CarolD

Since I have committed to living the AA lifestyle
I've been sad...mad and glad .all sorts of emotions
but never bored.

AA friends are interesting and we do all sorts of things.
I'm enthusiastic about life....I am not a boring woman.

undercoverangel

Yes, I do feel bored in the evenings when I would normally be drinking by 6:00. I've pulled my hair out trying to remember what I used to do with myself before I started drinking. I even asked my husband the other day. Would you beleive he was confused by the question, he didn't know I quit drinking, I was almost disappointed... I guess my kids were a little younger and needed me more back then so I probally kept busy with them. I've been trying to get back to walking and exercising but my motivation isn't there these days. I do love my mornings lately, waking up feeling good, and I love going to bed with a clear head, so it's all worth it to me. ;O)

Mark75

No, I'm not bored, anymore... although sometimes I find myself a bit tedious

Sure, early sobriety is a great big change in our lives... careening one direction, often to oblivion, and it was exciting at times... And now, especially if we built our nights and weekends and days around drinking and stuff... then what's left, who's left... look around, it's different... Sure, I think it's fine to admit that it is boring, at first...

But if it stays boring, well... a change is needed... this can take many forms, as you can see here on SR... spiritual, intellectual, physical fitness... whatever... If one just quits drinking and expects their new way of life to come to them, and scoop them up and take them on a joyride.... well, I'd say that would be an unrealistic expectation...

Make the change, pursue a new life style... even if you have to fake it, at first.

LexieCat

I think that a lot of what feels like "boredom" is actually just feeling at loose ends because we aren't used to not drinking. I remember spending months and months thinking, "What do normal people do when they're bored?"

(LOL, I just heard the song from Camelot, "What do the simple folk do?")

Trust me, it may take awhile, but it won't feel this boring forever. Stuff has a way of taking up the empty space you are experiencing in your life right now.

doublecheck

I have stopped drinking on dec 17 and am very bored. I find my job extremely boring which I have never really liked but being hungover I guess made it more of a challenge now sober it is worse then watching paint dry. I have hung out with some of my friends and found them to be so self centered and boring that I really don't want to hangout with them. I always called my friends back and now that I am sober I just have no desire to listen to them talk about themselves anymore. I always valued being a good friend and a great listner but since I stopped drinking I have no desire to be that same person. Also being out with them and not drinking is not fun, I have never realized how much people talked about dumb things without listening to anything. I guess I was to drunk to remember how mundane and boring it was.

oakleaf82

Eveyone here has great advice. I am starting to volunteer, taking a yoga class, I exercise, and I'm going to teach myself how to sew. Also, I journal a LOT.

MsCooterBrown

It has everything to do with changing your life up a bit. As others have said..looking back..boring is sitting at the bar hours on end listening to everyone talking over each other. Then later as my drinking upped the ante...boring is sitting in front of the tv with your drink of choice for hours on end..everyone talking about whatever show and you watched it...but had no clue what it was all about! AND that was a good thing..because you were too hungover to participate in any kind of a conversation. Anyway..anything I find to do these days beats the hell out of THAT! I am just loving the freedom of getting a whim and being able to drive and go whereever I want..and everything you feel..happy ..sad...bored whatever you actually know what mood it is. You were probably bored before..just too drunk to know you were bored...

dubbguy

I think you have to be careful that dwelling on not drinking being boring is your mind trying to talk you back into drinking.
I had some fun times drinking but being honest with myself those were like a decade ago. I would say for at least the last 3 years I drank there was literally nothing fun about it unless you consider a pathetic figure trying to forget about life "fun".
So no...sobriety is not boring.

TheEnd

My life isn't boring at all since I quit drinking. I still go out and hang out with people, I don't feel just because I'm not drinking means I need to stay home and watch T.V endlessly. There is still plenty of things to do for those who want to do them, that don't involve alcohol. My partner and I are planning on joining a bowling league. Something we have never done before.

