I Drank Wine Every Day for a Week Here’s What Happened

And again, it was something that I’d drinking out of boredom never done. I also redecorated my bedroom, and I painted the walls because I wasn’t just passing out there anymore and leaving my clothes on the floor. I bought a beautiful photo of an ivory blanket for the top of my bed which was soft and decadent. I got an essential oil diffuser, I got really nice sheets and pillows. You can get second hand stuff and spray painted. You can go to the arts and crafts store and pick out mason jars and put beautiful flowers in them.

Octopuses Hunt With Fish—and Punch the Ones That Don’t Help Out

If I go there at 11am or 2pm, and spend an hour, then I’ve done something, then I’ve seen something that I’m more amused and happy to settle down at the end of the evening and not feel bored. Early sobriety is a critical period when community and support networks are critical. This can be hard if your social life previously revolved around drinking. It’s even harder if your loved ones don’t support your sobriety. Let’s address another reason life without alcohol feels boring. If you’ve created an entire social life around drinking, it is natural to be afraid of life without it.

Stop people pleasing!

The brain has essentially been rewired to find these natural rewards less appealing compared to the artificial high from alcohol. If this topic interests you, I highly recommend listening to this interview with Dr. Anna Lembke, the author of the best-selling book “Dopamine Nation” (also recommend reading). Our brains like efficiency, so it takes note of the experience.

• Once you have really looked at your habits, consider alternative solutions.
• Have you always wanted to learn to dance salsa?
• But you don’t need to do that 24/7, and it takes time and distance from that thing, like your bottle of wine, to allow yourself to look around and be open to other things.
• Don’t be afraid to communicate how you’re feeling.
• In the meantime, the Soberish community is here to support you and help you get there.
• Boredom is what can occur when you feel like you’ve got nothing to do and no real agency in changing that fact.
• If you’re nice and relaxed you’re not really too bothered about what’s going on in the outside environment then you’re not likely to be bored.

Quitting Alcohol Timeline: What Happens When You Stop Drinking?

Moderate drinking isn’t a cause for concern in most adults. But when alcohol consumption gets out of control, you may find yourself on a dangerous path toward addiction. Volunteering and participating in community events can help you stay engaged, build meaningful connections, and reduce boredom drinking. By volunteering at organizations that help people struggling with addiction, you can provide a meaningful sense of purpose and fulfillment, which can replace the fleeting pleasure of boredom drinking.

Meetings through Support Groups

Exploring creative outlets and learning new skills can be a great way to find fulfillment and combat boredom without relying on alcohol. Understanding your drinking patterns empowers you to take proactive steps to prevent boredom drinking and stay on track with your goals. You can use this knowledge to create a personalized plan for overcoming boredom drinking and maintaining a sober lifestyle. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Hello Someday Podcast. If you’re interested in learning more about me or the work I do or accessing free resources and guides to help you build a life you love without alcohol, please visit hellosomedaycoaching.com. And I would be so grateful if you would take a few minutes to rate and review this podcast so that more women can find it and join the conversation about drinking less and living more.

Strategies for Overcoming Boredom Drinking

Welcome to the Hello Someday Podcast, the podcast for busy women who are ready to drink less and live more. I’m Casey McGuire Davidson, ex-red wine girl turned life coach helping women create lives they love without alcohol. But it wasn’t that long ago that I was anxious, overwhelmed, and drinking a bottle of wine and night to unwind. I thought that wine was the glue, holding my life together, helping me cope with my kids, my stressful job and my busy life. I didn’t realize that my love affair with drinking was making me more anxious and less able to manage my responsibilities. Obviously, you don’t need alcohol every single night for that; in fact, to avoid hurting your brain health, the recommended standard number of drinks per week is four.

Boredom has an emotional quality to it, and cognitive behavioral therapy teaches that feelings are an outgrowth of thoughts. Someone who’s bored and drinking on a couch probably didn’t get there by accident. Typically, whether they’re aware of it or not, there was a thought or a sequence of thoughts that preceded this outcome.

Sobriety itself isn’t boring

I find kombucha to be the wild card of healthy beverages. To me, it feels like kombucha is one of the most known and unknown products in the wellness world. Jung himself considered the Mandala a symbol of the Self. You can watch this great video from Lauren Rudick, Yoga Academy International founder, to learn more and follow her tutorial, which starts about three minutes in. The following quiz is called the AUDIT, which is short for Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.

• It may feel like all you’re doing is reading a book, watching TV, making tea, going to bed.
• It may require a bit of soul-searching, especially when your motivation is at historically low levels.
• Now that I’ve quit drinking, I am just living, just living, I am just going through life, not recovering.
• The current pandemic has highlighted how boredom can trigger the misuse of substances, particularly alcohol.
• Once your downtime ends, and you’ve made progress on your hobby or taken a walk, enjoy a piece of chocolate before your next activity.
• Alcohol poisoning can also lead to death from asphyxiation, also known as the lack of oxygen in the body.

Accept that you are in a transitional phase, which will take time.

• If you drink to alleviate boredom, your brain starts associating alcohol with relief from that negative feeling.
• Drinking substitutes alcohol for other forms of stimulation that are better for health and fitness, and, in some cases, it can escalate into alcoholism and require professional detox and treatment.
• But they are smart and interesting, and do activities that aren’t centered around alcohol.
• Jordan developed her clinical approach in various inpatient, hospital, outpatient, and private practice settings.

Jill is a Colorado native who received a master’s in clinical psychology with an emphasis on women’s studies from the University of Houston. Jill has worked in several inpatient and outpatient centers, treating clients in all levels of care in both individual and group settings. 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.