puts you at risk, Kembali is here for you.