I went and bought soda water and fruit and I’m now trying to figure out what to do with my evening instead. If you drink to alleviate boredom, your brain starts associating alcohol with relief from that negative feeling. I’ve spent the last seven years researching and understanding alcoholism, addiction, and how people get sober. Additionally, I examine the way mental and physical health as well as our relationships with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term. Early sobriety is a critical period when community and support networks are critical. This can be hard if your social life previously revolved around drinking.
Drinking Out of Boredom Actually Makes Boredom More Unbearable
In that quote I read in the beginning again, it says you will need other people i drink when I am bored as a living, breathing reminder of everything that’s good in life. So this episode was about what to do if you’re feeling bored in sobriety. What you can do if you feel flat, if you feel mad if you feel blocked. If you’re in the beginning, yeah, everything you’re doing is just navigating life without alcohol.
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- Between post-graduate work and additional training courses, she honed her skills in treating first responders and military personnel from a trauma-informed perspective.
- And again, it was something that I’d never done.
- That is how we’re used to changing our mood.
- Sure, having a single drink while alone might not seem like a problem if you eat well and exercise.
- But it’s just occurred to me that a lot of my drinking is just habit or boredom.
And the authors of the book, Amanda Eyre Ward and Jardine Libaire actually joined us. I met them for the first time when I interviewed them on my podcast. And they were kind enough to say, yeah, we’d love to come to your book club and talk about it. And the conversation was not only about the book, but there were 17 women on the call. 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.
Take a Break From Alcohol and Seek Help
But it’s comforting to know that you don’t have figure it out on your own. It’s not as simple as “getting out there” and “trying something new.” It’s hard to do that when you suffer from extreme depression and anhedonia. The very things you should be doing to feel better require a level of motivation you might not be able to fathom.
- She believes in healing the whole person in a safe and supportive environment.
- When I was in very early sobriety, maybe 30 days in, 60 days, and I joined sort of a photo of the day contest.
- If your strategy to drink less didn’t work, don’t regret or give in to guilt.
- And the only way you’re going to find them is by putting yourself out there.
Without alcohol, you are getting up and getting dressed without a hangover. You are working and dealing with your boss and your co-workers without thinking about if you have enough wine at home at the end of the day. You’re sidestepping offers for office happy hours, or zoom happy hours. Talking with a trained therapist, especially one who understands substance abuse, is important. They can give you tools and resources for navigating everything you’re feeling (or not feeling) right now. If you’re at the point where you’re emotionally drinking and unable to derive pleasure from everyday activities, it can be a sign that you need additional support to break out of this cycle.
While the holidays are indulgent, there’s also plenty of downtime (hint, hint) for learning how to deflect urges to drink. For many people, an antidote to boredom alcoholism is picking up their knitting, grabbing a book, or writing in their journal. These healthy diversions fill a gap that drinking might otherwise fill. The winter months often meet a halt to favorite outdoor activities. This shift in routine, coupled with earlier darkness and cold temperatures, can lead to SAD. Once SAD and downtime collide, bored drinking can result.