Many people partake in recreational drinking, typically in a social setting such as a drink or two with close friends over a meal. Those who started drinking more frequently during the pandemic spoke of how the absence of social drinking with friends led them to drinking alone at home and over time, it became a habit. Dr Wai noted that the effects of alcohol on the liver takes several years to manifest and it would be hard to deduce whether alcoholism has been on the rise during the Covid-19 crisis. “For us to find out if alcoholic abuse is more or less prevalent during the pandemic would require a similar population study,” he said. In the years since, I have gradually become better at processing highs and lows without the accompaniment of booze.

Apologies for the slight tangent, but it’s important to understand that drinking again will do absolutely nothing to relieve your boredom. Photo by niklas_hamann on UnsplashI used to believe the lie that life would be boring if I didn’t drink. That I would be boring when I went out to events and gatherings. That I would be bored and drinking because of boredom suffer through situations if I wasn’t properly lubricated with alcohol. If you’re reevaluating your relationship with alcohol and have decided that drinking isn’t working in your life anymore I’d love to talk to you. As Dr Stephens explained, the real issue is in the way the liver breaks alcohol down into stuff called acetaldehyde.

Tips For Overcoming Boredom in Sobriety

I have found new friends through groups like these. I’ve also made friends through my sober passion for exercise and fitness. But I also realised that there were already sober people in my life whom I had previously ignored. I spent time looking out for sober role models in my social and professional circles – men of a similar age who were sober but still funny, smart, confident and capable. Far from being the boring teetotal cliches I had previously assumed, I discovered that these men were bright, entertaining and dynamic.

Knowing how to identify the signs of heading toward alcoholism can allow you or a loved one to seek treatment and recover. AspenRidge Recovery offers online treatment programsthat make it possible to receive recovery care while still maintaining a flexible schedule. AspenRidge Recovery methodologies prove to support clients through recovery and long-term care.

How to Stop Drinking Out of Boredom

Dr Mak said that alcohol misuse has long been linked to family-related violence, and noted that there had been an increase in family violence globally during the pandemic. Among some of those interviewed, the drinking also spilled into their personal lives, leading to domestic abuse in some cases. He noted that this is the usual progression for patients with alcohol use disorder, where people abuse or become dependent on alcohol to varying degrees. The drinking, he said, is to cope with the stress of working in a high-stakes environment where a normal day can end at 3am. When Alex was at university, he did most of his drinking at pubs with friends once or twice a week. On average, there has been one new case every month since.

If you have recently stopped drinking alcohol, and you are feeling bored, then you are about to learn the exact steps on how to overcome it. This study had some limitations which need to be taken into account. First, given the cross-sectional survey design, causality and mediation can only be inferred. That is, although the results suggest statistical mediation, this should be more properly tested in a longitudinal model to capture the temporal requirements of mediation. Second, another limitation concerns the sole focus on boredom proneness. In the future, results should be controlled for other traits known to be important in the adolescent population, such as impulsivity, sensation seeking, anxiety sensitivity, and hopelessness.