Boredom and isolation have long been recognised as one of the major factors in why people relapse from drug and alcohol addiction. Addiction takes up such a huge part of your life no matter what substance someone was addicted to.
From afternoons in the pub drinking pints, to evenings in nightclubs snorting lines of cocaine, it becomes a part of who you are, and when going through the treatment process and getting clean it can leave a big void in your life.
The last thing a person wants after leaving rehab is for their cocaine addiction or penchant for a pint to kick back in and boredom can often lead to that now there’s so much time to fill.
Avoiding that boredom is a must, so rather than sit there staring at the walls, it provides a great opportunity to make up for lost time.
There are plenty of ways to fill time when it comes to recovery, many of which can also aid in the recovery process. So, how do you avoid boredom when it comes to recovering from addiction?
Try a new hobby
Fill it with a new hobby, or perhaps pick up an old one. Addiction becomes the number one priority in a person’s life when they are struggling and that can often lead to dropping hobbies. Firstly, recovery allows you to pick those hobbies back up, whether it be sport, crafts, languages or anything else.
Alternatively, the free time you’ll now have also gives you the chance to try something new. If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to do but never plucked up the courage or had the time to do it before, now very much is the time to give it a go. You may never look back!
Become a volunteer
You can get so much out of volunteering and a real buzz and natural high from helping others or being part of a community. There are ways that people can volunteer to suit almost any interest these days, whether it be helping out at your local soccer club, picking up litter on beaches or becoming a volunteer in a local charity shop.
What’s more, it will also reinstill a work ethic that may have been lost through a battle with addiction and help get integrated back into the working world.
Volunteering really can lead to all manner of avenues, as well as becoming involved in a much healthier community and social network than perhaps what would have been the case when addicted to drugs, alcohol or anything else you were suffering from.
