Drinking Out of Boredom Hobbies to Replace Drinking

Try picking something you want to do and sticking with it for a certain length of time no https://ecosoberhouse.com/ matter what. If you’re still not into it after 10 or 15 minutes, try something else.

An estimated 15 million people throughout the U.S. struggle with alcohol use disorder, but only 10% receive treatment. Alcoholism profoundly affects the entire body, especially the brain, heart, pancreas, mouth, liver, and the immune system. Despite its negative impacts, more Americans than ever consume alcohol regularly, especially women and minorities. Drinking out of boredom can reinforce negative feelings and self-medicate. 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. Self-medicating can drastically impact overall health and well-being.

The Role of Trauma and Mental Health in Addiction

Drinking because of boredom happens because home is where we feel safe, unjudged – it’s where we can relax. But at home, it’s easy to get a bit too comfortable… you can get a long way down a bottle when you are sitting in front of the TV half-watching some series to pass the time. Boredom and stress are two emotions that can feel as if they are never going to leave. Valuing and prioritizing yourself in recovery can be a powerful way to remove the hold alcohol has on you. Unstructured time leads to unpredictable behaviors, which are problematic in recovery.

Exploring, in writing, what you find difficult and when you most want to drink can help you notice patterns that offer more insight into your alcohol use. When you tend to drink at a certain time of day, doing something else is one of the best ways to distract you from old habits to help break that pattern.

Boredom as a Trigger in Early Recovery

Sober for 12 days now…struggling with all the floods of emotions and how bored i feel. I now realize how MUCH alcohol was part of everything i did and how much time I floated around in the Sea of Drunk!

The old saying goes ‘an idle mind is the devil’s playground’ and that’s absolutely true in sobriety. It’s hard to be bored when you’re stoned out of your head or drunk as a skunk but take those away and you’re left with a racing mind looking for any excitement. Of course, stressful situations are also relapse triggers, but during treatment, alcoholics can learn how they can deal with these problems before it becomes a relapse. Vodanovich S.J., Kass S.J. A factor analytic study of the boredom proneness scale. Lammers J., Kuntsche E., Engels R.C., Wiers R.W., Kleinjan M. Mediational relations of substance use risk profiles, alcohol-related outcomes, and drinking motives among young adolescents in the Netherlands.

Tips For Overcoming Boredom in Sobriety

Just like you would be patient and gentle with a broken leg, you gotta give your brain the same tenderness. If you are walking around saying that there’s nothing to do and everything about sobriety is boring and terrible, you are condemning yourself to misery. It’s hard to fill that time, especially when dealing with alcohol cravings and triggers. You create an imbalance drinking because of boredom when you use alcohol to artificially boost serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain. Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She’s also a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and international bestselling author. Her books, including “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do,” have been translated into more than 40 languages.