She typically works with people interested in taking a holistic approach to treating their addictions. This will include healthy eating, movement, meditation, mindfulness and spirituality. Outside of work, she’s a devotee of Krishna, and her friends call her Karunya Shakti, which means compassionate energy. She enjoys singing and dancing in kirtan and reading ancient Vedic literature like the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Why Can’t I Stop Drinking Once I Start? 4 Major Reasons
Have you always wanted to learn to dance salsa? Get on Google, find a class, and make it happen. Plus, you might meet some cool people, and that’s always a double win. That being said, drinking FOMO is real and must be dealt with. Sometimes admitting the truth to yourself is the first step.
- Facing your unhappy thoughts can be overwhelming, and it’s natural to need a break or a distraction from time to time.
- Boredom is totally natural and we all feel it, but it can be hard to find a way out of your rut.
- You can get second hand stuff and spray painted.
Drinking Out of Boredom Actually Makes Boredom More Unbearable
Justin was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he began his clinical education at Colorado State University. He received his bachelor’s in health and exercise science with a concentration in sports medicine and eventually earned a master’s of psychology in addiction counseling. During his time as a therapist, Justin has worked in a residential addiction treatment facility, private practice, and outpatient settings. Beyond her clinical practice at AspenRidge, Courtney finds solace in outdoor activities, sports, reading, and cherishing quality time with her family and beloved dog. Sunnyside is the leading alcohol health platform focused on moderation and mindfulness, not sobriety. On average, members see a 30% reduction in alcohol consumption in 3 months, leading to improved sleep, diet, and overall wellbeing.
Drinking Out of Boredom
These habits are often activated by certain cues or conditions, like boredom, which can lead to excessive drinking and result in a variety of health issues, including alcohol abuse. By recognizing and addressing these habits, you can break the cycle of boredom drinking and take control of drinking out of boredom your life. Now that I’ve quit drinking, I am just living, just living, I am just going through life, not recovering.
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.
- And if you’re curious about your drinking habits, the following quiz may be helpful to you.
- Call us today for a free, confidential consultation.
- In drinking, we often let things happen to us, we drink so that our life will be more interesting and exciting.
- You’ll get to meet new people and be a part of something positive.
- Don’t expect products like sports drinks, vitamin-infused patches or hydration packets to work any miracles before or after a night on the town, says Marino.
- Our brain starts needing more and more alcohol to experience the same level of reward or pleasure, resulting in increased alcohol consumption.
Thriving in Sobriety: 7 Tips to Cure Boredom in Recovery
One source of unhappiness is, unsurprisingly, boredom. Sitting in traffic, for instance, is one of those things that most people would rather forego. Other tasks like laundry and cleaning the house can cause boredom and be a source of anxiety. As part of your daily “boredom prevention plan,” schedule a reward for not drinking when you otherwise would. One of the best ways to deal with bored drinking is to anticipate it — why is not always easy.
Once your downtime ends, and you’ve made progress on your hobby or taken a walk, enjoy a piece of chocolate before your next activity. And to stay motivated, take a moment to jot down in a journal how you feel after making progress in your hobby. When boredom strikes and you find it more difficult to muster the motivation to work on your hobby, read these journal entries. That reminder of how good you’ll feel should keep you from heading to the fridge. Are there certain days where boredom is more likely to sneak in? At the beginning of those days, plan to work on a hobby or some other activity when nothing else is scheduled.
Life without drinking is not smaller. It’s not boring.
Call us today for a free, confidential consultation. Often, being bored without alcohol seems intimidating because when there’s no task to put your mind to, you’re forced to notice the things that are making you unhappy. What I don’t advise is trying to tackle it by yourself. And if you need a place to start, we have a wonderful private Facebook group full of people wrestling with some of the same questions and concerns you have. After a while, you’ll notice that your interests start to narrow, as does your social circle.
Seeking Professional Help for Boredom Drinking
Alcohol’s reinforcing effects can be attributed to the way cortisol interacts with the brain’s reward system, causing a person to feel pleasure and therefore reach for more of it when stressed. This proactive approach will empower you to break the cycle of loneliness, addiction, and more loneliness, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling life in the present moment. You can experience hangxiety after even just one drink, says Harrison. And “it can come before physical symptoms or without physical symptoms at all.”