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Drinking alone can become problematic when a person has a habit of doing it. You may believe you must hide your drinking from others, so you drink solo. You might not want to hear people express concerns about your alcohol consumption or see their disapproving looks. If you drink alone, monitor how often you do this and consider why. If it becomes frequent, try to taper off or contact an alcohol addiction treatment center. The reasons people start drinking alcohol is very different than the reasons they continue to drink alcohol.
This subreddit is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking. We welcome anyone who wishes to join in by asking for advice, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit or cut down. Please post only when sober; you’re welcome to read in the meanwhile. «It’s hard to explain why. Alcohol just doesn’t sound as appetizing or appealing. And now my tolerance is lower, too.
Mental Health Issues That Are Frequently Misdiagnosed
These days, most of us immediately reach for our phones when we feel the slightest bit bored but this is really only a superficial solution. It turns down your boredom from a distressing eight to a tolerable six. These kinds of time-wasters are fairly mind-numbing and will probably only make you feel more agitated in the long run. If you’re feeling a bit agoraphobic or shy when first getting sober you should still reach out to online support groups. Any outreach and connection will help you get outside of yourself and will dash away boredom. SMART and AA offer both meetings along with 24/7 recovery chat and message boards.
Is drinking a form of escapism?
Drinking as an Escape
While not as frequent as those who drink to be social, drinking to get away from reality is common, especially in a stressful modern world. There are many reasons why someone would want to escape: Low self-esteem. Mental illness.
There will always be a long lost friend who arrives on your doorstep looking to catch up over a few drinks. Be ready for these moments when they arrive, and they will, give yourself a wry smile, then make the choice that fits with your goals. In physics, the law of inertia states that a body at rest stays in rest unless acted on by an outside force.
The Role of Trauma and Mental Health in Addiction
In fact, alcohol sales outside of bars and restaurants surged 24% shortly after stay-at-home orders began. 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. So much of an addict’s life is spent thinking about, obtaining, or using drugs, but when that’s taken away when you go to inpatient treatment, you’re left with a lot of free time.
I got on the phone with Dr Amelia Stephens who is a GP in Brisbane. I described my drinking habit, and asked her how many years I might get. She said it was hard to say, but admitted—as a medical professional—she drinking out of boredom «would be concerned.» The problem is that drinking kills people, and it’s not particularly cool. People put family, friends, food, gym, banter on their Tinder profiles for a reason.
Ask a Therapist: How Do I Know If My Drinking Is a Problem?
Alcohol merely blurred my perception of social situations. I have gone to bars with people I genuinely like as a sober person, and I don’t stay for longer than an hour or two if nothing is happening. This is important to remember when thinking about boredom. Whether it’s your partner, friends or colleagues, ask those who know you for ideas of things you can experiment with to fill your time differently. Don’t assume people are too busy to see you, all they need is to know that you would like to meet up. Recovery is hard work, but we think you’ll find it’s well worth it.
Dopamine is another neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness. It is also responsible for regulating movement and emotional response. Dopamine depletion can cause apathy, boredom, and lack of motivation. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of happiness, well-being, and pleasure.
You can spot it quickly — if you’re watching.
This might be a bit uncomfortable, as we often drink to reduce the noise of our own thoughts. But if you can spend time with those thoughts, you will be better prepared to make changes that can positively affect them. Andy explains how a straightforward, 7-stage process https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/can-you-moderate-your-drinking/ enabled him to change a lifelong addiction to alcohol. If you always have a bottle open when watching TV, then it quickly becomes a very hard habit to break. This is particularly true if you’ve had a hard day at work or with the kids, and you are tired or stressed out.
Since you are worried about how much alcohol you are consuming, try taking some steps to change your drinking habits. It’s unclear from your question exactly how much you’re drinking. If you’re drinking a lot or you’ve been drinking daily, you might experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop. Withdrawal symptoms should be monitored by a medical professional.