There’s also a need, Danckert says, for more scientists to realize that boredom is fascinating. “We may be on the cusp of having enough people to advance a little more quickly,” he says. Painfully dullDespite all this uncertainty, researchers see themselves as laying a foundation, creating tools and standards that will allow them to tackle really important questions. “We’re establishing boredom as a testable construct,” says Bench. The most boring video everOne way to create a particular mood, used for decades in psychology, is to show people a video clip.
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. You never know what might happen, especially if you keep an open mind. The alternative is either a stale, lackluster lifestyle or one where the only entertainment is destructive addictive behavior. Take responsibility and choose the more creative and productive path. One can form a habit out of being bored because it can present a degree of comfort and safety. Eventually, since no alcoholism treatment one expects anything from you, and you don’t expect anything from yourself, drugs or alcohol can seem like an acceptable choice and the easiest and quickest fix.
Participating in new and thrilling experiences will show you there’s more to life than addiction that you can take advantage of in sobriety. Don’t get your thrills from booze or heroin, get them directly from your own brain by trying new and exciting things. Activities that use both your hands and brain like crosswords, cross-stitching, and jigsaw puzzles can keep you occupied and your mind off any pain or negative feelings. You can take part in the same drinking boredom hobbies you enjoyed before addiction or learn something new.
Even if someone survives asphyxiation, they may suffer from long-lasting brain damage. When that’s the case, it’s a sign of deeper problems that need solving. And when I tried to hang out with people without alcohol, I struggled mightily. 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). But, much like dopamine, alcohol disrupts and inhibits the production of GABA in our body.
Other people are another great way to fight boredom. Fortunately, groups of people are frequently available to aid those in addiction recovery. If you’re seeking help for yourself or a loved one, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way. The brain naturally releasesneurotransmitters like dopamineas a way to reward a behavior and encourage you to repeat it. A person who eats a good meal, exercises or has sex will experience a release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters to reinforce the positive action.
What I don’t advise is trying to tackle it by yourself. And if you need a place to start, we have a wonderful private Facebook group full of people wrestling with some of the same questions and concerns you have. Any of these activities are natural mood lifters and a much better option than drinking to pass the time. After a while, you’ll notice that your interests start to narrow, as does your social circle. The problem is when you start creating habit loops that have you reaching for alcohol as a way to cope with boredom (or any uncomfortable emotion for that matter). If your strategy to drink less didn’t work, don’t regret or give in to guilt.
Journaling allowed me to step outside of my emotions. I could pour my heart out and every irrational thought onto the pages. I’ve included this separate from hobbies because I don’t believe that journaling is a hobby. I found myself planning little outings when I got sober because I needed to figure out what it meant to have fun again.
