By opening up about your relationship with alcohol, you might also encourage others to explore their own drinking habits. People often use alcohol to enhance experiences, but this kind of drinking is problematic because it makes you dependent on alcohol to not feel bored or to have a good time. For example, most people drink at concerts, sports events or parties to transform their experience and heighten the moment. However, because it’s so common, we can fail to recognize the importance of addressing it. Boredom can cascade into serious issues like battling loneliness, uncovering deeply seeded shame and self-loathing, and even feelings of high stress can become prevalent. Drinking out of boredom is how some choose to deal with the dull moments life throws at us.

• You might actually find that being sober is more enjoyable than you predicted.
• You don’t want to fall down that rabbit hole.
• Video chat with someone in a different time zone than you.
• If you’re not sure where to start, check out these writing prompts.
• As with any part of this process, go in with a plan.

One of the first ways that I’d suggest that you overcome boredom is just to accept that it’s part of the discomfort that you’re going to go through, I mean that’s all it basically is. There’s nothing wrong with boredom, we all get bored from time to time, just don’t get yourself so stressed out about it. We often say “well, don’t think about drinking.” But it’s almost impossible not to.

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

If you’re ready for a consultation, contact us now. Boredom is a natural state or emotion that’s part of the spectrum of things we feel as humans, and we all experience boredom in different forms and at different times. Facing your unhappy thoughts can be overwhelming, and it’s natural to need a break or a distraction from time to time. But you should turn to other, more productive ways to cope with your boredom that won’t be detrimental to your health.

Start with going for walks for minutes every day. Pursue outdoor activities like kayaking or fishing. That is the activity I’ve buried my energy into since quitting. And while these things might sound serious and scary, it’s important to https://ecosoberhouse.com/ note that it’s one piece of a larger puzzle. Recovery and sobriety are often complicated. It’s not as simple as “getting out there” and “trying something new.” It’s hard to do that when you suffer from extreme depression and anhedonia.

Examine your current relationship with alcohol

But I’m going to explore solutions for people who sit at various points along the “sobriety is so boring” spectrum. Take what applies to you and leave whatever doesn’t. I realized that sobriety was not fundamentally boring.

So if you go to a place that serves alcohol, maybe you can immediately order a non-alcoholic drink. Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. When it’s safe for you to do so, go bowling. It’s a stimulating, challenging, and competitive way to spend a weekend night.

Want to Quit Drinking? Use These 8 Strategies to Make It a Reality

But self-medicating like this is not just bad for your body, but it is also likely to make your mental health worse. Drinking out of boredom because you feel anxious is likely to make you feel worse because alcohol is a depressant, so if you are already feeling low, it makes those feelings more extreme. It’s very common for people, especially those with additional mental health issues like depression and anxiety, to drink out of boredom.

And it held me in a place where I was stuck and where my world got smaller and smaller. Once you stop drinking, your world becomes more open. And you get to find out what life looks like, and feels like without drinking.

Find a hobby and/or social activity to get involved in.

This can lead to drinking more and more, potentially developing into harmful patterns or alcohol use disorder. But the thing is, drinking out of boredom is a type of drinking that can quickly spiral out of control if you aren’t careful. Feeling drinking out of boredom bored is a natural part of life, but how you choose to cope with it can have a major impact on your well-being. There are healthy ways to deal with boredom and then there are the other options – the things we do to escape it entirely.