How To Overcome The Boredom When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?

If you always have a bottle open when watching TV, then it quickly becomes a very hard habit to break. This is particularly true if you’ve had a hard day at work or with the kids, and you are tired or stressed out. Soon it can seem weird NOT to have a glass in your hand, even if the rest of you is thinking about something else (or not thinking about very much at all). Many people claim that they drink for the totally opposite reason – they find themselves drinking out of boredom. Think of times or places where alcohol is normally found.

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Have you ever found yourself pouring a drink not to celebrate, but simply because there’s nothing else to do? In fact, boredom has been linked to anxiety, depression, and even addiction. During the pandemic, this issue became even more apparent, with alcohol sales outside of bars and restaurants surging by 24% as people sought ways to escape the monotony of life at home. The great thing about this drinking game (and “Never Have I Ever”) is that you don’t have to share drinks with anyone else. A lot of the classic drinking games like Fingers requires players to touch each other’s glasses or share alcohol.

• I also redecorated my bedroom, and I painted the walls because I wasn’t just passing out there anymore and leaving my clothes on the floor.
• If you ever sit down to do that math, you will shock yourself with how much time went towards drinking.
• As a kid, whenever I was bored I would read a book, look for friends to play with, go for a walk, or make up my own games such as kicking rocks on the ground to see how far they could go.
• What interests do they have that you admire?
• If you must dig WAY back into childhood for this answer, then do that.

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Valuing and prioritizing yourself in recovery can be a powerful way to remove the hold alcohol has on you. Alcohol is one of the world’s most commonly accepted drugs, so it’s also regularly left off the list of addictive drugs that negatively impact people’s lives. This proactive approach will empower you to break the cycle of loneliness, addiction, and more loneliness, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling life in the present moment. Are there certain days where boredom is more likely to sneak in? At the beginning of those days, plan to drinking when bored work on a hobby or some other activity when nothing else is scheduled. You’ll find it easier to settle into the activity should boredom strike.

Signs of Becoming an Almost Alcoholic

Download my pep talk for a dose of inspiration to keep you on track tonight. I founded The Sober School to show you there’s another way out of your shame that doesn’t involve AA or rehab. Her expertise encompasses group and individual work, with a particular focus on trauma.

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. So, I’m going to give you some ideas, especially ones inspired by the Sober Book Club discussion. I just read about the book, The Sober Lush, but also about the topic, about how to live a decadent, adventurous, soulful life, alcohol free. And not only did Jardine Libaire and Amanda Eyre Ward were the authors contributing great ideas on this. And by the way, I did a podcast interview just with Amanda and Jardine about their book, and you can go back and listen to that if you’re interested. By participating in addiction treatment programs, you can effectively address your boredom drinking and take the necessary steps towards a healthier and more fulfilling life.

• As with any addiction, drinking is a habit.
• Outside of work, he divides his time between family, basketball, and rock climbing.
• Making these associations will help you to further cement your reasons why you’re taking a break from alcohol and will help you to keep going with your challenge.
• Things that I remembered from ages ago, things that I had never experienced or done.
• This is where the real work of sobriety is – facing up to your own mind.
• When I was drunk all day every day I was ruining my life.

This, in turn, makes you feel more bored more frequently, which what is Oxford House reinforces the desire to drink, and round and round you go. If this topic interests you, I highly recommend listening to this interview with Dr. Anna Lembke, the author of the best-selling book “Dopamine Nation” (also recommend reading). When you drink, it floods your brain with an artificially high amount of dopamine. Chronic alcohol use can dull the brain’s dopamine response.

• Your relationships are strained, either because you’re irritable, which is so normal, or because your spouse is adjusting to navigating you without drinking or because they’re still drinking.
• In this podcast, my goal is to teach you the tried and true secrets of creating and living a life you don’t want to escape from.
• Join a sober group on Reddit or Facebook, if that’s your jam.
• After months or years of engaging in addictive behaviors, finding purpose and excitement in everyday life can be difficult.
• Given the ubiquitous nature of alcohol advertising, you might look forward to having that drink as soon as you walk through the door at home or meet your pals at a bar.
• 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.

And I walked past a store window, when we were about to jump on the ferry. And it said, if you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new Hello. But look around for your new Hello, when you are leaving something behind that isn’t serving you. And you need to stay the course and you do need to try, it won’t always fall in your lap. And you actually need this space, you need the blah, you need the quiet time between your drinking life and what is going to fill it up. And suddenly you look over and they’re doing something that you couldn’t even imagine that they would do because the thing that they were obsessed with was put down and put away.

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Engaging in new hobbies and interests is an excellent way to fill your time and create a sense of fulfillment without alcohol. These activities can help you stay busy, improve your mental health, and provide a healthier alternative to boredom drinking. There are various strategies available to help you overcome boredom drinking and maintain a sober lifestyle in 2024. 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.

Stay Physically Active

And surrounding yourself with beautiful things made me really happy not in early sobriety. But oh my god, pets, and taking care of a pet is so joyful and wonderful to be able to cuddle them and to have a physical being that loves you and amuses you and that you have to play with. They were little Siberian Tabby brothers, when they came to us, they were two and a half pounds.

You might plan to start learning a new language during downtime, but put it off in favor of having a drink. Or you lose interest in an existing hobby because it’s easier to drink. Before you know it, your list of things to celebrate when bored gets longer, and the number of drinks you enjoy each week goes up. Many bored drinkers likely don’t realize they’re bored drinkers. But if you consume alcohol, these signs might indicate that boredom is a drinking trigger. Bored drinking takes place when people reach for alcohol to kill time, simply because they have nothing else to occupy their minds.