Boredom in Recovery from Substance Use Disorder: Stories from Eight Adults Attending An Urban Day Treatment Program for HIV/AIDS

Boredom may be an ordinary problem of our modern, fast-paced, technological time. What is boredom for a group of adults now in recovery from substance use disorder, who now also have HIV/AIDS? The dissertation study on which the book is based aimed to answer this question. Boredom was revealed to be more than a seemingly harmless phenomenon that persists decades into recovery. Boredom seems less harmful with the achievement of meaningfulness in life, but it remains dangerous to adults once dependent on psychoactive substances and sex. Surprisingly, boredom can be helpful to an adult with HIV/AIDS. The importance of avoiding boredom was universally reported by the eight interviewees, however. The challenge for professionals working with adults in recovery from substance use disorder, who also have HIV/AIDS, is to help clients balance the need to keep very busy with rote activities, against the need to find new meaningful and engaging occupations.

Antonietta Corvinelli, PhD, has been practicing occupational therapy since 1992. Currently, she is also clinical associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the School of Health Technology and Management at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Photo taken by Dana Buckley