And part of the important work is to actually sit with feeling blah for a little while. And to actually be forced to think about things other than drinking that might possibly amuse you, might bring you joy, or occupy your time. You know, after you get through the days when you are so tired. And you just need to not talk to people and feel like you have the flu, you can look around and see those activities and that people are hiding in plain sight. We almost have tunnel vision when we quit drinking.
Why Drinking Out of Boredom Is So Risky
Do you walk around the block and phone a friend? The solution is some form of stimulation, which can be healthy or potentially unhealthy. I encourage anyone in recovery to be open, honest, and willing to do the work. Besides, it is all up to you to be the person you would like to become. 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. Often, it really comes down to being willing to do something that doesn’t entertain you or make you feel good immediately.
Americans Are Drinking More Alcohol Than Ever
Bored drinking can sneakily become an unhealthy habit, and it’s not always easy to curb it on your own. Simply asking these questions might be enough to take the edge off the urge to drink. But famous fetal alcohol syndrome if you end up drinking anyway, mindfulness also means forgiving yourself and learning from the experience.
Bored Drinking: How to Defend Against the Sneakiest Trigger
And the sickness and tiredness you feel after the initial high of alcohol consumption wears off is neither fun nor interesting. So drinking because you’re bored isn’t doing much for you in the long run. Instead, you should find ways to cope with your boredom that keep you productively occupied and are more fulfilling. Originally from Nashville, TN, Jordan moved to Colorado with her family at age five. She has worked in behavioral health since graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 2019.
You’re sidestepping offers for office happy hours, or zoom happy hours. But believe me when I tell you that I realized that longer term sobriety was an exciting new adventure. Whether or not you realize it, drinking is the shame cycle.
It is literally our companion for everything a lot of times more than even our best friend or spouse or our kids. So yes, you will feel a void when you remove alcohol. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol use, we can help. Footprints to Recovery offers alcohol addiction treatment that’s evidence-based and personalized to your clinical needs, preferences, and life situation. We don’t just treat the symptoms of addiction; we address underlying issues like co-occurring mental health conditions and trauma that perpetuate substance use. We’ll also teach you healthy coping skills that support long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol.
- He’s a senior scientific adviser at the NIH institute that studies alcohol, and he says the results have been kind of surprising.
- 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.
- When you’re drinking out of boredom, that easy ‘high’ can feel like an effective solution to the dullness or lack of stimulation that’s bothering you.
- Additionally, she has a master’s in holistic wellness and is trained in EMDR therapy for both in-person and virtual settings.
- You have to understand what you’re feeling and WHY you’re feeling this way in order to change it.
- If you justify to yourself, “I drink when I’m bored,” it can quickly lead to overindulgence and health concerns.
Break the Boredom Drinking Loop
This can make social situations tricky to navigate – so be picky about where you go, what you do and who with. If you haven’t read the Sober Lush, go ahead and pick it up. Or someone said even listening to it on audiobook was even better, because the stories are so rich and descriptive, and also short so you can listen to them in snippets. But just giving you ideas of what you can do, and picking out an assignment that you want to try. It also made me tired, which got rid of some of my anxiety. It made me feel accomplished early in the morning.