If you want to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, it makes sense to avoid busy bars and thirsty friends. But many of us should because millions of us resort to drinking out of boredom whilst relaxing at home. Parties, seasonal events, family meals or work gatherings might spring to mind.
- It’s why nothing seems fun or exciting, and you struggle to motivate yourself to have a good time.
- This drink is available only at Starbucks stores that offer Oleato beverages, so be sure to check the store locator to see whether your store is one.
- Starting to drink gradually might be considered normal or appropriate, but it can quickly create a dependence and lead to a severe drinking problem.
- With more people going sober than ever before, there’s more options than ever before so you don’t have to compromise at home or when you’re out.
However, I’m not saying that when you stop drinking, all boredom will instantly be relieved. “Surely if I’m bored without alcohol, then alcohol makes my life less boring” – they think to themselves. That being said, if you are able to start your sober journey with a feeling of happiness, these challenges can be easily overcome. Give us a call and we can help find the right treatment program for you or your loved one – even if it’s not ours!
Exercise
It’s even harder if your loved ones don’t support your sobriety. Sometimes boredom in sobriety looks like not wanting to be around anyone. On the one hand, you have no idea what you’re supposed to do with yourself.
Fried and overly sugary foods will also artificially spike your dopamine levels and cause your brain to overcorrect, leaving you feeling irritable, depressed, and cranky. Helping others actually boosts our own mental health and feelings of self-worth. Getting sober is like learning to walk again after a terrible accident. You should be able to go about how to stop drinking out of boredom living your life without drinking alcohol, but you feel utterly useless and have no idea what to do with yourself. Tips to change this habit include planning the diet, eating mindfully, and making changes to the environment in which a person eats their food. Making sure a person is adequately hydrated throughout the day may help avoid overeating.
Connect with Others in Recovery
“Over time, the brain adapts to the presence of alcohol, leading to tolerance and the need for increased amounts to achieve the same effect.” Many people find themselves happier when they give up alcohol, regardless of whether they have a drinking problem or just find that alcohol takes more from their life than it offers. Needless to say, there are numerous benefits of not drinking alcohol.
Eating nutrient-dense whole foods helps a person stay satiated and avoid eating unhealthy snacks when they feel bored. Drinking as a way to cope with boredom indulges in and perpetuates that passivity. It’s hard to think of a more passive activity than lying on a couch with a six-pack of beer. You may think you’re going to feel better after boozing, but in actuality, you’re reinforcing the notion that you need to wait for life to entertain you. Over time, this pattern of behavior can inculcate a kind of learned helplessness, so that every time a person drinks to relieve boredom, they reinforce this learned helplessness. By engaging in these activities, you can effectively quit drinking, replace boredom drinking, and promote a healthier lifestyle in 2023.
Your Brain Needs Time to Recover
You don’t have to give up everything; you just want to break the random, mindless, emotional eating habit you’ve developed in response to boredom. Therapy and counseling can play a vital role in addressing underlying mental health issues that contribute to boredom drinking. Through counseling, you can gain guidance, support, and learn behavioral treatments to help you change your drinking behavior. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be particularly effective in helping you address alcohol abuse, suggests McHugh and colleagues in their research Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders. If boredom drinking becomes unmanageable or leads to alcohol addiction, seeking professional help can be crucial for taking control of your life and preventing potential health risks.
Healthy snacks can help maintain energy levels and satiety throughout the day. However, snacks in excess can be unhealthy, and it can be difficult to break the habit. The activity of drinking is not a fun, exciting, or interesting activity.
The same study that found limiting portion sizes of unhealthy food found that increasing the portion size of healthy snacks had positive health benefits overall (4). Make a plan for what snacks you’re going to have during the day and when. Set intentions for your new routine that you won’t break and snack with purpose. If your snacking is linked to an oral fixation, exercise your jaw muscles with a piece of chewing gum.
Boredom alerts us to the fact that, for some reason, we can’t or won’t engage in a more meaningful activity. If you are an emotional overeater—meaning, you respond to your emotions by turning to food—boredom is bound to get the best of you when you can’t think of anything else to do. The obvious answer may be “find something else to do,” but that can be difficult if food is what you do.