Drinking When Bored? What It Could Mean Addiction Treatment

Three-quarters of those who took their own lives in 2022 in the UK were male. My book Straight Jacket helped start a dialogue about the mental health impacts of homophobia in the gay community, but lots of straight men really struggle, too. A great therapist I met at a retreat told me it’s normal to use “things” to dull emotional pain. “It’s just human nature,” she said, and that really helped me realise my worst fears weren’t true – I wasn’t uniquely mad. When I got sober, I realised dysfunctional coping mechanisms are everywhere.

Brainstorm a List of More Fulfilling and Rewarding Things to Do – Then Do Them

If I was hanging out with friends, we were getting drunk. When you use alcohol (or any substance) to artificially boost serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain, you create an imbalance in the brain. To unpack some of the underlying reasons you feel bored right now, it helps to understand what alcohol does to your brain. It’s pretty normal to reduce the entire experience of boredom in sobriety to missing alcohol and believing that getting drunk is the primary way you (and everyone else) have fun. One thing about PFAS is just that we’re in this stage still of trying to understand exactly what it’s doing inside of us.

Break the Boredom Drinking Loop

The Environmental Protection Agency has begun for the first time to regulate a class of synthetic chemicals known as “forever chemicals” in America’s drinking water. If a person eats in front of the TV or computer when bored, they may overeat or eat unhealthy foods. Similarly, eating while on the go or while traveling may cause overeating and lead to unhealthy dietary choices. A person should examine their diet and how it influences when and why they snack. The following dietary tips can help a person avoid overeating when bored. I know that my increased dependence on alcohol during the pandemic pales in comparison to the challenges faced by those with alcohol addiction.

Make time for treats

It’s why we might suddenly find ourselves reaching for that remote, a candy bar, or for some, a bottle of alcohol. Bored drinking is a surefire way for sneaky calories to throw off your weight-loss goals. It sounds over the top, but we know, when it comes to going alcohol-free winging it simply does not work.

• I think it’s really tricky to try to know what you do with all of this information as an individual.
• And sometimes those products are not ones that you would necessarily think of.
• Your friends are out getting drunk, the same as they always do.
• As much as you can, you can try to limit your individual exposure.
• Alcohol addiction rehab programs should address substance use as well as any underlying co-occurring mental health disorders.
• By incorporating mindfulness practices and stress management techniques into your daily routine, you can effectively manage boredom and negative emotions without relying on alcohol.

People with the variant tend to drink very little or not at all. One of these studies found people with the gene variant have a lower risk of heart disease — another blow to the idea that alcohol protects people from heart problems. From Dry January to Sober October to bartenders getting creative with non-alcoholic cocktails, there’s a cultural vibe that supports cutting back. The United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Holland and Australia recently reviewed new evidence and lowered their alcohol consumption recommendations. Ireland will require cancer warning labels on alcohol starting in 2026.

I’ve spent the last seven years researching and understanding alcoholism, addiction, and how people get sober. Additionally, I examine the way mental and physical health as well as our relationships with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term. In Tampa, Ms. Carbone started using a popular app called Cutback Coach, which helps drinking because of boredom people track their alcohol intake and set goals and reminders so they can develop healthier drinking habits. Using the app, Ms. Carbone makes a plan for how much she will drink each week. The app tracks her daily intake, sends her notifications about her goals, and updates her on her progress, including all the calories she avoided and the money she saved by drinking less.

And sometimes those products are not ones that you would necessarily think of. They’re in dental floss, raincoats, vinyl flooring, artificial turf. All kinds of products that you want to be either waterproof or stain resistant or both have these chemicals in them. The community around Parkersburg, West Virginia, people had reported seeing really strange symptoms in their animals.

Less alcohol, or none at all, is one path to better health

It also opens up space to approach your internal world differently. One of the biggest impediments to my sobriety during my relapse days was my inability to avoid getting consumed by emotions. When you get sober, you realize there is an entire daytime pulse in your city or town that you never really felt before. Things that people do during that day that don’t involve recovering or boozy brunch. 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. Your friends are out getting drunk, the same as they always do.

• And the sickness and tiredness you feel after the initial high of alcohol consumption wears off is neither fun nor interesting.
• Forming healthy connections with other people is an important of this process.
• When you get sober, you realize there is an entire daytime pulse in your city or town that you never really felt before.

Drinking Was Hard On My Marriage. So Was Recovery.

People can aim to get outside at least once per day, and in the winter months, they may consider using a light therapy device, which can also be effective at improving mood. Another method to eat mindfully is to count the number of chews a person makes before swallowing the food and to try to increase that number. Individuals can try slowing down when eating, and appreciating the aromas, tastes, and textures of food to allow their body to send the signals to the brain that they are full. Additionally, some research suggests that mindful eating can positively affect leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that play a part in appetite regulation. Remember, how one adjusts to the circumstances of their life is more important than the circumstances themselves. Drinking is an easy solution to boredom, and it takes effort not to be bored.