And I walked past a store window, when we were about to jump on the ferry. And it said, if you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new Hello. But look around for your new Hello, when you are leaving something behind that isn’t serving you. And you need to stay the course and you do need to try, it won’t always fall in your lap. And you actually need this space, you need the blah, you need the quiet time between your drinking life and what is going to fill it up.

Additional resources to fight boredom in sobriety:

• Many bored drinkers likely don’t realize they’re bored drinkers.
• It’s hard to fill that time, especially when dealing with alcohol cravings and triggers.
• Each time you drink, you’re having a bit of ‘me time’.
• This podcast episode is about feeling bored in sobriety.

It can be as elaborate as you’d like — just put on your favorite playlist and enjoy doing something tactile with the person you love. Write it out or talk it out with a friend (or your voice memos app). If you’re unsure where to start, check out this guide on how to cope with loneliness through new activities and interests. The key is to stay curious and open to new experiences, which can create positive outlets for your energy.

How To Overcome The Boredom When You Stop Drinking Alcohol? (Transcript)

• Communicating about each other’s work and facilitating feedback are excellent skills to practice.
• And frankly, after years of drinking, I was really out of shape.
• While a drink might provide a brief moment of relief, alcohol is a depressant that can have negative effects on mental health over time.
• Many people say that they drink alcohol to manage anxiety – to numb it or take the edge off difficult feelings.
• It is very common for people to replace alcohol with sugar in the beginning, which is detrimental not only to your waistline and physical health but your mental well-being as well.

And that also filled me up with joy and connection with people whose life didn’t center around drinking. And I would think about what else I could do with my afternoons and my evenings that didn’t center around wine. 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.

The Kindling Effect: Why Quitting Alcohol Gets Harder Every Time

Explore sober activities that interest you and give you a sense of fulfillment. After months or years of engaging in addictive behaviors, finding purpose and excitement in everyday life can be difficult. Here are some smart recovery tips to help you cultivate a fulfilling and meaningful life in sobriety while avoiding the pitfalls of boredom and relapse. Whether you know you want to stop drinking and live an alcohol free life, are sober curious, or are in recovery this podcast is for you. So for a woman who loves to multitask and likes to check things off the list. I was like, I’m sitting around not drinking but I worked out four times this week, five times this week.

• Another woman on my call said that she had found during quarantine a local farm that did vegetable deliveries and also the freshest eggs she’s ever seen.
• If you do manage to meet your friends, the added drinks from socializing might affect your ability to get home, placing a burden on your friends.
• But you should turn to other, more productive ways to cope with your boredom that won’t be detrimental to your health.
• I also redecorated my bedroom, and I painted the walls because I wasn’t just passing out there anymore and leaving my clothes on the floor.
• But the problem with the latter is they are unnatural.

Start modelling

The key is to find something that brings you joy and allows you to express your creativity – and in some cases, forces you out of your comfort zone. By engaging in a new hobby or passion, you not only fill your spare time with meaningful activity but also boost your self-esteem and gain a sense of accomplishment. Once your downtime ends, and you’ve made progress on your hobby or taken a walk, drinking out of boredom enjoy a piece of chocolate before your next activity. One of the best ways to deal with bored drinking is to anticipate it — why is not always easy.

One of the most effective ways to combat boredom is by developing new interests or hobbies. Whether it’s picking up a musical instrument, learning to cook, or taking up a new sport, finding something engaging can distract from the temptation to drink. Hobbies also provide a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, which can help reduce feelings of boredom. I definitely have my ptsd/trigger days when I feel like I neeeeed to drink. But it’s just occurred to me that a lot of my drinking is just habit or boredom.

• Over time, with regular alcohol consumption, our brain starts to adapt.
• So if you’re interested in this, please go back.
• But I’m going to explore solutions for people who sit at various points along the “sobriety is so boring” spectrum.
• Here are some tips to stop drinking alcohol out of boredom.

That reminder of how good you’ll feel should keep you from heading to the fridge. For example, CBT might help you realize you look at boredom in a negative light. You might believe you should always be doing something useful or constructive, so you reach for a drink to calm the negative emotions boredom creates. For many people, an antidote to boredom is picking up their knitting, grabbing a book, or writing in their journal. These healthy diversions fill a gap that drinking might otherwise fill.