Why You Shouldnt Rely on Alcohol During Times of Stress

Give yourself minutes to determine whether what you’re feeling is hunger due to boredom, or hunger due to really being hungry. True hunger will build and remain consistent, but emotional hunger (or boredom hunger) will fade as your mind becomes occupied with other things. For instance, some people with alcohol use disorder might push away friends and family and quit participating in activities and events.

Mental Health Treatment

This puts those who have formed an attachment to alcohol in a very vulnerable position. The reasons people start drinking alcohol is very different than the reasons they continue to drink alcohol. Boredom and isolation are known relapse triggers for people with substance use disorders.

1. COVID-19 Survey Demographics

• Many drinkers at this stage are more likely to drink and drive or experience legal troubles as a result of their drinking.
• Similarly, in a study reporting nonfatal opioid overdoses in the US, male patients made up a relatively larger proportion of opioid overdose visits to an urban emergency department during lockdown compared with the previous year (Ochalek et al., 2020).
• Additionally, participants reported perceived increases in their current alcohol intake compared to pre-COVID-19.
• From a preliminary comparison, it appears that participants are consuming more alcohol during COVID-19 than in 2019, but more research is warranted.

Disagreements regarding the inclusion of papers were resolved through discussion and there was no unresolved conflict. The interrater agreement for across the two primary reviewers was 100%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were alerted to the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. on 22 January 2020; the first reported death occurred on 29 February 2020 in Washington state 12,13. Due to concern over the contagiousness of COVID-19 and the harm suffered if contracted, the Washington governor declared a state of emergency that same day (29 February 2020) 14.

• Also, sadness, anger, frustration, and even boredom can turn our attention to a cocktail.
• Even if you think boredom eating is circumstantial or temporary, it’s a good idea to try to reign it in.
• First published in 1869, Nature is the world’s leading multidisciplinary science journal.
• In addition, there have been reports from the USA of increases in alcohol use amongst people to tend to drink to cope, raising concerns of similar problems in the UK.

Substance Abuse Treatment

Curtail the screen-time hours and drinking out of boredom help your child look for and plan stimulating activates or hobbies. If they are not interested in pursuing them independently, get involved yourself or recruit other members of the family. As the saying goes, “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.” Anyone with too much time on their hands may find themselves in hot water. People who tend to be bored may also be weary or restless because of a lack of personal interests. They may be bored with themselves, their jobs, and their life.

• Denise Graham, a counselor in Cleveland Clinic’s Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center (ADRC), points out that stress and anxiety levels for many people are higher than usual due to so much social and economic unrest in the world.
• Doing something to occupy your time, even just temporarily, will likely get your mind out of the fridge and focused on something else until the hunger passes.

It is a state of mind and requires a committed determination to change. According to contemporary ethicist William Mattison, alcohol has several virtuous uses.3 One good way to approach this issue is to ask ourselves some important questions and answer as honestly as we can. Then, if any changes in behavior are needed, we can implement those changes. Recovery is hard work, but we think you’ll find it’s well worth it.

You might be retired or house-bound due to a medical condition or injury. Picking up that drink to get past feeling bored is a dangerous practice that can only get worse. You may automatically find yourself gravitating toward alcohol to pass the time, increasing the risk of developing an addiction. I’ve spent the last seven years researching and understanding alcoholism, addiction, and how people get sober. Additionally, I examine the way mental and physical health as well as our relationships with others impact the reasons people drink and their role in maintaining sobriety long-term.