When the alcohol wears off, your problems will still be there, and you’ll likely reach out for more alcohol to escape them again. Drinking to combat boredom can be problematic, but you can prevent long-term consequences if you identify it early. Many people use alcoholic beverages to enhance experiences. drinking out of boredom Drinking at concerts, sporting events, and dinner can, as one casual drinker put it, transform a situation into a moment. The problem is that overindulgence or even regular drinking is known to cause a number of health issues. Alcohol is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States.
What Can Regular Drinking Do to You?
- These involve diet, supporting mental health, and changing a person’s behavioral habits and environment.
- If you tend to crave or reach for certain foods when you’re bored, you might be tempted to completely stop eating those foods to remove the temptation.
- 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.
- “Getting through the week” might be your rationale for pouring a glass of wine.
In her personal life, Karlie likes reading sci-fi and fantasy and going to Marvel movies. She enjoys playing board games and having home karaoke nights with her friends. Karlie says the best advice ever received is to not fall in love with potential. Will eating salads and drinking water make your boredom go away? Not exactly, but it can make you feel better, which has a ripple effect on whether or not you enjoy your life.
- Eating well, staying hydrated, getting physical activity, and not stocking up on alcohol for the winter are other helpful strategies to stop drinking out of boredom.
- You decide to crack open a bottle of wine and scroll on your phone, maybe message some people you haven’t spoken to in a while, just passing the time.
- Still, a little boredom is OK and normal to experience from time to time.
- To unpack some of the underlying reasons you feel bored right now, it helps to understand what alcohol does to your brain.
Find a hobby and/or social activity to get involved in.
They give you alternatives to drinking to fill gaps in your life. 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 want to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, it makes sense to avoid busy bars and thirsty friends. But many of us should because millions of us resort to https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/10-major-physical-signs-of-alcoholism-to-watch-out-for/ whilst relaxing at home. In more severe cases, drinking out of boredom can lead to severe alcohol abuse disorders.
4. Maintain a healthy diet
Different activities will in turn create different thoughts and even the smallest change can start to make a big difference. If you are filling voids in your life with alcohol, then you need to decide what else can fill you up instead. When you don’t feel you have anyone to talk to or anywhere to go, drinks can feel like a constant, a friend. 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. Many people claim that they drink for the totally opposite reason – they find themselves drinking out of boredom.
Are You an ‘Almost Alcoholic’?
