Why Is Early Sobriety So Boring?

And some solutions for how to navigate it.

Now I’m almost five years sober, the idea of not drinking being boring is laughable. But I still remember the agonizing boredom of early sobriety. When I suddenly had so much more time and no clue what to do with it. In those early days, the whole experience of not drinking sometimes felt like an unbelievable drag.

Life has improved ten times over since I quit drinking, and it feels a lot less boring since I stopped spending whole weekends at the pub. I have more time to focus on my relationships and hobbies and projects, and no longer feel restless, irritable or discontent so much of the time.

So here’s some of what I’ve learned about why early sobriety feels so boring, and what you can do to fix it.