For one, sobriety usually occurs with a needed purging of old friends whose behaviors are no longer conducive in the shift. This is especially hard for someone if they have been using drugs or alcohol as social lubrication as a means of making friends. So is your social life dead in sobriety or is there something you can do? Fortunately, there are entire groups of people in the same shoes as you, and fellowship happens often.

Activities that use both your hands and brain like crosswords, cross-stitching, and jigsaw puzzles can keep you occupied and your mind off any pain or negative feelings. You can take part in the same hobbies you enjoyed before addiction or learn something new. Fishing, quilting, gardening, and even video games are much more productive than using drugs or drinking. Fill your idle time with hobbies and activities to keep your brain from drifting to dark places. There aren’t many life experiences comparable to getting sober. When you decide to quit drugs or alcohol for good, you’re giving yourself a new lease on life that can be challenging, fulfilling, and even boring.

Join A Support Group

There’s a reason every society ends up coming up with some version of it,” says Hepola. I wonder, then, how Finch and Hepola view celebrities, not characters, and the ways they choose to narrativize their sobriety journeys publicly. In the pilot episode of Single Drunk Female, boredom drinking protagonist Samantha Fink, expertly portrayed by Sofia Black-D’Elia, goes to work drunk. As a result, she loses her job, goes to rehab, participates in court-mandated community service, moves back home to her mother’s house, and tragically, relapses before getting clean.

Maybe you’ll discover a love for kayaking, or photography, or baking or sports. Having fun in recovery may not come naturally right at first, but it won’t take long before you begin enjoying yourself, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/mash-sober-living-eco-sober-house-is-now-mash-certified/ finding pleasure and fun in a variety of places. If you’re not sure how to go about having fun in recovery, consider the ways you used to have fun before you began using drugs or alcohol.

Reasons You Might Feel Bored in Sobriety

But also, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and get involved in activities around your community. Don’t get down on yourself because you can’t get wasted at the bar with your friends anymore. But it’s comforting to know that you don’t have figure it out on your own.

Why am I more fun with alcohol?

That aspect seems to stem from the fact that alcohol increases activity in the dopamine neurons in the mesolimbic reward pathway, as well as opioid cells that release endorphins. Both produce feelings of joy, pleasure, euphoria, depending on the type of activation. That's why drinking can be so pleasurable.

You can find more about my work and private coaching, as well as additional support resources at hellosomedaycoaching.com. I work with successful women who are ready to drink less and live more. You need to know that what you’re doing is really important – and it’s not easy. And the truth is that this “just not drinking” thing is your ENTIRE JOB right now.

Additional resources to fight boredom in sobriety:

When you feel bored is also the best time to step outside of your comfort zone and try something you’ve never done before. You may find a new passion, and you’ll boost your recovery while avoiding boredom. Occupy your time and get healthy social interaction by taking part in group meetings and sober-related activities. Many groups hang out before or after the meeting so join up for a great time and less boredom. Free time leads to boredom and boredom can lead you back to drinking or drug use. Boredom is an enemy in sobriety but there are several ways you can fill your time with healthy, productive activities.

Why being sober is better?

One of the most obvious things you'll love about being sober is the health benefits. Substance abuse can lead to a range of health problems, including liver damage, heart disease, sleep problems, and weakened immune systems. Substance abuse may also interfere with your appetite and lead to poor nutrition.

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 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.

It had been nice pretending to be relaxed and laidback for a few hours every day. I was devastated to discover I was one of the most uptight people I had ever met. You likely believe that you need booze to be able to do certain things, and you’re probably right about some of them. Getting sober is your chance to find out the truth about yourself. We have expert addiction specialists standing by ready to speak confidentially with you. Resurgence offers numerous resources, support, and numerous methods to navigate sobriety.

Boredom is a common aspect of addiction recovery, especially in the earliest stages, because of the impact of alcohol and other drugs in the brain. A person using substances exposes their brain to tremendous amounts of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. When someone is new to addiction recovery, they are continually being presented with the people, places and things related to past use.

If you need help to soothe your feelings, you’re not alone.

I have made new friends and more authentic connections in sobriety. I don’t have to be the funny one, the cool one, the loud one, the outrageous one. I used to think it was my job to belong in all social situations with all people. Now I am ok being alone so I don’t have to try so hard with others anymore either. In my friendship circles, I am likely not looked at as the fun one anymore.

sober and bored

When you are in recovery, you’ll hear many of the same tips for relieving boredom; find a hobby, join groups, take up an old, forgotten talent or hobby, go to support groups, etc. And while these are great tips, when you’re in recovery for a longer period of time, these may become boring to you too. One of the best things you can do for yourself when you’re feeling bored in sobriety is to find a way to serve others. But if you can’t or aren’t able to do a group class, at the very least, take a tech-free 30-minute walk every day.

They can help you, too, as it’s easier when we have guidance along the way to sobriety.

We send your orders on a speedy service that takes days. Orders may take longer to arrive during peak seasonal shipping periods. Helping business-owners and professionals get control of their drinking. Once you have gone through the initial push, the trick is to do at least one thing each day that will push your goal forward. In physics, the law of inertia states that a body at rest stays in rest unless acted on by an outside force.

  • Apologies for the slight tangent, but it’s important to understand that drinking again will do absolutely nothing to relieve your boredom.
  • One way to practice mindfulness in recovery is through meditation.
  • Once you have crafted a stable, sober routine, it can be difficult to avoid feelings of boredom in the monotony of daily life.
  • So now comes the arduous task of learning how to manage the tough stuff without a chemical crutch like alcohol.

At Resurgence, we have the best evidence-based practice intertwined with holistic care that brings back the spark in your life. In the beginning, it is not all fun and games, recovery is tough, it takes work to get sober. Sobriety is everything you imagine but there is never a dull moment.