Dealing with Boredom in Early Sobriety
Content
Everyone reacts to boredom differently, but the way we react is vital to our health and well-being. The Association for Addiction Professionals represents the professional interests of more than 100,000 addiction-focused health care professionals in the United States, Canada and abroad. Recovery is hard work, but we think you’ll find it’s well worth it. Call us today for a free, confidential consultation. Drinking for negative reinforcement to cope, such as using alcohol to escape, avoid, or regulate unpleasant emotions. SMART Recovery – Self-Management and Recovery Training is a program that aims to achieve abstinence through self-directed change. Alcoholics Anonymous – Learn more about AA’s 12 steps and find a support meeting in your area.
Boredom is a big danger area when we’re trying to quit. When drinking becomes habitual, it eventually becomes the default choice, maybe the only choice. Getting pissed is the default choice when we’re feeling happy, sad, tired, bored, grumpy, angry, or bored. When we’re bored, the first thing that pops into our minds to alleviate the boredom is alcohol. Although many may not think of it initially, boredom is a powerful trigger insubstance use disorders. If a person is newly sober and feeling bored, they could look to substance use a way to cure boredom and increase excitement in their life. You know the more I found things to do that made me feel like I had some kind of purpose, the less bored I became.
Promises Behavioral Health Addiction Treatment Centers
It’s therefore no surprise that during the pandemic, the rate of alcohol consumption increased among people that reported COVID-19 related stress. The pandemic has been here and, at the time of this writing, is continuing to keep our world in a state of flux.
A person using substances exposes their brain to tremendous amounts of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. So it’s not that sobriety is inherently boring; it’s that your serotonin and dopamine levels are now very low.
Treatment options
Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Whether it’s your partner, friends or colleagues, ask those who know you for ideas of things you can experiment with to fill your time differently. Don’t assume people are too busy to see you, all they need is to know that you would like to meet up.
Will I ever have fun without alcohol?
It is more than possible to have fun at a party without alcohol; plenty of people do so regularly. Parties aren't about how much of a substance you can use; they're about the people you're spending time with.
The current pandemic has highlighted how boredom can trigger the misuse of substances, particularly alcohol. In fact, alcohol sales outside of bars and restaurants surged 24% shortly after stay-at-home orders https://en.forexpulse.info/massachusetts-sober-housing-corporation/ began. It’s not easy to talk to someone about their drinking. You may be worried that if you bring up your concerns the person will get angry, defensive, lash out, or simply deny that they have a problem.
The Truth About How Boring Life Is Without Alcohol
From AA meetings (which you can attend online or in-person right now) to apps, there are many ways what is a sober living house to get support. Verywell Mind’s content is for informational and educational purposes only.
- The brain naturally releasesneurotransmitters like dopamineas a way to reward a behavior and encourage you to repeat it.
- Second, another limitation concerns the sole focus on boredom proneness.
- What did you enjoy doing before drinking came around and took over your social life?
- It’s a real issue that is leading people from all walks of life into potential substance use disorders.
I guess I’m wondering how I stop thinking about that illusion of how my favorite things are amplified when adding alcohol to them. She couldn’t imagine her life without wine at that time, but now she acknowledges that drinking made her tired and impatient.