How to Stop Drinking Out of Boredom Footprints to Recovery Leading Drug & Alcohol Treatment Programs

Most people experience stress and try their best to alleviate it. You might have a drink to calm your mind, mellow out your mood, and take the edge off stress. You might occasionally consume several alcoholic beverages to drinking out of boredom blot out a highly stressful day. Drinking to relieve stress may veer into murky territory, if you feel that you must consume alcohol every day to de-stress. Some of us may have enjoyed, at least to some extent, the break from work the furlough scheme has offered.

#3 Make a Schedule to Structure Your Days

Describing her therapeutic approach as evidence-based, Courtney champions a humanistic or person-centered approach as the ideal foundation. Courtney’s professional experience in substance use treatment began in a holistic residential treatment center. Since then, she has worked across various settings including outpatient, inpatient, and community corrections programs. Originally from Boca Raton, Florida, Danny moved to Denver to study at the University of Colorado and earned a master’s degree in counseling. Danny spent the first nine years of his career working in youth residential treatment. After managing that program for six years, Danny moved to AspenRidge and now leads the clinical team.

• Between post-graduate work and additional training courses, she honed her skills in treating first responders and military personnel from a trauma-informed perspective.
• The current pandemic has highlighted how boredom can trigger the misuse of substances, particularly alcohol.
• These stories remind us that boredom isn’t merely a state of inactivity or idleness — it can also be a time for reflection, creativity, and unexpected discovery.
• Not exactly, but it can make you feel better, which has a ripple effect on whether or not you enjoy your life.
• Don’t assume people are too busy to see you, all they need is to know that you would like to meet up.
• Recognizing and addressing personal triggers that lead to boredom drinking is crucial for maintaining a sober lifestyle.

Physical Exercise and Outdoor Activities

Talking with a trained therapist, especially one who understands substance abuse, is important. They can give you tools and resources for navigating everything you’re feeling (or not feeling) right now. The contrast between the heightened emotional state while drinking and the flatness of mood when sober can make everyday life without alcohol seem uninteresting – sometimes unbearably so.

Sober and Bored? Here’s What To Do About It

This is particularly true if you’ve had a hard day at work or with the kids, and you are tired or stressed out. 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). 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.

• If you do manage to meet your friends, the added drinks from socializing might affect your ability to get home, placing a burden on your friends.
• Even when consumed in smaller quantities, alcohol can have short- and long-term effects.
• She furthered her education by completing a master’s of science in clinical mental health counseling from Capella University.
• Don’t get your thrills from booze or heroin, get them directly from your own brain by trying new and exciting things.
• Then we’ll show you how to better manage boredom and avoid unhealthy drinking patterns.
• It’s hard to fill that time, especially when dealing with alcohol cravings and triggers.

You have to understand what you’re feeling and WHY you’re feeling this way in order to change it. But if you can’t or aren’t able to do a group class, at the very least, take a tech-free 30-minute walk every day. I promise it will do wonders for your mental health, which, in turn, will help you feel motivated to do more things. What did you enjoy doing before drinking came around and took over your social life? If you must dig WAY back into childhood for this answer, then do that. Staying busy is a great way to stave off boredom and create space for healing the parts of your brain that took a walloping from drinking.

Understanding the Link Between Boredom and Drinking

• I could go back and re-read what I wrote and approach it from the perspective of an outside observer.
• In the modern world, it’s very very difficult to just do nothing.
• If you’re nice and relaxed you’re not really too bothered about what’s going on in the outside environment then you’re not likely to be bored.
• By engaging in these activities, you can effectively quit drinking, replace boredom drinking, and promote a healthier lifestyle in 2024.
• That unwanted feeling in addiction recovery is boredom, but it is fueled by the impact of substance use in the brain.

Mindfulness practices and stress management techniques can empower you to cope with boredom and negative emotions without turning to alcohol. Practicing mindfulness can help you become more aware of your emotions and triggers, so you can avoid turning to alcohol out of boredom. Stress management techniques can also help you manage difficult situations without alcohol. Eventually, feeling bored all the time leads to increased alcohol consumption.

Seeking Treatment

She believes in healing the whole person in a safe and supportive environment. Jill enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, friends, and pets when she is not in the office. She spends most weekends in the mountains hiking, fishing, 4-wheeling, and camping. Jill is an avid photographer and particularly enjoys Colorado sunsets. If she won the lottery tomorrow, Jill would create a pet sanctuary where the community would unite.