By engaging in a new hobby or passion, you not only fill your spare time with meaningful activity but also boost your self-esteem and gain a sense of accomplishment. Boredom can be a common relapse trigger for those in recovery, especially in the earliest stages. That’s because drugs and alcohol change how the brain works. The human brain releases dopamine to reward behavior and encourage one to reinforce it. All these tips are here to help you prevent drinking out of boredom. They give you alternatives to drinking to fill gaps in your life.
- Planning interactions according to “Sober in Seven” can help reduce feelings of loneliness and prevent reliance on alcohol.
- 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.
- So it’s not that sobriety is inherently boring; it’s that your serotonin and dopamine levels are now very low.
- When the alcohol wears off, your problems will still be there, and you’ll likely reach out for more alcohol to escape them again.
- Fall in love with what is, then work to grow from there.
Tips For Addressing Boredom in Early Recovery
- But those numbers don’t mean that those same people are hugely concerned, or planning on quitting.
- And I would be so grateful if you would take a few minutes to rate and review this podcast so that more women can find it and join the conversation about drinking less and living more.
- The key is to find something that brings you joy and allows you to express your creativity – and in some cases, forces you out of your comfort zone.
- Early sobriety is a critical period when community and support networks are critical.
- The course includes the exact step-by-step coaching framework I work through with my private coaching clients, but at a much more affordable price than one-on-one coaching.
I freaking fell asleep early and don’t remember the night. That is not terribly exciting, or things that would happen, that weren’t positive. Now this is really hard to see and imagine when you’re still drinking or an early sobriety when you’re shaking and recovering from drinking. Each week, I’ll bring you tools, lessons and conversations to help you drink less and live more.
Strategies for Overcoming Boredom Drinking
Jordan continued her studies and earned a master’s in clinical and mental health counseling. Between post-graduate work and additional training courses, she honed her skills in treating first responders and military personnel from a trauma-informed perspective. In 2023, Jordan joined the clinical drinking out of boredom team at AspenRidge Recovery.
How to Stop Drinking Out of Boredom: Tips and Advice for a Sober Life in 2024
And we usually drink at the first hint of being bored. If you have kids, you know that your kids always say, I’m bored, there’s nothing to do. And it’s usually after they’ve been watching the iPad for way too long. And you say to them, there’s a whole world outside, go to the trampoline.
#1 Remove Alcohol and Substances From Your Home
Danny spent the first nine years of his career working in youth residential treatment. After managing that program for six years, Danny moved to AspenRidge and now leads the clinical team. 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. Not to mention alcohol also suppresses hormones related to appetite.
Another woman on my call said that she had found during quarantine a local farm that did vegetable deliveries and also the freshest eggs she’s ever seen. Seen, and buckets and buckets of local flowers that are lush and gorgeous and beautiful and a total treat. But she can afford it because she’s not drinking. And she arranges the flowers, and she puts them in front of her house for neighbors to pick up as a little dope dose of joy for other people or leave them on their front stoops. She says that she enjoys arranging them and looking at them and smelling them.
Myth: A “hair of the dog” can stop a hangover in its tracks.
This can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and stress when not drinking, which might make sober times feel particularly empty or boring. When you experience GABA withdrawal, you feel things like intense anxiety, moodiness, and intrusive thoughts. It’s why some people suffer “hangxiety” after a night of heavy 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.
- Tracking your alcohol consumption can help you identify patterns and situations that lead to boredom drinking.
- A hangover can be a mild form of alcohol withdrawal, according to the NIAAA.
- I joined a running club, and I did my first 10 K in 5 years.
- And I pinned a picture of that farmhouse to my vision board to look at for an entire month.
Getting outside and communing with nature is scientifically proven to reduce stress and improve mental health and cognitive function in both kids and adults. But if you can’t or aren’t able to do a group class, at the very least, take a tech-free 30-minute walk every day. I promise it will do wonders for your mental health, which, in turn, will help you feel motivated to do more things. Exercise is critically important in early sobriety and for ongoing mental health and wellness. It’s a great way to boost dopamine and endorphin levels naturally. Before I started drinking too much, I loved to write.
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