Some people become resentful that they are not drinking, that they isolate themselves from are venues that might serve a little alcohol. Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to drink it, the dreaded alcohol monster will not hold you down and make you consume it. One of the most important things about quitting drinking I believe is simply getting over that fact that you are not doing it anymore, so let those hard feelings go.

If life gives you lemons make lemonade.

Now go out and find something to do.

yeahgr8

Sobriety is never boring, not drinking was as boring as hell though!

TheMaster

Maybe boring was the wrong word...

I guess lonely might be better. You notice the alone-ness more. You take stock & see that you are the one always making effort to have "friends..."

yeahgr8

Apologise if i have posted this before but why don't you go to AA and make some new sober friends, its so easy...why would you choose to be lonely?

If not AA then some other group, there are so many tools out there, to enhance recovery, and so many people that would love to spend time with you...it's you not letting you be happy still...

TheMaster

I'm doing all that. I was reflecting more on the old friends, mainly...

SJTChiSox

Sometimes, today is day 90 for me and it can be pretty damn boring. I'm trying to get a job and get into grad school at some point.

Drinking and using was pretty boring too. Don't get me wrong, I did have some fun times on alcohol and drugs, but that was years ago. Lots of my use towards the end was by myself or sitting in the same dang bar... again.

I go to AA and have a sponsor and all that. I'm also going to start volunteering soon. In fact, I would like to have something setup by next week.

Bamboozle

I do get bored...but not because I'm sober. I have a tendency to get bored easily, so I find things to do that I like doing. Right now, because it's so dang cold out, I spend time playing with my cat, wandering the internet or playing video games.

nvrbeentospain

I wouldn't say boring, but my life has seemed pretty narrow recently. Work a lot, go home, watch some TV, read, go to bed, repeat. The only thing alcohol would add, though, is split a bottle of wine with the SO while watching TV/reading.

But I've ventured out into the world the past two nights and am heading out of town for the weekend, so maybe I'm getting out of my rut. I agree with others that going to places where alcohol is available isn't always a bad thing.

onlythetruth

No, I've never found sobriety boring. Not even when I was new. Since the start I've loved the freedom to live my life without hangovers, jitters and lies.

That said, I didn't find it easy. The cravings, insomnia, night sweats, mood swings, etc. were not exactly fun. But boring? No.

OTT

Freyakitty

TheMaster, I also feel a bit of the alone-ness of feeling like friends aren't coming to me but that probably isn't a result of no longer drinking. I would guess that I am finally seeing true light of a situation - I have alot of friends back in Canada and that I "see" or am linked with on facebook but have they ever taken the first step in contacting me? No. But I'm learning that this is OK. I know people and you will probably too that you feel affinity for but aren't actively in contact with - you still like them but just haven't the inclination to connect with them. If you are feeling hurt by lack of communication maybe explore what you are making up in your head that it means? For example my oldest friend from School (I've known her 35 years) never contacts me. Every time I call, she says "Joanna, I've been meaning to call you - I'm such a crap friend....how are you? blah, blah, blah" And I say (usually drunk) "you are busy, no problem" and proceed to have a good ol' chat (drunk). But it hurt me that I'd always had to call her. I explored what that was all about and the truth is that all I was looking for was to recapture the good old high school days. It's time for me to grow up and meet friends that are current and relevant while being grateful for all the support and love that old friends have and do continue to provide.

NYCDoglvr

Since I was a blackout drinker I don't remember if I got bored when I drank
Your post shows the courage we all have to endure early sobriety. I was bored and assumed my life was over. Far from it. It didn't make me happy to realize I'm responsible for filling my life, for solving the problem of boredom. No! This isn't why I got sober! I got sober to be happy!

We all need other people, especially in the beginning. I went to more meetings, talked to other alcoholics, invited people to coffee. But what really worked the best was finding a local hiking club and having outings with them. I suggest checking out Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup. It's the best way for connecting with others.

Thanks for reminding me how lonely early sobriety was.

mikefreak

Everyone get's bored at times, drunk, high, or sober. Me? I would rather BE bored that drink/drug.