Bored, is it only me?

[she]

:new:Having started using alcohol during a serious illness then going on to use it to alleviate anxiety, I'm now using it to allievate boredom. I can 'do without it' an addict's cry - but it does make the boring more bearable. I've read the Jason Vale book so I know I shouldn't feel like this, but I do.' I hesitate to post this as most people here seem to have got their act together and have resolved to give up alcohol. I guess I just haven't reached that stage yet. I'm sorry, just thinking out loud. Have much enjoyed reading the posts on here and more, the responses from all the supportive people.

I'm just wondering, does anyone relate to what I've said?

[available]

Bored, is it only me?

Hi she

dont drink alcohol for anxiety, i suffer anxiety and silly me thought i was getting more anxious,not realising the more i drank the more anxious the next day i was. I am up to day 5 and never thought i would do it. i live with my son and as soon as i got home from work id feed the dogs, get a wine and sit at the computer till i drank those "not quite two" bottles. god i would be a true alco if i drank the whole 2. stupid thinking that one. I drank from boredom but i drank as i am an alcoholic. On the 1/11/11 i searched the web for help and found this site, thank god for that i say. If you read the posts people fail but get back up and get going again. They admit their vulnerabiities and share it with people and start again. If i do the same if i fall off the wagon i will be on here to start again. Most of all u have to want to be AF and you have to want to change your life and do it for you.

[available]

Bored, is it only me?

[QUOTE=available;1203453]Hi she

dont drink alcohol for anxiety, i suffer anxiety and silly me thought i was getting more anxious,not realising the more i drank the more anxious the next day i was. I am up to day 5 and never thought i would do it. i live with my son and as soon as i got home from work id feed the dogs, get a wine and sit at the computer till i drank those "not quite two" bottles. god i would be a true alco if i drank the whole 2. stupid thinking that one. I drank from boredom but i drank as i am an alcoholic. On the 1/11/11 i searched the web for help and found this site, thank god for that i say. If you read the posts people fail but get back up and get going again. They admit their vulnerabiities and share it with people and start again. If i do the same if i fall off the wagon i will be on here to start again. Most of all u have to want to be AF and you have to want to change your life and do it for you.

["Woo well done mother. i bet u feel better for it and i'm so proud of you, and i love you] by my 24yr old daughter to me.

[YoungAtHeart]

Bored, is it only me?

Drinking always made boredom feel less boring to me--or at least tolerable. It takes time, but now that I've stopped, I'm slowly finding ways to make my time more enjoyable, including being more productive at getting my home and business in order. I also have been making myself go out, whether to an AA meeting or a dance lesson. I am making a few new friends and actually having a little fun, even though it was definitely scary at first.

So I do relate. I want to change my life though, and this is what I have to do to get it done. I sometimes crave a drink when I'm feeling bored/lonely, but I don't want to go back to where I was again, and I'm finding it worth it not to take that first drink.

Welcome to MWO, She. I hope you find your way out. There are many supportive people here who will be invaluable to you as you continue your journey.

[Lavande]

Bored, is it only me?

Hello she,

Welcome to MWO!
Have you read the book yet? You can download it right from the Health store here on the site.

There are thousands of things you can do when you feel bored & not drink!
Look in the https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...box-27556.html for lots of great ideas!

We need to take responsibiity for what we do, take control of our lives. Kicking out AL is the first step but you have to keep moving forward. btw - I also had a crippling anxiety problem made worse by constantly drinking. Now that AL is gone from my life I am much better. You can be too

Make a plan!

Lav

[she]

Bored, is it only me?

thank you for taking the time to answer, what concerns me, I went to an impressive, intelligent new play in london tonight, went for a cocktail in a lovely bar, then went for a meal in a great restaurant. And I'm bored. Can't concieve of doing what I do without alcohol. It's pathetic. Not sure my post warrents a reply. So many people in the world with real life and death problems, how do you deal with it?

[Ellaq]

Bored, is it only me?

Are you sure you are really bored? Or is the boredom because you would really rather be at home drinking than out?

AL controls our brains and triggers in impressive ways. Your brain thinks that without AL life will be boring. But if you eliminate AL for a while everything will start to look different. And you might start to enjoy doing other things that don't involve AL.

Good luck with your journey.

