Tips to stop drinking out of boredom

It can be as elaborate as you’d like—just put on your favorite playlist and enjoy doing something tactile with the person you love. Take a creative writing workshop, or organize a writing group of your own. Communicating about each other’s work and facilitating feedback are excellent skills to practice.

Reframe Boredom as an Opportunity

Soon it can seem weird NOT to have a glass in your hand, even if the rest of you is thinking about something else (or not thinking about very much at all). Drinking because of boredom happens because home is where we feel safe, unjudged – it’s where we can relax. But at home, it’s easy to get a bit too comfortable… you can get a long way down a bottle when you are sitting in front of the TV half-watching some series to pass the time. Our addiction specialists are here to help 24/7. Give us a call and we can help find the right treatment program for you or your loved one – even if it’s not ours! While alcohol abuse is common, it doesn’t mean you have to face it alone.

• One of the reasons why people are reluctant to escape addiction is that they fear that life in recovery will be boring.
• It can be used with counseling or therapy and is not meant as a substitute for professional help.
• When I first went into recovery I did the bare minimum.

You don’t have to tell everyone

This is particularly likely to happen in the early weeks and months of sobriety when people are still trying to find their feet. Addictions use up a lot of time so once people enter recovery they find that they have a lot of spare time on their hands. If they do not find ways to fill this time then it can mean that they end up feeling bored a lot of the time. People feel that they have nothing better to do so they turn to alcohol or drugs for entertainment.

Recently I spotted an interesting comment on my blog about feeling bored.

There’s a very fine line between social drinking and problematic drinking, and one could easily lead to the other and cause serious health implications. Drinking to combat boredom can be problematic, but you can prevent long-term consequences if you identify it early. Many people use alcoholic beverages to enhance experiences.

Overall, nearly 20% of people who drink in this category have alcohol use disorder. Boredom is what can occur when you feel like you’ve got nothing to do and no real agency in changing that fact. The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey. Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge.

• But it’s just occurred to me that a lot of my drinking is just habit or boredom.
• When your body is physically hungry and in need of calories for energy, you may notice signs like your stomach growling, a headache, and feelings of weakness or fatigue.
• In certain situations, being bored too often may have detrimental health effects, such as increased rates of depression and altered eating habits (1, 28).
• It typically occurs when we find ourselves disengaged from what’s going on around us or when there’s a lack of interest or enjoyment in our activities.
• If a person’s cupboards and refrigerator are full of appealing but unhealthy foods, the person may feel inclined to eat them when they feel bored.

Some drink for pleasure or at social events, while others find themselves drinking for no reason at all.. Regardless of the intent, there are significant health implications that arguably make alcohol the most dangerous substance on the market. Simply asking these questions might be enough to take the edge off the urge to drink. But if you end up drinking anyway, mindfulness also means forgiving yourself and learning from the experience. For example, CBT might help you realize you look at boredom in a negative light.

That was until I finally realised too much was enough and that I needed to stop. Ten years ago, after 22 years of problem drinking, I shared a bottle of champagne with a friend and put the bottle and the glasses in the recycling bin. These are 10 things drinking because of boredom I’ve learned in those 10 years of being alcohol-free. Making sure a person is adequately hydrated throughout the day may help avoid overeating. Sometimes, people may confuse being hungry with needing to hydrate, and drinking some water may help.

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