‘Why aren’t you drinking?’ The etiquette of sober socializing during Dry January : NPR

Chanel completed internships at AspenRidge during her studies and eventually joined the team as a full-time primary clinician. In her time here, Karlie trained as a clinical supervisor and an Acudetox therapist. She has a passion for working with clients to help them develop a more profound sense of identity to navigate depressive and anxious symptoms. She’s passionate about working with clients to work through trauma and drinking out of boredom improve mental stability.

How Sober Living Homes in New Jersey Help Maintain Long-Term Sobriety

The contrast between the heightened emotional state while drinking and the flatness of mood when sober can make everyday life without alcohol seem uninteresting – sometimes unbearably so. If you drink to alleviate boredom, your brain starts associating alcohol with relief from that negative feeling. When done often enough, it triggers a series of chemical and structural changes in your brain that makes you more susceptible to heavier drinking and less capable of coping with boredom in healthy ways.

That is, we hypothesized that the effect of boredom proneness on binge drinking can be accounted by drinking expectancies.
On the one hand, you have no idea what you’re supposed to do with yourself.
Even when consumed in smaller quantities, alcohol can have short- and long-term effects.
If you do manage to meet your friends, the added drinks from socializing might affect your ability to get home, placing a burden on your friends.

Practice mindful drinking.

Some common triggers to be aware of are stress, food availability, and pictures of food (31, 32, 33, marijuana addiction 34). What’s more, research has linked boredom to certain benefits. Being perceptive of your specific hunger and fullness signs may be one of the most effective ways to determine whether you’re hungry or bored.

Eat from a plate

Over time, it can dramatically diminish our tolerance to boredom, and our brain starts needing that loop to get through anything tedious at all. Many ex-drinkers find that boredom after quitting alcohol is one of the hardest emotions to deal with—especially when alcohol used to be their go-to solution for downtime or restlessness. In drug rehab centers in South Carolina, a wide range of substance addictions are addressed. 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. She is a trauma-informed clinician who prioritizes the relationship between clinician and client.

You’re prone to seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Use Sunnyside to track your drinks and better understand the connection between how much you drink and how you feel. Also, if you have that extra drink, Sunnyside lets you interact with others who struggle with bored drinking. One of the best opportunities to practice mindful drinking is Dry January. While the holidays are indulgent, there’s also plenty of downtime (hint, hint) for learning how to deflect urges to drink. Simply asking these questions might be enough to take the edge off the urge to drink. But if you end up drinking anyway, mindfulness also means forgiving yourself and learning from the experience.

Engage in Physical Exercise and Outdoor Activities:

I explain addiction’s connection to dopamine and isolation, and how developing a new identity away from alcohol was crucial. My story highlights that overcoming addiction requires both neurological understanding and rebuilding connections – insights that have resonated with millions seeking recovery. The best relapse prevention is staying busy, staying away from old drinking environments, and making sober friends. If you do drink, do everything in your power to avoid a heavy binge. This is where it becomes essential to think of the progress you made.

When serotonin and dopamine levels are low, we become less motivated and less interested in our surroundings.
Volunteering and participating in community events can help you stay engaged, build meaningful connections, and reduce boredom drinking.
Remember, you don’t owe anyone a drink, and it’s OK to turn down that invite and make time for yourself, Mann wrote.
The best relapse prevention is staying busy, staying away from old drinking environments, and making sober friends.
Also, if you have that extra drink, Sunnyside lets you interact with others who struggle with bored drinking.

Drinkers get into more expensive legal trouble, they spend more money at restaurants, and schools are often attended based on their reputation as a party school alone. Alcohol is the only drug where people think you have a problem if you don’t do it. I’ve found that people are sensitive to this and they usually step off after you say that. Strong fears move you away from self-destructive behavior, while a strong why pushes you towards improving your life. Acknowledging your fears gives you the best chance of making a change. Fear keeps you from regressing, goals drive you forward, and new habits to make it all stick.

However, how much alcohol you consume alcohol and how often can be worrying. Drinking alone could be a symptom of a larger issue—especially if it leads to heavy drinking. I’m 30 hours in and have realised that boredom is a primary trigger for me. I’m finding it really difficult and really missing the warm little buzz of the first sip. I encourage anyone in recovery to be open, honest, and willing to do the work.