How To Stop Drinking Out Of Boredom

As the saying goes “an empty mind is devil's worship”. People who have too much free time tend to be easily bored and may become restless. They tend to be bored with themselves or their life. Boredom usually results from a lack of motivation, goals, or creativity. One might get bored now and then but we should be able to see the difference between changing mood through the usage of healthy alternatives and turning to unhealthy alternatives. One such unhealthy alternative that many people struggle with is drinking out of boredom.

Research and studies have thrown light on how people who are easily bored are at higher risk of developing mental health concerns like anxiety , depression , drug addiction, and alcohol addiction. Boredom becomes prompts for an individual’s sensation-seeking behavior. Individuals want to enhance their experience and hence use alcoholic beverages at concerts, events, or even dinners. This leads to overindulgence and causes a number of health concerns. Drinking to deal with boredom can lead to many problems but you can prevent consequences if you identify the issue at an early stage. However, if you need any help then you can always contact us for mental health care services.

WAYS TO PREVENT DRINKING OUT OF BOREDOM

Understand your triggers that led to drinking out of boredom

We go around on auto-pilot when it comes to certain patterns or behaviors. Stopping at the moment to look around at what’s happening, what emotions you are experiencing, sensations, and thoughts that are present, bringing awareness, and then making a choice. Start consciously thinking about your drinking routines and ask yourself what’s triggering that particular routine or pattern. Workaround managing and coping with those triggers by finding a different strategy that works best for you. Learning to identify the triggers to drinking is the first step towards preventing drinking out of boredom.

Eliminate alcohol from your living space

When you remove all alcohol and other addictive substance from your home, you give yourself a chance to reflect on your thoughts and feelings associated with drinking without acting on them.

Create a Healthy Support System

Surround yourself with people that support you and help you in whatever you’re going through in the present moment. It can be your friends, colleagues, or family who know you for ideas of things you can do to fill your time differently. Meet and connect with such people regularly and let them know when you are feeling down or lonely.

Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle will make you more resilient when faced with challenges. Many unhealthy habits like insufficient sleep , and lack of physical activity , have been linked to many mental health concerns. One healthy alternative to taking care of your body is exercising and staying physically active . It’s one effective way to alleviate stress and enhance mood. Find different activities or hobbies that you find interesting and provide something to look forward to each day. Focus on creating a schedule that focuses on following aspects of a healthy lifestyle

• Sleep
• Exercise
• Healthy diet

Learn to say NO

Prepare yourself by finding words or statements that will help you decline politely but firmly for those times when someone is going to offer you a drink. If the temptation is strong, you can always ask your friend to help you or might hold a nonalcoholic drink .

Diversions

Handling cravings can be a difficult task and might make you feel as if there’s no escape. But then, if you resist the craving starts to lessen, and eventually, it disappears. Most cravings start to end within one hour of the start. The goal of using diversion as a strategy is to buy yourself time during craving. If you distract yourself for just one hour, you will have a better chance of avoiding relapse. Come up with a list of activities you enjoy and divert your attention from craving. Following are a few diversion ideas

• Go for a walk
• Read a book
• Call a friend
• Play sport
• Draw or paint
• Write or journal
• Clean or organize
• Go swimming

Managing setbacks

If your strategy to drink less didn’t work, don’t regret or give in to guilt. How you respond to setbacks is crucial to succeed and to begin making a change. Just restart your plan and recognize & reflect on what challenges need to be overcome and how.

Reducing alcohol intake may produce withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, shivering, high blood pressure, vomiting, fatigue, etc. Psychological symptoms like anxiety, restlessness, & anger outbursts, or irritability can be seen as an after-effect. If these problems persist, professional help may be needed. A Qualified mental health professional or psychiatrist can help and assist in managing these symptoms.