In other words, it’s about suspending the need for instant gratification. Boredom can be challenging in early recovery. But truthfully, it’s something we all experience—and struggle with—throughout our lives.
Put together a playlist, turn on a disco light, and grab your dancing shoes. Create care packages to send to seniors or folks in need in your community. It’s a stimulating, challenging, and competitive way to spend a weekend night.
In fact, boredom is a genuine emotion, akin to drinking out of boredom happiness or sadness. When this emotion surfaces, it reveals our disconnection or lack of interest in our surroundings or activities. It searches for a spark, something to stimulate and captivate us. This might explain why, in such moments, we impulsively reach for distractions, like the remote or a social media scroll. Bored drinking can sneakily become an unhealthy habit, and it’s not always easy to curb it on your own.
Not to mention alcohol also suppresses hormones related to appetite. So when you reach for a snack, you add even more pounds. As these nights add up, you’ll wake up with less energy, a clouded mind, and the inability to perform at your best. The reality is there are other, healthier ways both to celebrate that milestone and deal with the boredom trigger. Even when COVID lockdowns ended, we found in the same survey that 17% of respondents who worked from home were more likely to be excessive drinkers. For those who didn’t work from home, only 12% were prone to excessive drinking.
Many people claim that they drink for the totally opposite reason – they find themselves drinking out of boredom. Here are some tips to stop drinking alcohol out of boredom. Use Sunnyside to track your drinks and better understand the connection between how much you drink and how you feel. When boredom leads to drinking, people often reach for a drink without realizing the long-term consequences. What starts as an occasional glass of wine or beer to “take the edge off” can quickly become a habitual coping mechanism, making it harder to break free over time. Before long, individuals may drink more often and in larger quantities without even enjoying it anymore.
As part of your daily “boredom prevention plan,” schedule a reward for not drinking when you otherwise would. Hobbies occupy the mind and give you a sense of accomplishment. They improve your overall sense of well-being. Bored drinking might elevate your mood briefly, but it won’t ever match the satisfaction of mastering a hobby.
Having a list of supportive contacts is beneficial because it can provide you with immediate access to people who will encourage and support you on your journey to recovery. Boredom, after stopping drinking, is not uncommon. There are countless numbers of people complaining about feeling bored, not knowing what to do with themselves. Most people experience stress and try their best to alleviate it.
In the modern world, it’s very very difficult to just do nothing. Steer your thoughts around to why you’re not drinking. We often say “well, don’t think about drinking.” But it’s almost impossible not to.