academia

Hey folks. You guys are awesome and reading your posts and replies has helped me tremendously in my battle against alcoholism. Thanks guys. I'm still fighting the good fight.

Anyway, my biggest challenge now. I'm about at the 6 month sobriety point. I feel good. I feel healthy. So much better than when I was drinking. My current problem is this: I'm super bored. Not intellectually bored (I'm a PhD student, so I always have interesting things to read) but in some other unidentifiable way. Basically, I think I need a dopamine rush.

In the past, around this time of year, I would overcompensate my late summer bored-ness by getting smashed and partying like a monster. Last summer, I blew through over $3,000 a month partying in Chicago. Obviously, that's not happening this year but I think I need to find some kind of dopamine fix or something to get my brain excited in a non-chemical way.

I considered possibly traveling to Burning Man in Nevada to check out the crazy art and hippies (they have an AA campsite). Possibly this could lead to some writing or something. Or doing something else. I don't know. Have any of you guys felt this? How did you get past it? Skydiving? Rock-climbing? Bear wrestling?

Thanks all.