How to Manage Boredom after De-Addiction Treatment?

Researchers have determined that the reason some people drink alcohol is to counter negative feelings like boredom, loneliness, confusion, and hopelessness. [1]

Individuals suffering from alcohol use disorder have difficulty conceptualizing and expressing their drinking behavior in terms of intended outcomes. They are more likely to say things such as - I was looking to overcome some boredom when it comes down to reaching the point of getting drunk. On the other hand, individuals who are moderate drinkers more often choose mechanical terminology to describe their actions, like - I lifted my glass because I wanted a drink. [2]

Research shows that addiction is a response to boredom and other negative emotions. [3]

When people are in recovery from addiction, it can be difficult to find ways to spend time that do not revolve around the substance or behaviors that helped lead us into what we were trying to break free from. In order to prevent relapse, those in addiction recovery must develop healthy habits to keep them busy between 12-step group meetings. However, conquering the boredom that comes from not having an escape can be a great challenge for many sober people. It is equally or perhaps more critical for the success of overcoming dependency for an addict to put other things into their lives besides just the next meeting date on their calendars and find new hobbies or activities to replace old ones - otherwise, they'll risk relapsing when they lose focus.

As you begin to remove the substances from your life, frequently you will realize that there are many activities that previously occupied your free time that can no longer be counted on. This can leave you in a kind of an empty space where it feels like there is nothing in particular left for you to do. The work of treatment - whether it's the detox or inpatient treatment at one of the luxury rehabs in India - will fill up much of the time you have during those early days, but what happens afterward? This can leave you with mass amounts of "empty" time and the task of building a completely new life ahead of you.

Boredom can be a significant problem for anyone who is trying to overcome an addiction because it might trigger the individual’s desire for excitement and entertainment. When a person is bored, they might spend money in excess; still spend time at home cutting themselves off from social interactions, or engage in unhealthy or unsafe behaviors like gambling. This could result in dangerous situations with others – even when having risky sexual encounters with someone.

With serious side effects such as financial turmoil, legal involvement, sexually transmitted diseases, and unwanted pregnancies, the impact of boredom can have dire consequences for the individual. One of the most significant dangers of boredom is addiction relapse. While relapse is never a good idea early in recovery, it's especially risky to try and fall back on old habits when your brain has not yet regained its full tolerance to drugs. [4]

Right now, you may be wondering what to do next with your life. You might even be experiencing emotions and moods not necessarily generated from the substances or from the drama that surrounded them. Don't worry - they will pass as you take steps to create a healthy, fulfilling, and sober lifestyle.

While addiction impacts your pleasure receptors, it's important if you want to find happiness in life that you go through addiction treatment at a rehab centre in India. This will help restore your ability to feel joy and let you feel natural highs again!

Drugs or alcohol may appear to take away the pain of emotional, mental, or physical challenges. Boredom is often simply a state of awareness that shows up just prior to the surfacing of difficult, painful thoughts and feelings we have pushed away from our conscious awareness and thus attempt to avoid. As difficult a challenge as being bored can present to overcome for anyone of any age, sometimes it's best if we stop fleeing from what may be causing it and instead try taking on the challenge head-on by asking ourselves some challenging questions about why a situation might be making us feel so out of sorts in order to begin stepping towards the light at the end of this particular tunnel! Any person who experiences significant levels of boredom needs to ask themselves what challenging (and likely unpleasant) experience they are attempting to avoid. [5]

The feeling of not having control

In addiction recovery, you will often feel a sense of boredom especially when you may lose control of your own life. Suddenly going from being able here to spend time doing whatever it is that you so choose to do what others have to say about what’s best for you along with the reasons why you may end up feeling disconnected from the rest of the world. Situations in which one doesn’t have any control over their actions, feelings, or behavior will often lead to them becoming bored because this leads to them feeling disconnected from others; inevitably causing one to start numbing out on things in life just so they can get through it without actually taking part and interacting with people.

Effectively, you give up because you conclude that you cannot impact a situation, but remember, treatment at any of the top rehabilitation centres in India is about you. It’s something you chose and while we may think we traded in some level of control for a life managed by others, we didn’t. We are just currently in the planning stages.

Absence of excitement in recovery

Recognize that the intent is not for this program to become exciting. It’s just a method of giving you a chance to stop your habit of the past from taking over and tell you how something can get better again after your addiction has been the norm in your daily life. You return to living normally, but it takes time to readjust.

Take some time for yourself by taking a break and doing something that invigorates you. Think about the last time you were bored and what engaged you. Consider what makes your interest pique, such as thinking about how you would help the world if you could or something else that is important to you.

You’ve probably seen these kinds of lists before and might even have made a couple of versions yourself. But, have you ever taken the time to sit down and think about what items actually speak to you? Do you want to learn how to cook? Take a boxing class? Other ideas include seeing what your community has to offer, exploring new areas in your city by signing up for a class, learning an instrument or a foreign language, or even just writing down new potential hobbies. A great place to start is by planning meals and preparing them.

Consider discussing boredom in rehabilitation treatment with your therapist. This can shed light on addiction-related to needing a distraction. This can lead you to more insight into ways in which you can structure your life so that it's less boring, thereby recovering from addiction with greater ease. Through the boredom and emotional hardships of dealing with withdrawal, the team at rehabsindia.in is here for you providing all information about the best de-addiction centre in India available for treatment.

1. 1. Thompson, G. (2011). A meaning-centered therapy for addictions. Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10-22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9367-9
2. 2. Wegner, D. M., Vallacher, R. R., & Dizadji, D. (1989). Do alcoholics know what they're doing? Identifications of the act of drinking. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 10(3), 197-210. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15324834basp1003_1
3. 3. Thompson, G. (2016). Meaning therapy for addictions: A case study. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 56(5), 457-482. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167815585913
4. 4. Avoiding Relapse Due to Boredom. The recovery village. Retrieved on 31 March 2022 from- https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/recovery/relapse/boredom-and-recovery/
5. 5. Boredom: A Possible Road to Addiction. PsychCentral. Carole Bennett. 2013 Retrieved on 31st March 2022 from- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/heartache-hope/201304/boredom-possible-road-addiction

Dr. Niharika Singh received her MBBS degree from Kurukshetra University, following which she went on to complete MD Psychiatry from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore. During her residency program, she pursued her thesis on psychosocial factors and the personality profiles of early and late-onset alcohol dependence syndrome. With a view to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field of mental health, she then continued to train regularly with premier institutes such as Harvard Medical School - McLean Hospital (USA) in Mind-Body Medicine, Beck Institute (USA) in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, NIMHANS (Bangalore) in Addiction Psychiatry, Behaviour Medicine, Clinical Neurophysiology and Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation and has completed Fellowship in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation from Duke University (USA). After post-graduation, her goal has been to inform the public about addiction issues. Her mission is to help those in need of treatment find the best option for them.

Gauri Kapoor embarked on her journey into sobriety 7 years ago, which led her to her current career path as a Certified Professional Addiction Recovery Coach in Delhi, India. She works closely with facilities that provide residential addiction treatment such as 12-Step programs and other nonprofits to help individuals deal with their addiction.