I just tell them why I quit , and I think their insecurities get triggered. This is when they start joking that I must have gotten a DUI… to make themselves feel better, I suppose. One of the best things you can do for yourself when you’re feeling bored in sobriety is to find a way to serve others. Getting sober is like learning to walk again after a terrible accident. You should be able to go about living your life without drinking alcohol, but you feel utterly useless and have no idea what to do with yourself. They may also help you discover alternative coping skills to deal with uncomfortable feelings since you said you drink to cope with things like loneliness and boredom.

Oftentimes people move away from healthier habits when they are actively drinking or using drugs, and it can be difficult to reestablish those habits in early recovery. Active alcohol and drug use can also bring a lot of chaos to someone’s life, and it can be an adjustment to get used to sober life at a more predictable pace. It’s okay to take risks in recovery if those risks don’t involve drugs or alcohols, even encouraged. The best way to stop boredom is to step out of your comfort zone and do something you never could have done while drinking or using. You could swim with sharks, or try mountain biking, or try new food. Participating in new and thrilling experiences will show you there’s more to life than addiction that you can take advantage of in sobriety. Don’t get your thrills from booze or heroin, get them directly from your own brain by trying new and exciting things.

What Are the Most Common Challenges People Face Early in Addiction Recovery?

Alcohol artificially boosts serotonin and dopamine in your brain. In fact, when you first quit, it feels like everyone in the world is out getting drunk but you.

• Alcohol can be in a unique position of being both the solution to and the cause of pain.
• I’m quite introverted so relearning to socialise is challenging.
• Sitting in traffic, for instance, is one of those things that most people would rather forego.
• That’s why I’ve compiled some strategies for tackling boredom in sobriety so that you can reduce your relapse risk and learn to enjoy life without alcohol.
• Handling emotions of any kind can be a relapse trigger, and this is especially true in early recovery.
• Boredom is an enemy in sobriety but there are several ways you can fill your time with healthy, productive activities.

No differences were found between genders, while in all the variables binge drinkers had higher scores. Boys are more likely to consume alcohol than girls (e.g., Wilsnack, Vogeltanz, Wilsnack, & Harris, 2000), and male drinkers consume larger quantities of alcohol than females (e.g., Balabanova & McKee, 1999). In almost all the studies on gender differences, boys were more likely to present binge drinking behaviors (e.g., Kuntsche et al., 2004). A professional can give you information about drinking, risk factors for substance abuse, and strategies for managing or quitting alcohol. Even if you don’t think you have a problem, talking to a professional might give you the information you need to ensure you have a healthy relationship with alcohol. Since you are worried about how much alcohol you are consuming, try taking some steps to change your drinking habits. It’s unclear from your question exactly how much you’re drinking.

Reach out for support

Beccaria F., Petrilli E., Rolando S. Binge drinking vs. drunkenness. The questionable threshold of excess for young Italians. Allamani A., Beccaria F., Voller F. The puzzle of Italian drinking. Author A designed https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the study and wrote most of the manuscript. Author B conducted the statistical analysis and wrote the Results section. Author C conducted literature searches and provided summaries of previous research studies.

If you ever sit down to do that math, you will shock yourself with how much time went towards drinking. Alcohol robs you of the ability to feel naturally motivated and inspired. Those feelings don’t come back immediately when you quit. Dopamine is another neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness.

Being sober is so boring because your life revolves around alcohol.

Lammers et al. investigated early adolescence and found that drinking expectancies partly mediate the relationship between personality profiles and alcohol use patterns. In particular, the effects of impulsivity and sensation seeking on alcohol use were seen to be mediated by drinking expectancies.

• Many people are using alcohol to cope with the stress of everyday life right now.
• Drinking to combat boredom can be problematic, but you can prevent long-term consequences if you identify it early.
• Another study reports drinking doubled among parents with kids ages 5 to 7.
• It also makes you accountable to others and them to you, if you’ve extended your hand for help.

Call today to get started on your journey or if you have any questions. It is a state of mind and requires a committed determination to change. Miller J.A., Caldwell L.L., Weybright E.H., Smith E.A., Vergnani T., Wegner L. Was Bob Seger right? Magid V., MacLean M.G., Colder C.R. Differentiating between sensation seeking and impulsivity through their mediated drinking because of boredom relations with alcohol use and problems. Hunter J.P., Csikszentmihalyi M. The positive psychology of interested adolescents. Caldwell L.L., Smith E.A. Health behaviors of leisure alienated youth. Brown S.A., McGue M., Maggs J., Schulenberg J., Hingson R., Swartzwelder S., Murphy S. A developmental perspective on alcohol and youths 16 to 20 years of age.