The Dangers of Boredom When in Addiction Recovery How To Avoid Relapse

If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol use, we can help. Footprints to Recovery offers alcohol addiction treatment that’s evidence-based and personalized drinking out of boredom to your clinical needs, preferences, and life situation. We don’t just treat the symptoms of addiction; we address underlying issues like co-occurring mental health conditions and trauma that perpetuate substance use.

Why do I turn to alcohol when stressed?

• One way to practicemindfulness in recoveryis through meditation.
• She has a goal to visit every state capitol and has been to 29 so far!
• By implementing these strategies, you can effectively manage boredom and negative emotions without turning to alcohol, improving your overall mental health and well-being.
• If she won the lottery tomorrow, Chanel said she start a bookstore with a bakery inside for guests to enjoy their favorite books with an excellent coffee and dessert.
• Taking a personalized approach allows many families and individuals the chance to adjust treatment to best suit lifestyle, needs, and long-term goals.

We go around on auto-pilot when it comes to certain patterns or behaviors. Stopping at the moment to look around at what’s happening, what emotions you are experiencing, sensations, and thoughts that are present, bringing awareness, and then making a choice. Start consciously thinking about your drinking routines and ask yourself what’s triggering that particular routine or pattern. Workaround managing and coping with those triggers by finding a different strategy that works best for you. Learning to identify the triggers to drinking is the first step towards preventing drinking out of boredom.

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As mentioned early spare time is usually bad for recovery but you can re-devote yourself to your hobbies to fill the void. Before getting sober, one of the things that I used to love about alcohol was how good a job it did at eliminating boredom. If your strategy to drink less didn’t work, don’t regret or give in to guilt. How you respond to setbacks is crucial to succeed and to begin making a change. Just restart your plan and recognize & reflect on what challenges need to be overcome and how.

Start journaling.

According to Medical News Today, the average adult in the United States experiences around 131 days of boredom per year. How we react to the state of boredom is critical to our ongoing mental health, experts state. There is a strong relationship between boredom, stress, and drug or alcohol use. It’s therefore no surprise that during the pandemic, the rate of alcohol consumption increased among people that reported COVID-19 related stress. The pandemic has been here and, at the time of this writing, is continuing to keep our world in a state of flux. This puts those who have formed an attachment to alcohol in a very vulnerable position.

Physical Exercise and Outdoor Activities

We often say “well, don’t think about drinking.” But it’s almost impossible not to. The more you try not to think about it the more it comes into your mind. That’s why it’s important to try and change your environment in the early days as much as possible. Before you had rituals and obsessions but in sobriety you can fill those with times with daily tasks and readings. It’s tough in early sobriety but force yourself to do daily self-help tasks like making gratitude lists, reviewing daily readings on recovery, or calling your sponsor. These may take up only a few minutes but will cut down on boredom and help you keep focused on why you’ve quit.

Craig Beck is a renowned professional alcohol addiction therapist, coach, and mentor.His unique approach has helped over 250,000 people escape the loop of alcoholism. Mindfulness also helps you build resilience, allowing you to face challenging emotions with a clear, calm mind. If you’ve never tried mindfulness before, there are many resources available online to help you get started. You can read more about the mental benefits of mindfulness here. If you’re unsure where to start, check out this guide on how to cope with loneliness through new activities and interests.

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• 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.
• An issue that has been concerning public health officials and researchers in the field.
• In fact, when you first quit, it feels like everyone in the world is out getting drunk but you.
• One of the biggest impediments to my sobriety during my relapse days was my inability to avoid getting consumed by emotions.
• Most people drink in order to fill a void of some sort, e.g. an unhappy relationship, an unfulfilling job, loneliness or feeling bored with your daily routine.
• To understand why drinking out of boredom can be so risky, it’s worth taking time to understand the role of dopamine in how we behave and make decisions.

He received his bachelor’s in health and exercise science with a concentration in sports medicine and eventually earned a master’s of psychology in addiction counseling. During his time as a therapist, Justin has worked in a residential addiction treatment facility, private practice, and outpatient settings. Hailing from Boulder County, Courtney embarked on her academic journey by earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She furthered her education by completing a master’s of science in clinical mental health counseling from Capella University.

• Also, if you have that extra drink, Sunnyside lets you interact with others who struggle with bored drinking.
• Megan’s therapeutic approach is multifaceted, drawing from narrative, feminist, and existential therapy modalities.
• For example, CBT might help you realize you look at boredom in a negative light.

And to stay motivated, take a moment to jot down in a journal how you feel after making progress in your hobby. When boredom strikes and you find it more difficult to muster the motivation to work on your hobby, read these journal entries. That reminder of how good you’ll feel should keep you from heading to the fridge.