How To Overcome The Boredom When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?

Even those who do find their way into recovery will be at high risk of relapse if they are regularly bored. As you change your drinking, it’s normal and common to have urges or a craving for alcohol. The words “urge” and “craving” refer to a broad range of thoughts, physical sensations, or emotions that tempt you to drink, even though you have at least some desire not to.

Bored Drinking: How to Defend Against the Sneakiest Trigger

The good news is that your brain can adjust and restore balance to your internal world. The longer you stay away from alcohol and give your brain some much-needed TLC, the less you’ll feel like life is dull and uninteresting. When serotonin and dopamine levels are low, we become less motivated and less interested in our surroundings. This can lead to feelings of extreme boredom and apathy.

Effects of Bored Drinking

• When this emotion surfaces, it reveals our disconnection or lack of interest in our surroundings or activities.
• Sometimes a quick 10–20-minute walk is all it takes to recenter yourself and forget about the urge to snack out of boredom.
• If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I say stopping drinking isn’t just about stopping drinking.
• How we react to the state of boredom is critical to our ongoing mental health, experts state.
• If you always have a bottle open when watching TV, then it quickly becomes a very hard habit to break.

It doesn’t help that although alcohol may be the world’s most commonly accepted drug, it’s also regularly left off the list of drugs that negatively impact people’s lives. When you’re triggered by experiences like boredom or isolation, the accessibility of alcohol makes it that much harder to refrain from drinking to cope with these difficult feelings. Moreover, outpatient rehab can prove to be the most efficient and practical treatment plan for individuals struggling with drinking out of boredom. Therapy and counseling can play a vital role in addressing underlying mental health issues that contribute to boredom drinking. Through counseling, you can gain guidance, support, and learn behavioral treatments to help you change your drinking behavior.

Drinking Out of Boredom

Be ready for these moments when they arrive, and they will, give yourself a wry smile, then make the choice that fits with your goals. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America says that alcohol and other substances can worsen anxiety symptoms. About 20% of Americans with an anxiety or mood disorder such as depression have an alcohol or other substance use disorder. Sunnyside is not designed to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD). For resources related to AUD, including how to get support, please visit the NIH website. We’ve also partnered with Moderation Management, a non-profit dedicated to reducing the harm caused by the misuse of alcohol.

Our reward system gets recalibrated to account for the frequent dopamine hits coming from the alcohol. Our brain starts needing more and more alcohol to experience the same level of reward or pleasure, resulting in increased alcohol consumption. Warren is a Licensed Master Social Worker, who specializes in substance abuse and mental health treatment. Clinically, Warren has developed a therapeutic skillset that utilizes a strengths-based perspective, Twelve Step philosophies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. Volunteering and participating in community events can help you stay engaged, build meaningful connections, and reduce boredom drinking. Connecting with a support group can also help you build meaningful relationships with people who understand and can support you in your recovery journey.

If you have the time, sign on to a longer-term project like helping with this year’s charity bake sale or the big 5K race your city holds yearly. You’ll get to meet new people and be a part of something positive. But I didn’t know what to do with them besides feel them.

• It searches for a spark, something to stimulate and captivate us.
• Volunteering is a great way to reconnect with your community.
• On that note, the following pointers for ending a boredom-induced alcohol habit are for those who want to take their health, diet, and fitness to the next level.
• If you’re ready for a consultation, contact us now.
• People can prepare regular healthy meals and snacks to keep them satiated throughout the day, making them less likely to eat through boredom.

There are many reasons why you might be eating when you’re bored. Not drinking is a minor note in my life now but there are still judgmental people out there. It’s good to take your time drinking because of boredom before you decide how to navigate a new reality. Everywhere I turn, there’s a virtual cocktail hour. Or, an innocuous “let’s grab a drink” text with a friend I haven’t seen in years.

Are You an ‘Almost Alcoholic’?

• Engaging in physical exercise and outdoor activities can boost your mental wellbeing and help you resist the urge to drink out of boredom.
• We often say “well, don’t think about drinking.” But it’s almost impossible not to.
• Reflect on your drinking patterns and keep track of them to identify your boredom drinking triggers.
• OnceOnce, I could be bored shitless and I’ll walk around the block, and it’s gone.

It also opens up space to approach your internal world differently. One of the biggest impediments to my sobriety during my relapse days was my inability to avoid getting consumed by emotions. When you get sober, you realize there is an entire daytime pulse in your city or town that you never really felt before.

There’s nothing more satisfying than hand-kneading a gooey dough, smelling the yeast as it rises, and eating a slice of bread you made from scratch. Alcohol is a tricky bag to unpack for me, and for others that I know and love. Some days and weeks, I don’t care a lick for it; others, I care a lot of licks. It’s easier than most of us will admit to default to a glass of wine or a beer out of habit. A person can try downloading a 5-minute mindful breathing exercise to have ready to play when they experience a trigger that leads them to eat. A person should examine their diet and how it influences when and why they snack.

Boredom no doubt played a role in this scenario.