Activities like talking a few short walks or periodic stretch breaks during the day provide a mental and physical break from usual routines. Alcohol addiction rehab programs should address substance use as well as any underlying co-occurring mental health disorders. The most effective treatment provides access to ongoing therapy, skills training, group or peer support, relapse avoidance techniques, and prescribed medications, if necessary. Taking a personalized approach allows many families and individuals the chance to adjust treatment to best suit lifestyle, needs, and long-term goals.

You put off starting a new hobby or working on an existing one.

• Alcohol robs you of the ability to feel naturally motivated and inspired.
• Drinking because of boredom happens because home is where we feel safe, unjudged – it’s where we can relax.
• I know that my increased dependence on alcohol during the pandemic pales in comparison to the challenges faced by those with alcohol addiction.
• Particularly in my adoptive state of Wisconsin, at everything from church events to high school graduations and baby showers it is expected that there will be alcohol available.

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. Volunteering and participating in community events can help you stay engaged, build meaningful connections, and reduce boredom drinking. Lockdowns and stay-at-home orders are instrumental in quelling the devastation of the virus, and there is nothing more important than preventing more deaths. Almost a year into the UK’s pandemic, however, the government still can’t say for certain whether people will be able to mix with their loved ones outdoors by Easter. In these conditions, drinking has become a respite that offers a sense of fun, and a way to relax.

#2 Keep a List of Supportive Contacts

Most people drink to fill some sort of void, like boredom, loneliness, an unhappy relationship, job-related stress or anxiety. When the alcohol wears off, your problems will still be there, and you’ll likely reach out for more alcohol to escape them again. If you find yourself bored without alcohol or drinking simply because you’re bored, you might be developing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Regular drinking is often considered socially appropriate and normal, but if your drinking extends to when you’re alone, that’s a red flag. There’s a very fine line between social drinking and problematic drinking, and one could easily lead to the other and cause serious health implications.

• It turns out that doing this even briefly has some health benefits, and NPR’s Allison Aubrey is here to talk about it.
• If you’re not sure whether boredom is a drinking trigger, keep a running list of when you feel the urge to drink.
• Facing your unhappy thoughts can be overwhelming, and it’s natural to need a break or a distraction from time to time.
• You decide to crack open a bottle of wine and scroll on your phone, maybe message some people you haven’t spoken to in a while, just passing the time.
• If you’re not able to take a walk, you might find it helpful to take a few minutes to stretch or do breathing exercises.
• 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.

In Network Providers

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. So much of this list is not just about finding things to do, but treating the underlying causes of extreme boredom in sobriety.

Dry January: The Health Benefits From Taking A Break From Alcohol

• It’s therefore no surprise that during the pandemic, the rate of alcohol consumption increased among people that reported COVID-19 related stress.
• Catching signs of abuse early also minimizes the risks of adverse health effects and increases the probability of achieving sobriety much more quickly.
• Whether your sobriety has you wallowing in boredom or self-pity, please know that it will get better.

This might explain why, in such moments, we impulsively reach for distractions, like the remote or a social media scroll. But I PROMISE you, if you keep https://centraltribune.com/top-5-advantages-of-staying-in-a-sober-living-house/ moving forward, things in your brain will start to click. And one day, it will occur to you that you’re actually happy and enjoying your life.

Eat regularly throughout the day

Catching signs of abuse early also minimizes the risks of adverse health effects and increases the probability of achieving sobriety much more quickly. While alcohol abuse is common, it doesn’t mean you have to face it alone. Downplaying the seriousness of alcohol misuse and addiction can have impactful ramifications.

This continued through the holiday itself, as the government dashed the public’s plans around like pinballs. After the first lockdown, I got sick of mornings spent with foggy headaches, and as the days got longer and restrictions eased a little, it became easier to cut down. I began to drink on days when normally I wouldn’t, finishing Top 5 Advantages of Staying in a Sober Living House half a bottle or more in the evenings, when usually I’d just have a glass. Sometimes a quick 10–20-minute walk is all it takes to recenter yourself and forget about the urge to snack out of boredom. Here are a few specific ways you can tailor your environment to discourage yourself from boredom eating when the urge strikes.

Some people like to have three meals and a few snacks each day, while others may prefer to have more or less. What’s more, knowing that you plan to eat a meal or snack in the next few hours could be motivation to hold back from eating until then. Try to spread out your calorie intake throughout a regular meal and snack schedule. This may keep you more full and less hungry than eating the same number of calories on a less regular meal schedule (5). If you’re concerned you could be experiencing symptoms of disordered eating, reach out to a trained professional for help.

And one has to be willing to feel uncomfortable to make those changes happen for oneself. I would like to invite anyone reading this to be patient with themselves, and to find ways to adjust to their boredom and discomfort with doing something different. Most people experience stress and try their best to alleviate it.