[she]

Bored, is it only me?

ellaq: I was out and was drinking, I was experiencing the best there is to entertain. As I say, it's pathetic and I'm ashamed.

[available]

Bored, is it only me?

She you need to get in the right mindframe to be AF. You need to be determined and want to give up. Believe me after 6 days of AF i am not bored, i am doing more now than what i did when i was drunk and hungover. Instead of being ashamed be determined. Life is what you make it not what other people make it. Today i am having an unmotivated day but i need to realise that no one will do my wallking for me it is me and only me that makes things happen.
goodluck you will get there

[looking for peace]

Bored, is it only me?

She, I too am pretty bored at the moment. I guess alcohol has become my pass time over the years. It's pretty pathetic. I have no hobbies or interests. Drinking seems to have become my hobby.


I feel like I have all this extra time on my hands and nothing to do with it. I'm pretty new to this so I'm hoping things change. I just found an old "how to knit" DVD and I will start trying to learn to knit again. I will pick up a book to read also. Any other suggestions?

[Ellaq]

Bored, is it only me?

she;1203990 wrote: ellaq: I was out and was drinking, I was experiencing the best there is to entertain. As I say, it's pathetic and I'm ashamed.

There is nothing to be ashamed of. We each have our own AL brain that tells us whatever it takes to get us to keep drinking. Don't be afraid of trying to give it up 1 day at a time. Read as much as you can here......arm yourself against your AL brain. It will happen.

Join one of the threads that deals with giving up one day at a time. :welcome:

[looking for peace]

Bored, is it only me?

She, I wanted to add this to my post.....

I think it's important to remember that alcohol does not relieve boredom, it simply stupefies us to what is going on. In my case long term alcohol use caused my current state of boredom by causing me not to pursue interests and hobbies over the years. It caused me to be lazy, to not learn anything new, to isolate myself from people, to not really interact with people when out and to not remember many interactions.


Alcohol does the exact opposite of what we may think it does. Hopefully with a little time and effort I will start to find myself again and do things I really enjoy, like I did when I was in my early twenties. Hopefully the same thing will happen with you. Peace

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Bored, is it only me?

Nice post Looking, very true.

[willowfrond]

Bored, is it only me?

Bored? Apathetic?

Hi She,

To me boredom implies a feeling of "I want to DO something" and then thinking "no not that" "no not that either"......
Apathy (again to me), is a lack of interest or stimulation or motivation.
I have things I could do that I now would absorb me and give me a sense of accomplishment but do I do them...not often! To damn unmotivated and apathetic most of the time.
It's pretty classic depression which is still lingering despite being AF for 7 weeks or so. That said it was A LOT LOT LOT worse with Al in the mix, I have at least had a few days of doing and they are on the increase.

I think that sometimes because many people feel so great after going AF, that there is a tendency to see it as some kind of magic bullet that will fix everything. It isn't. I guess I sound negative and I don't want to. What I mean is don't be discouraged if going AF doesn't suddenly make the sun shine brighter, the birds sing more melodiously and all your problems go "poof" in a cloud of smoke!

I'm learning that it means the sun doesn't give me a blinding headache, I no longer feel like taking a shotgun to the birds for screeching and I am beginning to deal with my problems instead of being stuck in a squirrel cage of worrying them to death with no progress. Also my motivation is slowly slowly increasing.

Yesterday I saw my son for the first time in a long time, I came home and cried because I felt the interaction had not been as "perfect" as I craved. I woke up this morning and realised that my craving was unrealistic, so I focused on the positive....we got together, we talked, we embraced...it is a step and there may be many before our relationship recovers. I never would have had the positive moment if I was still drinking and would still be crying.

You have nothing to lose trying AF - unless you like hangovers.

[she]

Bored, is it only me?

Thank you all so much for your thoughts, some of which were very moving and so true. I know I am struggling. I'm half way through the Jason Vale book and recognise that the fear of giving up drinking is the biggest thing for me. I just can't imagine 'getting through' various things without the crutch. I know social situations are a nightmare for me and I make them worse by drinking too much.

Having read so many of the posts here it does seem it's all or nothing and that scares me.

I despise myself for moaning about boredom 'count your blessings etc' should work.

Thanks again - such lovely people on here, wouldn't it be nice if we all lived close and could have a meet up, that would relieve the boredom!