Picture this common scenario: You accompany your girlfriend to her company party. She introduces you around but soon becomes engaged in conversation with her colleagues. You soon find yourself at the bar, snacking on nuts and having a drink. You are feeling out of place, isolated, and literally “bored to distraction,” and that distraction is drinking.
Most of us experience boredom at some time. It is a negative emotion that is closely linked to depression. Psychologists believe that substance abuse may begin as an innocuous response to boredom. Overeating, alcoholism, and drug use seem like easy remedies for boredom and the fear and uncertainty that may underlie it.
A pattern develops and takes over your life:
You feel bored. You take a drink, smoke a joint, or try something new. You start to feel better; at least, you don’t have to think about the things that make you feel disengaged and uncomfortable. Soon, everything in your bored existence revolves around that better feeling. Who you spend time with, where you hang out, what you do are all dependent on your alcohol or drug habit.
Banish Boredom after Rehab
As self-destructive as alcohol and drug abuse are, their elimination may leave you feeling empty, alone, and bored once again. You will need new strategies like these to deal with those feelings of boredom.
- Take up new activities. Go to the gym, join a sports league, or take up cycling or yoga. Physical activity not only fills your time, but it also benefits your health.
- Confide in someone. Share your feelings with a support group, friend, or counselor. You will learn how others deal with the same kind of challenge.
- Practice mindfulness meditation. Become aware of your feelings and anxiety triggers. Use this objective knowledge to plan ahead with activities for those times when you feel most uncertain or bored.
- Take up a new hobby or change careers. You may discover that you have talents that remained undeveloped as long as your substance abuse controlled your life.
- Set a goal and then work toward it. Bored individuals are often detached from life. Working toward a goal gives you purpose and an opportunity for fulfillment.
- Express gratitude. Gratefulness acknowledges that you value your life and, thus, it acts as an antidote to boredom.
Rehab without Boredom at 10 Acre Ranch
Rehab for men at 10 Acre Ranch is designed to stave off loneliness and keep boredom at bay. Our social model fosters a sense of community, and the structured schedule, support groups, and shared recreational activities will keep you involved in life. Call 1-877-228-4679 to check insurance coverage and begin the admissions process today.