At the beginning of those days, plan to work on a hobby bored drinking or some other activity when nothing else is scheduled. You’ll find it easier to settle into the activity should boredom strike. For example, CBT might help you realize you look at boredom in a negative light. You might believe you should always be doing something useful or constructive, so you reach for a drink to calm the negative emotions boredom creates.
How can I identify my boredom drinking triggers?
Many people struggle with boredom drinking, but the good news is that there’s a way out. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol use, we can help. Footprints to Recovery offers alcohol addiction treatment that’s evidence-based and personalized to your clinical needs, preferences, and life situation.
Focus on self-care
Replacing boredom drinking with enjoyable and fulfilling activities can help you maintain a healthier lifestyle and improve your mental health. Some alternative activities to consider include physical exercise and outdoor activities, creative pursuits and learning new skills, and volunteering and community involvement. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively overcome boredom drinking and maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Simply asking these questions might be enough to take the edge off the urge to drink. But if you end up drinking anyway, mindfulness also means forgiving yourself and learning from the experience. Moderate alcohol consumption has the potential to enliven social situations.
- There are plenty of situations where having a drink is a great way to celebrate an accomplishment.
- Courtney’s professional experience in substance use treatment began in a holistic residential treatment center.
- If you find yourself reaching for a drink out of boredom, try going for a walk, heading to the gym, or even taking a dance class.
- Practicing mindfulness or meditation can reduce the impulse to turn to alcohol when boredom strikes.
- Addiction impacted her own family and influenced her compassionate and empathetic relationship with clients.
- Drawing and painting can help to reduce stress and anxiety whilst activating the creative side of your brain.
Various addiction treatment programs are available for those struggling with alcohol use 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.
- Before I get into the list, it’s going to be really important for you to look at how you can change your habits around alcohol, and what you should do before taking a break from the booze.
- This will help you regain control of your life and improve both your mental and physical health.
- Anything to change up that routine of drinking out of boredom and make it harder for drinkers to find a place to get comfortable.
- These healthy diversions fill a gap that drinking might otherwise fill.
- If you’re not a morning person, working out in the evening could be your answer to just sitting at home drinking.
Most people drink to fill some sort of void, like boredom, loneliness, an unhappy relationship, job-related stress or anxiety. When the alcohol wears off, your problems will still be there, and you’ll likely reach out for more alcohol to escape them again. Originally from Nashville, TN, Jordan moved to Colorado with her family at age five. She has worked in behavioral health since graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 2019. Jordan developed her clinical approach in various inpatient, hospital, outpatient, and private practice settings. Jordan continued her studies and earned a master’s in clinical and mental health counseling.
She continued her education at the University of Denver and earned a master’s in clinical mental health counseling. Chanel completed internships at AspenRidge during her studies and eventually joined the team as a full-time primary clinician. Finding resources for ongoing drinking issues, even when simply drinking out of boredom, can make a world of difference. Catching signs of abuse early also minimizes the risks of adverse health effects and increases the probability of achieving sobriety much more quickly. The decision is often met with doubt, questioning if sobriety is attainable. However, the variety of treatment options make it easier for individuals and families to focus on moderate consumption or complete abstinence.
Socialize Without Alcohol
Connecting with a support group can also help you build meaningful relationships with people who understand and can support you in your recovery journey. Planning interactions according to “Sober in Seven” can help reduce feelings of loneliness and prevent reliance on alcohol. Having a list of supportive contacts is beneficial because it can provide you with immediate access to people who will encourage and support you on your journey to recovery. By implementing these strategies, you can effectively manage boredom and negative emotions without turning to alcohol, improving your overall mental health and well-being. In the process, you will also learn to balance positive and negative emotions, leading to a more stable emotional state. Whatever the reason for your boredom, drinking can create a negative cycle around it.
But these judgments that we can make about ourselves are rarely fair or accurate. Instead, try to reframe times of boredom as opportunities to do the meaningful things you’ve not had time for until now. Boredom is the best excuse to finally getting around to doing these things that can enhance one’s life. Say, for example, that it’s Friday night and you’re alone with no plans.
Sometimes being sober is boring because your life revolves around alcohol.
When he’s not working, Nate enjoys horticulture and is very active in Denver’s recovery community. 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. Sitting in traffic, for instance, is one of those things that most people would rather forego.
Now that you know the chemical reason for your boredom, let’s explore additional factors that might be contributing to these feelings. Our brains don’t like imbalance and will work very hard to correct it. That overcorrection is what you’re probably feeling right now. When you use alcohol (or any substance) to artificially boost serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain, you create an imbalance in the brain. Dopamine is another neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness. It is also responsible for regulating movement and emotional response.
The decision to change these emotions is a good thing, whereas with boredom we almost feel embarrassed that we’re bored as if it’s something we shouldn’t be feeling. Volunteering is a great way to reconnect with your community. Helping others actually boosts our own mental health and feelings of self-worth. On the one hand, you have no idea what you’re supposed to do with yourself. 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. If you quit drinking and experience any new or worsening mental health symptoms, please consider therapy.
Seeking Treatment
However, this can often lead to overindulgence, resulting in numerous health risks. Exploring creative outlets and learning new skills can be a great way to find fulfillment and combat boredom without relying on alcohol. Karlie is originally from Dayton, Ohio, and began her education in psychology at the University of Cincinnati. She participated in research studying ADHD in children, mindfulness and anxiety, and embodied cognition.
People often use alcohol to enhance experiences, but this kind of drinking is problematic because it makes you dependent on alcohol to not feel bored or to have a good time. For example, most people drink at concerts, sports events or parties to transform their experience and heighten the moment. 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 typically works with people interested in taking a holistic approach to treating their addictions.
