Put tempting foods behind closed cabinets or up high where you aren’t as likely to see them. In contrast, store healthy foods in see-through containers. It may sound silly, but research finds keeping healthier food in plain sight and less-healthy treats out of sight can help you choose healthier options more frequently. You might not be able to control the fact that you’re stressed, but you can create an environment where you’re less likely to turn to food.

drinking out of boredom

You might not want to hear people express concerns about your alcohol consumption or see their disapproving looks. If you drink alone, monitor how often you do this and consider why. If it becomes frequent, try to taper off or drinking out of boredom contact an alcohol addiction treatment center. Over time, with regular alcohol consumption, our brain starts to adapt. Our reward system gets recalibrated to account for the frequent dopamine hits coming from the alcohol.

Start journaling.

You need to reset your reward pathways and that’s not going to be possible as long as you are drinking alcohol. What if you’ve tried to do the “normal” stuff people do for fun and don’t like any of it? You feel like an automaton simulating a life, but not finding any real purpose, joy, or meaning. Any of these activities are natural mood lifters and a much better option than drinking to pass the time. When you experience GABA withdrawal, you feel things like intense anxiety, moodiness, and intrusive thoughts. It’s why some people suffer “hangxiety” after a night of heavy drinking.

People may turn to alcohol as a way to cope with these negative emotions, but in doing so, they may be putting their mental health at risk. Many scientific studies have proved a positive relationship between boredom/loneliness and excessive alcohol use. We eat for different reasons—stress, boredom, physical hunger and cravings. None of these reasons are wrong, but over the long term they can lead to weight gain and health issues if food is your only coping mechanism.

Alternative Activities to Replace Boredom Drinking

In more severe cases, drinking out of boredom can lead to severe alcohol abuse disorders. Starting to drink gradually might be considered normal or appropriate, but it can quickly create a dependence and lead to a severe drinking problem. Talking with a trained therapist, especially one who understands substance abuse, is important. They can give you tools and resources for navigating everything you’re feeling (or not feeling) right now.

Knowing how to identify the signs of heading toward alcoholism can allow you or a loved one to seek treatment and recover. 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. 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.

Dealing With Boredom in Recovery: Tips From a Coach

The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey. Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge. Consuming alcohol stimulates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in our brain’s reward system.

You won’t want to miss out on the chance to participate alongside fellow Reframers (or solo if that’s more your thing!). Plus, we’re always introducing new features to optimize your in-app experience. We recently launched our in-app chatbot, Melody, powered by the world’s most powerful AI technology. Melody is here to help as you adjust to a life with less (or no) alcohol.

You may need to make other changes

You may want some chocolate even though you aren’t feeling physically hungry, stressed or bored. Stress eating, emotional eating, boredom eating—are these all the same? We explain the differences and share tips from dietitians on what to do if you find yourself snacking the day https://ecosoberhouse.com/ (or night!) away. Download our Quick Start Preparation course as our FREE gift to help you stop drinking alcohol and get the best start to your new life. As humans, we’re meant to experience the full spectrum of positive and negative emotions – that’s how we’re designed.

  • You’ll get to meet new people and be a part of something positive.
  • This is what happened to me towards the end of my drinking days, I didn’t want to do anything that didn’t involve getting drunk.
  • In coaching Ria Health members through the early stages of recovery, many have shared that they feel a sense of boredom—as in having nothing to do—which has led them to drink to pass the time.
  • Always have a backup soft drink just in case you reach the bar and they are out of stock.
  • The solution is some form of stimulation, which can be healthy or potentially unhealthy.