Kathleen was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, but spent half of her life in California. She holds a master’s in clinical psychology with an emphasis on marriage and family therapy. Additionally, she has a master’s in holistic wellness and is trained in EMDR therapy for both in-person and virtual settings. Kathleen has more than 15 years of experience treating people who have a substance use disorder. Specializing in Compulsive Hoarding and Behavior Addictions, Brionna guides clients towards healthier relationships and boundaries.
- Drinking to relieve stress may veer into murky territory, if you feel that you must consume alcohol every day to de-stress.
- Self-medicating can drastically impact overall health and well-being.
- Different drugs can help with the road to recovery.
- One source of unhappiness is, unsurprisingly, boredom.
- And The Sobriety Starter Kit® is ready, waiting and available to support you anytime you need it, when it fits into your schedule.
Boredom no doubt played a role in this scenario. Do you walk around the block and phone a friend? Our admissions team is available 24/7 to listen to your story and help you get started with the next steps.
Now that you know the chemical reason for your boredom, let’s explore additional factors that might be contributing to these feelings. Alcohol robs you of the ability to feel naturally motivated and inspired. Those feelings don’t come back immediately when you quit. So it’s not that sobriety is inherently boring; it’s that your serotonin and dopamine levels are now very low.
Days Sober – What To Expect When You Quit Drinking
And when you were 14 and 16 and 18 the time before you started drinking and that was the center of your life. And it’s time to look forward to what is hiding underneath what you’ve been doing. The dreams that you had that you’ve never gone after. Because you were so busy working and socializing and improving your home and taking care of your kids and commuting and going to sports practices. There is space for that now, I know you don’t think there is but there is and there is money for it.
But remember that, scientifically, boredom is an emotion — just like appiness or sadness. It typically occurs when we find ourselves disengaged from what’s going on around us or when there’s a lack of interest or enjoyment in our https://thecinnamonhollow.com/a-guide-to-sober-house-rules-what-you-need-to-know/ activities. We’ve all felt it — that nagging sensation of boredom. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a result of having nothing to do. In fact, boredom is a genuine emotion, akin to happiness or sadness. When this emotion surfaces, it reveals our disconnection or lack of interest in our surroundings or activities.
Is Drinking Alone A Sign of Depression?
But you can get takeout and have a picnic in a beautiful park alone or with a group or with your family. Drive your car to the mountains, which are only 45 minutes from Seattle and look at the giant green trees and sit by the river. You can go to the waterfront, or to another area that is pretty by your home and look around and take in the view and bring a chair and bring a book and bring a blanket if you want to. You can go to a lake and watch your kids splashing around and actually get in the water and splash around with them. Now that I’ve quit drinking, I am just living, just living, I am just going through life, not recovering. Just waking up and seeing the sunshine or the rain, I’m taking care of my kids, I’m getting coffee, I’m reading books on doing yard work, I’m doing good productive work.
Why Do I Crave Alcohol When I’m Bored
I like gardening and had a big 2020 plot of land that was just weeds and nothing else. And I turned it into a raised garden bed with beautiful salt and pepper stones in between them. I posted incredible pictures on my Pinterest board about beautiful vegetable gardens and flower gardens.
- And while these things might sound serious and scary, it’s important to note that it’s one piece of a larger puzzle.
- And that’s what it’s like, when we take away our wine, Right?
- Drawing from her background in local improv groups, she infuses sessions with laughter and humor, fostering a non-judgmental space for clients.
- And I’ve wandered around there with my daughter.
- Before moving to AspenRidge, Nate served as operations director at a local organization that has sober living homes throughout the Denver area.
The Dopamine Connection
Other tasks like laundry and cleaning the house can cause boredom and be a source of anxiety. Sunnyside is not designed to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD). For resources related to AUD, including how to get support, please visit the NIH website.
Can An Alcoholic Ever Drink Again?
Ignoring the harmful effects of alcohol consumption and regularly indulging can have short-term and long-term effects on your health. If you find yourself reaching for a drink whenever you’re bored or looking to kill time, you should stop and take measures to correct these tendencies early before they become problematic. Regularly consuming alcohol when you’re bored has both short-term and long-term effects on your health, even if it doesn’t lead to a drinking disorder. People often use alcohol to enhance experiences, but this kind of drinking is problematic because it makes you dependent on alcohol to not feel bored or to have a good time. For example, most people drink at concerts, sports events or parties to transform their experience and heighten the moment. If you find yourself bored without alcohol or drinking simply because you’re bored, you might be developing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.
During her academic years, she dedicated herself to assisting refugees fleeing war and violence in their home countries. Describing her A Guide To Sober House Rules: What You Need To Know therapeutic approach as evidence-based, Courtney champions a humanistic or person-centered approach as the ideal foundation. Originally from Boca Raton, Florida, Danny moved to Denver to study at the University of Colorado and earned a master’s degree in counseling. Danny spent the first nine years of his career working in youth residential treatment. After managing that program for six years, Danny moved to AspenRidge and now leads the clinical team.
Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s natural mood boosters, which can help to alleviate feelings of restlessness and frustration. Regular exercise also improves overall well-being, increases energy levels, and helps regulate sleep patterns. And again, it was something that I’d never done.