The second thing to do is to just wait it out. Ask yourself, how do I feel right now? Why would my brain want a rush of happy chemicals? Pay attention to a craving instead of brushing it off. Get in tune with yourself and acknowledge your feelings. So what can you do in this situation? The first thing to do is to realize what is going on. Brains are all about finding that balance. Drinking artificially floods your brain with happy chemicals and teaches your brain that a) it’s one of the best things ever and b) we need it to survive.Įmotions like sadness, anger and boredom can cause your brain to seek things that will hit that hedonic bar and flood your brain with feel good chemicals. Things like sex, getting a massage or going on a walk may hit your hedonic threshold.īut your hedonic set point rises every time you drink. This ensures we stay happy for most of the time. Do something that does hit the pleasure bar and you get a rush of feel good brain chemicals. Do something that doesn’t hit the pleasure bar and you don’t find it pleasurable. In simple terms, your hedonic set point is the pleasure bar of your brain. I looked up boredom in early sobriety and found that most of can be due to an artificially inflated hedonic set point. Most of the time it’s just your brain going into toddler mode and freaking out. Now I wonder, how often have I drank to get away from boredom? How often have I drank in situations that didn’t require alcohol, just because I was afraid of a little nothingness?Ĭue the questioning of my entire existence.īut as I learned about the toddler brain, most of these feelings in early days of not drinking are not unique to me. In that moment Iwantedwineandnoonecould stop me (except don’t worry, I stopped me). While I’ve noticed a correlation between boredom and cravings before, this was intense. The nothingness expanded around me and I was hit in the face with the urge to drink. The husband was gone so I couldn’t bother him. I did all my chores, I read a book, I went on multiple walks, there was just nothing to do. This may be enjoyable to some, but I am a busy body and found this insufferable. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and I just sat on the couch, doing n o t h i n g.

Boredom smacked me upside the head yesterday.

Hedonic set point