One of the biggest impediments to my sobriety during my relapse days was my inability to avoid getting consumed by emotions. When you get sober, you realize there is an entire daytime pulse in your city or town that you never really felt before. Things that people do during that day that don’t involve recovering or boozy brunch. What did you enjoy doing before drinking came around and took over your social life? If you must dig WAY back into childhood for this answer, then do that. Right now, you’re doing a very hard thing, and sometimes hard things feel lonely.
- I promise it will do wonders for your mental health, which, in turn, will help you feel motivated to do more things.
- Engaging in physical exercise and outdoor activities can boost your mental wellbeing and help you resist the urge to drink out of boredom.
- You should be able to go about living your life without drinking alcohol, but you feel utterly useless and have no idea what to do with yourself.
- An important way to safeguard your sobriety is to be aware of this and take steps to mitigate it.
- Embrace the process and celebrate each milestone along the way, knowing that personal growth and fulfillment are within reach.
#2 Keep a List of Supportive Contacts
Mindfulness also helps you recognize triggers that may lead to relapse, such as stress, anxiety, or negative emotions. This way, you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings and learn to manage them healthily, reducing the risk of relapse. 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. When you’re triggered by experiences like boredom or isolation, the accessibility of alcohol makes it that much harder to refrain from drinking to cope with these difficult feelings.
Identifying Personal Goals
Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol. You’ll meet millions of fellow Reframers in our 24/7 Forum chat and daily Zoom check-in meetings. Receive encouragement from people worldwide who know exactly what you’re going through! You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with our licensed Reframe coaches for more personalized guidance. Our brain also becomes accustomed to the presence of alcohol and starts to see it as the “new normal.” So when there’s no alcohol, things seem a bit off.
The Importance of Addressing Boredom in Recovery
Some alternative activities to consider include physical exercise and outdoor activities, creative pursuits and learning new skills, and volunteering and community involvement. Various addiction treatment programs are available for those struggling with alcohol use disorder and boredom drinking. These programs should address substance use and drinking out of boredom 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. Such a comprehensive treatment is most effective in achieving recovery.
- To begin, it’s essential to take the time to reflect on personal aspirations and desires.
- Also know what you are going to drink and select from alcohol alternatives.
- However, a simple change of the surroundings may be enough to stimulate the brain and improve mood.
- Remember, recovery is a journey of self-discovery, and finding activities that ignite your passion can greatly contribute to your overall well-being.
- And the thing about alcohol is that it is way more efficient and reliable at creating this effect than natural rewards like having fun with friends or eating a delicious meal.
- If you need support in your journey, our team at Ria Health is always here to help you, and we’re only a call away.
What Can Regular Drinking Do to You?
Avoid the urge to eat in front of a screen
Your social life is negatively impacted.
Why Do I Crave Alcohol When I’m Bored
