Boredom: A Possible Road to Addiction

Drinking out of boredom is common, especially among those suffering from other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. According to Medical News Today, the average adult in the United States experiences around 131 days of boredom per year. How we react to the state of boredom is critical to our ongoing mental health, experts state. Boredom has an emotional quality to it, and cognitive behavioral therapy teaches that feelings are an outgrowth of thoughts. Someone who’s bored and drinking on a couch probably didn’t get there by accident.

Just restart your plan and recognize & reflect on what
challenges need to be overcome and how. Whether your sobriety has you wallowing in boredom or self-pity, please know that it will get better. Even if you have no idea HOW things can change, trust the process and keep working on it. By focusing on eating healthy, nourishing foods, you are actively working on reversing those symptoms.

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Boredom is the best excuse to finally getting around to doing these things that can enhance one’s life. Satisfying hobbies can distract you from wanting to drink, but they also help you relax — something everyone needs to do. By avoiding alcohol, you’re taking a big step toward improving physical health.

My friends and I got together for happy hours after work. It all felt normal, even the terrible parts like awful hangovers and hangxiety. In fact, when you first quit, it feels like everyone in the world is out getting drunk but https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/boredom-drinking-and-how-to-stop-it/ you. 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! There will always be a long lost friend who arrives on your doorstep looking to catch up over a few drinks.

#3 Make a Schedule to Structure Your Days

By engaging in healthy activities such as exercise and connecting with other people in recovery, you can begin to build a new and more meaningful life without alcohol or drugs. In active addiction, drug and alcohol use becomes the focus of everything you do, so when those activities suddenly cease, it can leave a feeling of emptiness and boredom. It is important to remember that your brain needs time to recover from the effects of substance abuse. Boredom can be a good thing or a bad thing, says Erin Westgate, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. If boredom leads to daydreaming that sparks creative thinking, that could be a good thing.

• Our brains don’t like imbalance and will work very hard to correct it.
• Are there things that you can attempt to do to find exciting activities and still stay alcohol-free?
• You might not want to hear people express concerns about your alcohol consumption or see their disapproving looks.

There’s a connection between consuming alcohol and boredom. You may be a single parent, widowed, or unmarried and living alone. You might be retired or house-bound due to a medical condition or injury. Picking up that drink to get past feeling bored is a dangerous practice that can only drinking out of boredom get worse. You may automatically find yourself gravitating toward alcohol to pass the time, increasing the risk of developing an addiction. The association between drinking and having a good time has been perpetuated and promoted for years by companies marketing beer, wine, and spirits.