An important way to safeguard your sobriety is to be aware of this and take steps to mitigate it. Someone people need the support of professional addiction treatment to combat boredom and avoid relapse. If this sounds like you or your loved one, callThe Recovery Villagetoday.
Impacts of Social Isolation and Stress on Problem Drinking
When mindfully avoiding boredom, people have succeeded in creating entirely new lives for themselves. Something that starts off as a hobby while in recovery can be great for abstaining from drug use, but can also blossom into a new career or passion. When people discover how much of their time they had previously spent on drugs and getting high, they realize how much their time is worth and how it can be better spent. Avoiding boredom can lead to things drinking out of boredom beyond just staying sober. No matter a person’s age or experience with addiction, new hobbies and volunteer work are just some of the ways to begin avoiding the feeling of complacency in life.
Denying Our Mental Health: Why We Do It and How To Move Past It
- I kept a notebook and pen beside my bed in case I woke up in the middle of the night with a brilliant song lyric or poem.
- Carole Bennett, M.A., is a family substance abuse counselor, lecturer, columnist and author based at her Family Recovery Solutions Counseling Center in Santa Barbara, CA.
- If you’re ready to take control and build better habits, you’re in the right place.
- A drink or two while bored might make you too tired or too wary of driving to meet your friends.
- 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.
A study on adolescents in South Africa found that individuals with higher trait boredom were more likely to use substances (Weybright et al., 2015). Similarly, boredom has also been shown to trigger psychological distress among students in 22 African countries especially during the pandemic lockdown (Zahrae Afellat and Alipour, 2021). The findings of these studies highlight the importance of addressing boredom as a significant mental health concern in Africa. Doing drugs or drinking can provide somewhat of a mental vacation from people’s current situation. When someone feels trapped and doesn’t know what to do with themselves, getting high or drinking can provide the same kind of mental stimulation as doing a fun activity. Many of these people are also dealing with profound loneliness, anxiety, or are suffering from other situations that prevent them from being involved with hobbies or activities.
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Boredom, a state we’ve all experienced, can be a tricky beast. But remember that, scientifically, boredom is an emotion — just like appiness or sadness. It typically occurs when we find ourselves disengaged from what’s drug addiction going on around us or when there’s a lack of interest or enjoyment in our activities. Outside AspenRidge, Jordan enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, and playing volleyball and soccer.
