Question for the community: how do you handle boredom? This might seem silly and to have an obvious answer, but since beginning my sobriety (day 5), I really haven’t known what to do with myself. I’ve realized I don’t have any hobbies, and when I’m not working I’ve just found myself obsessively doing chores and cleaning. This is working for now, but I don’t foresee it as being sustainable for long.
I guess what I’m asking is if anyone else struggled with filling their time in the beginning, and if they found any helpful distractions while relearning what brings them joy.
You’ve got to adapt my friend. When I look at my drinking, I was bored while I was drinking. It’s all fun until I get home alone. So first drinking doesn’t solve boredom. It just has a way of making us believe we are doing something.
So all that money we would spend on booze, gotta fill up a to do list. Start saving the money you spend on drinking for a vacay or big trip. Start setting small goals each day. What interests you? Pick up an instrument, art, refurbishing old furniture or something. I’m going to start getting involved in my community more. All these small mom and pop shops in my local town I’ve always driven by but never have been in or explored. Start cooking in ways you never have before. It’s really endless, just gotta open our minds a bit. It’s getting easier for me the longer my mind is sober and clear. The booze creates a heavy fog over us that kind of blinds us to normal ways of living.
Good question. I think we all go thru the boredom phase and wonder what we actually enjoy. Get curious and have fun with it? Working out, nature, travel, art, crafts, building, learning, reading. Early on in my sobriety i was scared of the cravings and giving in so i spent a lot of time on online aa meetings and cleaning
Get used to it. Boredom was a big trigger for me. I’ve noticed now that I don’t mind just…existing. While drinking, I always felt the need to go out somewhere, anywhere, and be seen. If I didn’t have someplace to go, I’d still end up going to a restaurant or shop and spending unnecessary money just to get out of the house. It felt like if I wasn’t doing something, I wasn’t living. Not true. In the beginning it was hard to fill the time. I also found it difficult to be alone with myself. I pretty much just came on here or watched tv to fill that space (Sure wish I had your cleaning compulsion ) I also began exercising again, which helped to calm my mind of anxieties. Eventually I was able to accept that boredom is an inevitable part of life. I’ve done far less activities since being sober, but I’m more content than ever. It’s really just changing your mindset.
I remember my first time at getting sober i was 29 i was doing like 40 mile bike rides, hiking, running, thought i was gonna be a triathlon runner untill i kinda realized i didnt really like doing any of that shit. Then i relapsed. Came back started drawing and thought i was gonna be a tattoo artist on ink masters lol. Then slipped again and idk got back into the gym. Now i have 7 months and i really just enjoy the quiet when im not working, some meetings might be nice. Sometimes i do bike rides, i guess we just find small little things as time goes.
I don’t really know boredom, never did. Sit with yourself, it’s nice to meet yourself and spend quality time on your own exploring who you are and what’s going on with you. Combined with journalling it’s a quite nice way to spend time.
When i got sober no internet or mobiles so i got bored (and yes there was a time before internet lol) Going to meetings making new sober friend meeting them for lunch and going on hikes and i joined a gym ended up running a keep fit session once a week , took up my guitar again , did service work visited prisons and hospitals ,started up my Landscaping business that was over 30 years ago now still sober and my days are full traveling the world ,gardening , Ps4 lol theres lots to do if you make the effort wish you well
Yes I’ve been fighting with that myself especially when lonely, but my go to is painting but sometimes it’s hard to get started because you don’t always know WHAT it is that you want to paint
But I listen to music, read, color, or spend time with my little man.
Go on walks, ride a bicycle, go for a hike in the mountains, start a jigsaw puzzle, read books, or better yet write a book, look up kinesthetic workouts and do those at home, join a gym, join a martial arts gym, volunteer at a homeless shelter or an animal shelter or a hospice care facility or a food bank, go back to school and earn a degree, become a paramedic.
There’s a lot of stuff to do. Just start trying a bunch of different stuff out and keep doing the stuff that makes you smile. Kinda like that movie “Yes Man!”
Have you connected with other persons who are working a solid recovery program (AA for example)?
If you are spending time with other persons in recovery, you solve your boredom problem. You should be working the 12 Steps. This eliminates boredom because you will have your hands full working the Steps and meeting with a sponsor.
AA has lots of activities you can participate in. Events, celebrations, picnics, etc.
) I also began exercising again, which helped to calm my mind of anxieties. Eventually I was able to accept that boredom is an inevitable part of life. I’ve done far less activities since being sober, but I’m more content than ever. It’s really just changing your mindset.
There’s a great community here!
untill i kinda realized i didnt really like doing any of that shit. Then i relapsed. Came back started drawing and thought i was gonna be a tattoo artist on ink masters lol. Then slipped again and idk got back into the gym. Now i have 7 months and i really just enjoy the quiet when im not working, some meetings might be nice. Sometimes i do bike rides, i guess we just find small little things as time goes.
but sometimes it’s hard to get started because you don’t always know WHAT it is that you want to paint 
