Nikkabean326

I'm just about two months into my sobriety. I feel like I look better, my clothes fit better, my weekends are chock full of fun activities with my friends and BF.. I'd say the only thing that has really gotten under my skin (and not in a good way) is work.

I felt like work was so much easier to deal with when I was "rewarded" with that glass of wine *cough* bottle *cough* at the end of the day. I'm just so... bored. It's the same thing day in and day out. The insulation business is slow right now, so some days I just spend my time browsing Instagram, shopping, watching Netflix, or on Facebook. Honestly, I feel like this was how my job was before, but I didn't realize it. I lack the motivation to be productive, which is absolutely hurting me more than making things better. When I have a super productive day, I leave the office with a skip in my step. I don't do much all day long at work, then I head home to do more of nothing for about 4 or 5 hours before bed time every single day. I need to switch up my routine. I need to make better use of my time during the week. Saturday and Sunday are always great, not only because it's the weekend, but because I'm busy and active. I think I'm going to begin my yoga practice again. I was hard core into DDP Yoga a few years back and I felt freaking phenomenal. I think I need that back in my life. I'm going to take 20 minutes out of my night to get a work out in and do good for myself.

I hope you're all doing well. I don't post everyday because quite frankly there isn't something to write about everyday. I'm still not drinking. That's the important piece, right?

CreativeThinker

Hey Nik- 2 months is awesome. Congrats!

If you're feeling bored it may be time to switch up your routine. Yogo or some form of an exercise routine will definitely solve your problem. Not only will you feel amazing, but it will give you a new goal to reach towards. I don't know what I would do without my daily workout! It's one of my tools to staying happy. The scales are moving in the right direction again and I'm stoked!

Hang in there and keep going.

Mizzuno

Bored.

Lets think of it this way: There is not any situations in your life that are heavy and creating stress. You have the freedom to choose what you will fill your time with. Yoga, gardening, reading, watching a series....doing anything really. You get to choose. Its nice to read that you have a calm life. That is what I am reading in your post, calm. Not boring. Predictable.

Maybe its time to find a more rewarding job? Do you like your line of work? Does it satisfy you?

2ndhandrose

2 months is fantastic!!!

I know what you are saying about being bored at work. I experienced that for quite a long time at my job, not enough work to fill an 8 hour day, yet a body was required to be in the office.

Fortunately, my duties were increased and I was given new responsibilities and now I can honestly say I love my job!

Maybe you are due for a career change or move of some kind? Are you able to do any kind of online courses while you are at the office with nothing to do?

It sounds like you have some great ideas on sparking up your 'home from work' routine

Dee74

Hi Nikkbean

maybe this is an opportunity to explore something you have a passion for - hobbies interests, volunteer work?

The way I look at it is it would be a shame to waste all the effort I put in to get sober to do nothing with it

D

ThatWasTheOldMe

For me personally, antabuse helps with impulsive drinking due to boredom. Just takes the entire premise of alcohol off the table.

D122y

Nik,

Agree. We here all believe that the main thing is don't ever drink again.

It is the problem.

This is my crave time, usually between noon and 6 pm. I don't always crave and when I do it is a weak crave.

Sober, I believe, we can live proper. As we are designed.

Success doesn't come from not drinking, but drinking can ruin and or stifle current or future success.

I have never met an active alcoholic in a leadership role that i trusted. I work w several alkies and they are inconsistent players.

Thanks.

sunshine27

I get bored in the evening too when I'm sober. It's like I don't know what to do with myself. Have you tried any meetups from meetup.com? Filling your evening with acitivities will help. I find it helps to get out of the house at that time. Now that your sober you don't have to worry about driving! I even do a lot of shopping and errand running after five. It helps. I pretty much live alone and don't have a BF so I'm alone a lot! It's hard and I definitely understand what you are feeling.

HTown

I noticed I was more bored at work as well. For me, it was realizing I was not content "settling" anymore. Being drunk I never reflected on anything, never looked at my life as much, just went through the motions. Now, I really look at things, see them clearly.

Maybe you do not want to "settle for" anymore either.

Cocobeano

Going through the same thing. The longer you go the harder it is to remember the hangovers and why we quit. I struggle too. I am getting used to the bordom. My therapist said instead of trying to find something more figure out why you need something more. Why can't we just be happy being bored. Boredom is an excuse and AV hides behind bit peaking it's head out when the time feels right.. when we are bored.

tomsteve

"I lack the motivation to be productive, which is absolutely hurting me more than making things better."
"I don't do much all day long at work, then I head home to do more of nothing for about 4 or 5 hours before bed time every single day. "
reads more like laziness then boredom

Delilah1

Dee stole exactly what I was going to say.

Gottalife

Yes, it is very important for without sobriety, there is not much hope for anything else. But there is more to it. For a lot of us not drinking,on its own, is not a particularly satisfactory way to live, in fact I found it most unsatisfactory, miserable even. It didn't take long for me to get tired of that.

IME the best way to make sobriety a permanent thing is to find a way to live sober that is satisfying and rewarding to you. There are ways where sobriety can be very emotionally rewarding. Sobriety changes from a discipline or necessity into a desirable way to live. It takes effort, but then so done as anything worthwhile.

Lusa

During my early sobriety I taught myself how to make soap. I spent the next three years learning the chemistry of it and the beauty aspect. It kept my mind occupied and I have to say it really helped to fill the void. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and now I have moved on to another hobby to immerse myself in. Like others have said find something you have always wanted to do and do it. And congratulations!

SnazzyDresser

Soap-making sounds like good clean fun.

NikkaBean, congrats on your 2 months. You're doing great.

Nikkabean326

So.. I think what I meant to say.. is I'm bored because alcohol isn't taking up that part of my life/time anymore.

Since quitting drinking, I learned to crochet, I've read books that have been sitting on my shelves for a long while, I began putting together ideas for a book I want to write, etc, etc, etc blah blah blah - I fill my time up with stuff. It's just stuff. AV is shouting at me. I'm boring, this life is boring, etc.. I'm not lazy, but the time I now have to fill when I used to in black out central can be difficult. I'm grateful for it, but it's a hard transition. My brain is constantly looking for the next thing and that can get.. boring.

Kaneda8888

NB

I lost my job after I got sober. So, had loads of 'spare' time. I remember an AA member said 'why dont you focus on your sobriety during this time ?' Initially I didnt realise what that meant. After all, I wasn't drinking. Isn't that being focused !?!? After a little while, it struck me to develop a sober recovery plan. Not a survival plan but a recovery path to reclaim my sense of self (whatever that is). I tried everything from seeing D&A specialists, psychologists, counsellors, discovering spirituality, meditation, exercise, AA, etc. After a few months, I figured out a daily routine. The point being it took a while and quite a bit of work to figure out what worked for me. Needless to say I wasn't bored

ThatWasTheOldMe

Is it necessary to insult people?

least

I don't think he meant it as an insult, just an observation.

Inchworm

"Another form of aversion that we can learn to be mindful of is boredom. Usually we are afraid of boredom and will do anything to avoid it. So we go to the refrigerator, pick up the phone, watch TV, read a novel, busy ourselves constantly in an attempt to escape our loneliness, our emptiness, our boredom. When we are without awareness, it has a great power over us and we can never be at rest. Yet we need not let boredom run our lives this way. What is boredom when it is experienced in itself? Have we ever really stopped to look at it? Boredom comes from lack of attention. With it we also find restlessness, discouragement, and judgment. We get bored because we don’t like what is happening or because we feel empty or lost. In naming it, we can acknowledge boredom and let it be a state to explore.". ---- Jack Kornfield