Want to read the full transcript of this podcast episode? Recovery is hard work, but we think you’ll find it’s well worth it. Call us today for a free, confidential consultation. Boredom and stress are two emotions that can feel as if they are never going to leave. However, as the saying goes, this too shall pass. Valuing and prioritizing yourself in recovery can be a powerful way to remove the hold alcohol has on you.

• Especially when it comes to psychological types of hunger like boredom eating, external factors often trigger the urge to eat.
• In fact, alcohol is connected to over 60 different cancers and diseases.
• And when I was drinking I thoroughly enjoyed these hobbies.
• I also got to listen to great music when I was jogging music that I hadn’t heard in years, I listened to songs from college and from high school.

Nothing Else Has Changed

The one you’d love without alcohol in it. The truth is that you might feel bored, what you’re going through is normal, it happens to everyone. The truth is that not drinking right now is your entire job. It may feel like all you’re doing is reading a book, watching TV, making tea, going to bed.

• But do you expect to avoid your own sofa?
• I know it might sound as though it won’t do much, but slowing down and paying attention to your breath can really change how you feel and instill a sense of calm.20.
• That reminder of how good you’ll feel should keep you from heading to the fridge.
• Recovery and sobriety are often complicated.
• I planted strawberries so that I could eat them and gather them with my daughter and take pictures.

How To Stop Being Bored After Stopping Drinking

It’s responsible for more than 95,000 deaths annually. Will eating salads and drinking water make your boredom go away? Not exactly, but it can make you feel better, which has a ripple effect on whether or not you enjoy your life. Early sobriety is a critical period when community and support networks are critical. This can be hard if your social life previously revolved around drinking. It’s even harder if your loved ones don’t support your sobriety.

Resist Bored Drinking with Sunnyside

To be bored means that you’re feeling uninterested in your current activity. The feeling often occurs when the day has been monotonous or repetitive. Many people turn to screen-based activities like watching TV or scrolling on their phone when they’re feeling bored. Trying to prevent boredom or override the feeling by eating and finding other distractions doesn’t always work. You might find meaning in the downtime by trying to embrace boredom instead. Practicing self-awareness and developing a better understanding of how your own emotions are influencing your appetite is a great starting place to combat boredom eating.

• So if you can’t accept the boredom then get up and do something.
• Volunteering is a great way to reconnect with your community.
• In this article, we’ll unpack bored drinking and help you figure out whether boredom is a drinking trigger.
• The decision is often met with doubt, questioning if sobriety is attainable.

And I’ve wandered around there with my daughter. And it gave me what I call an anchor activity for the long days during the pandemic. And that’s what it’s like, when we take away our wine, Right? We’re like, there’s nothing to do if we’re not drinking. You suggest it sounds good, or as good as my wife?

A lot of people experience anhedonia when they quit. Dopamine is another neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness. It is also responsible for regulating movement and emotional response. Dopamine depletion can cause apathy, boredom, and lack of motivation.

Have nutritious, filling snacks

Getting outside and communing with nature is scientifically proven to reduce stress and improve mental health and cognitive function in both kids and adults. 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. It’s particularly drinking because of boredom therapeutic to find something to do with your hands. Not on its own, but maybe it starts a conversation and a friend comes over just to sit with you and make sure you’re good. When I quit drinking, I was lucky to have a spouse that supported my decision. And yet, he still had no idea how to support me.

Alcohol didn’t make life fun. It just made you not care.

• Interestingly, people who are prone to addiction are more easily bored.
• If you are concerned about alcohol’s effect on your life or a loved one’s life, please feel welcome.
• For those who didn’t work from home, only 12% were prone to excessive drinking.
• Some of the things they experience in early sobriety that may lead them to go back to drinking.
• Talk to them about your drinking out of boredom too.

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