In a society that prizes productivity and comfort, drinking can feel like a quick escape from that restless, “something’s wrong” feeling. Alcohol feels like the easy fix for boredom because we’ve been trained—by culture, media, and marketing—to see it that way. From sitcoms to beer ads, we’ve absorbed the message that a drink can turn dull moments into enjoyable ones. We’ve been taught that feeling boredom means something’s wrong with us. The truth is, boredom is an incredibly uncomfortable state for many of us, and the lengths people would go to avoid feeling it may surprise you. Boredom and stress are two emotions that can feel as if they are never going to leave.
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can help you become more aware of your emotions and triggers. Practicing mindfulness or meditation can reduce the impulse to turn to alcohol when boredom strikes. It teaches you to sit with your feelings, including boredom, without feeling the need to escape them through substances like alcohol. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol abuse, the first step is to reach out to a healthcare professional or a reputable treatment provider. Many rehab centers offer comprehensive alcohol rehab programs that include medical detox, behavioral therapy, and ongoing support to help maintain sobriety. Support groups and education programs can also be invaluable in recovery.
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. Many people admit to drinking out of boredom because they feel lonely. But self-medicating like this is not just bad for your body, but it is also likely to make your mental health worse. Drinking out of boredom because you feel anxious is likely to make you feel worse because alcohol is a depressant, so if you are already feeling low, it makes those feelings more extreme. Chanel describes herself as a humanistic therapist focused on building rapport and trust.
If you’ve found yourself noticing, “It seems that I drink because I’m bored and lonely,” the answer lies in our brain’s reward system. Understanding this relationship between boredom and alcohol is crucial for breaking an unhealthy cycle of drinking out of boredom and finding more fulfilling ways to spend our time. AspenRidge Recovery offers online treatment programs that make it possible to receive recovery care while still maintaining a flexible schedule. AspenRidge Recovery methodologies prove to support clients through recovery and long-term care. We can address fear and healthy coping mechanisms to combat any doubt and uncertainty that either an individual or family may feel during these difficult times.
- Regular exercise also improves overall well-being, increases energy levels, and helps regulate sleep patterns.
- After completing her bachelor’s degree, she continued her education at the University of Denver and earned a master’s in clinical mental health counseling with a side specialization in addiction.
- If existential boredom is about a lack of meaning, then situational boredom is about a lack of stimulation.
- Originally from New Orleans, Meghan earned her master’s degree from Arizona State University (2021) and became a Licensed Addiction Counselor in 2024.
- Unfortunately, drinking alcohol because of boredom makes you feel worse which in turn, makes you feel even less confident about going out and making new connections.
Steps to Break the Boredom Drinking Loop
- If you’re already dealing with weight or health issues, drinking to alleviate boredom will only exacerbate these problems.
- Regardless of the intent, there are significant health implications that arguably make alcohol the most dangerous substance on the market.
- Beyond the physical toll, alcohol abuse also impairs the nervous system, affecting judgment, coordination, and mood.
- I’ll be exploring that in a future piece, but for now, let’s stay focused on the more everyday boredom that shows up during chores, traffic, and those painfully slow moments of life.
- Danny spent the first nine years of his career working in youth residential treatment.
Beyond the physical toll, alcohol abuse also impairs the nervous system, affecting judgment, coordination, and mood. This can lead to risky behaviors, accidents, and strained relationships. For individuals with underlying mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or personality disorders, alcohol abuse can exacerbate symptoms and complicate recovery. Additionally, heavy drinking increases the likelihood of developing physical dependence, which can result in severe withdrawal symptoms like delirium tremens during detox. Originally from Nashville, TN, Jordan moved to Colorado with her family at age five.
Make a Schedule to Structure Your Days
Originally from Center Point, Iowa, Darcie pursued her academic journey at Walden University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She then relocated to Alamosa, Colorado, where she obtained a master’s degree from Adams State University. 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! There will always be a long lost friend who arrives on your doorstep looking to catch up over a few drinks.
Tip 4: Reach out to others
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. Many people I’ve worked with say that learning to say “no” gracefully is one of the most empowering skills of their alcohol-free journey. That’s why we have dedicated a lesson specifically to the skill of saying no. Bite-sized sober curious tips + inspiration you can read while waiting for your morning coffee to brew.
New Jersey Rehab Centers That Offer Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Valuing and prioritizing yourself in recovery can be a powerful way to remove the hold alcohol has on you. All these tips are here to help you prevent drinking out of boredom. If you want to get better control of your drinking, you need to think about what your future drink-free life will look like. If you always have a bottle open when watching TV, then it quickly becomes a very hard habit to break. This is particularly true if you’ve had a hard day at work or with the kids, and you are tired or stressed out. Soon it can seem weird NOT to have a glass in your hand, even if the rest of you is thinking about something else (or not thinking about very much at all).
She knows that when both of those are realized, they can accomplish each client’s unique goals together. She specializes in mood and personality disorders as they relate to addiction and is passionate about healing trauma by way of brainspotting and other trauma therapy methods. She has a goal to visit every state capitol and has been to 29 so far!
Take control of the aspects drinking because of boredom of your life that you have some influence over and watch the world change around you. Once you have really looked at your habits, consider alternative solutions. If you like gin and tonic when you’re vegging on the sofa, swap it for fizzy water with lemon.
Mental Health
She brings a decade of experience across the full continuum of care—from medical detox through private practice, helping clients address substance use alongside trauma, mood, and anxiety disorders. Have you ever found yourself pouring a drink not to celebrate, but simply because there’s nothing else to do? In fact, boredom has been linked to anxiety, depression, and even addiction.
Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol. Courtney’s professional experience in substance use treatment began in a holistic residential treatment center. Since then, she has worked across various settings including outpatient, inpatient, and community corrections programs.
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.
Boredom is a key reason people give for drinking too much and drinking out of boredom like this can become almost a subconscious activity, something that you do whilst doing something else. Our brain also becomes accustomed to the presence of alcohol and starts to see it as the “new normal.” So when there’s no alcohol, things seem a bit off. The brain starts to signal the craving for alcohol, not just to seek pleasure but also to restore what it perceives as normalcy. 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.
