If Danny won the lottery, he’d start a tech company focusing on deep learning to support people in coping strategies. Originally from New Orleans, Meghan earned her master’s degree from Arizona State University (2021) and became a Licensed Addiction Counselor in 2024. She is a Brainspotting practitioner and is currently completing requirements toward the LPC. Meghan has worked six years in residential settings, including five years serving pregnant women and mothers with children and one year in acute psychiatric residential care. She specializes in supporting adults navigating addiction, trauma, and mood disorders.
The Social Stigma of Boredom: What We Were Taught About Being Still
Understanding when to seek treatment for alcohol abuse is crucial. Warning signs may include an inability to stop drinking, neglecting responsibilities, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not drinking. Many people underestimate the seriousness of these signs or fear stigma, which can delay getting help.
- If you always have a bottle open when watching TV, then it quickly becomes a very hard habit to break.
- Support groups and education programs can also be invaluable in recovery.
- Our reward system gets recalibrated to account for the frequent dopamine hits coming from the alcohol.
- Back in the day, our ancestors didn’t have time to be bored.
Whatever your goals, it’s the struggle to get there that’s most rewarding. It’s almost as if life itself is inviting us to embrace difficulty—not as punishment but as a design feature. One could argue that boredom may well be responsible for some of the greatest works of art, literature, and invention in human history. And boredom can become the empty space where that question echoes the loudest. I still remember as a kid, if I was caught just sitting around doing nothing, my mom would say, “If you’re bored, I’ll give you something to do!
The Sober Curiosity Micro-Dose
Specializing in diverse mental health challenges, including depression, addiction, and trauma, Christy embraces a person-centered approach. She tailors interventions to individual needs, drawing from modalities like mindfulness, DBT, CBT, and EMDR. Some drink for pleasure or at social events, while others find themselves drinking for no reason at all.. Regardless of the intent, there are significant health implications that arguably make alcohol the most dangerous substance on the market.
We perform our jobs to earn money, use that money to escape on vacations, and then rise and repeat through the same loop again. And when the void creeps in, drinking becomes the easiest escape. If you’re like most people I work with, you may have been told that changing your relationship with alcohol is simply about “just drinking less.” But that’s misguided advice.
Get counseling or therapy.
In response, some people seek outlets that are detrimental to their well-being. Drinking out of boredom is common, especially among those suffering from other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. If you know you will feel lonely or down, try and plan some interactions to reduce those feelings and your reliance on alcohol. As with anxiety, COVID has seen rates of loneliness soar, as people have been forced apart for months, or have lost connections to friends or social groups.
Why Boredom Makes You Want to Drink—And How to Break the Habit Loop Without Alcohol
Boredom can indeed lead to cravings for alcohol, but it doesn’t have to be this way. With understanding and a few targeted strategies, you can retrain your brain to seek healthier, more fulfilling ways to escape boredom. So, when we’re bored and our brain is looking for that dopamine hit, it can often recall that alcohol was a past source of reward.
- If you want to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, it makes sense to avoid busy bars and thirsty friends.
- She enjoys singing and dancing in kirtan and reading ancient Vedic literature like the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam.
- That being said, drinking FOMO is real and must be dealt with.
- 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.
- If you have been around Sober Curiosity for a while, you know that alcohol’s “help” often comes with fine print.
JILL GODING
One of the biggest impediments to my sobriety during my relapse days was my inability to avoid getting consumed by emotions. Getting outside and communing with nature is scientifically proven to reduce stress and improve mental health and cognitive function in both kids and adults. When I quit drinking, I was lucky to have a spouse that supported my decision. That being said, drinking FOMO is real and must be dealt with.
That leaves us with the other 60–70% of boredom—the kind that sticks around even after we’ve quit drinking, and can lead to relapse if we don’t know how to handle it. Believe it or not, in how to stop drinking out of boredom my experience, up to 30–40% of situational boredom can actually be avoided or reduced. Opting out is an underrated and underutilized option—especially for high-functioning people who are used to pushing through. If existential boredom is about a lack of meaning, then situational boredom is about a lack of stimulation.
Tip 2: Look for ways to change your routines
However, because it’s so common, we can fail to recognize the importance of addressing it. Boredom can cascade into serious issues like battling loneliness, uncovering deeply seeded shame and self-loathing, and even feelings of high stress can become prevalent. Drinking out of boredom is how some choose to deal with the dull moments life throws at us. While boredom is to be expected and is nothing unusual, some individuals equate boredom with lack of productivity and negative connotations.
Our brains don’t like imbalance and will work very hard to correct it. That overcorrection is what you’re probably feeling right now. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of happiness, well-being, and pleasure.
How to Stop Drinking Out of Boredom
In her time here, Karlie trained as a clinical supervisor and an Acudetox therapist. She has a passion for working with clients to help them develop a more profound sense of identity to navigate depressive and anxious symptoms. She’s passionate about working with clients to work through trauma and improve mental stability. In her personal life, Karlie likes reading sci-fi and fantasy and going to Marvel movies. She enjoys playing board games and having home karaoke nights with her friends.
