I need an addiction in the sense that I can have something to lose myself in. I’m stressed and stretched massively these days and I just need a “release”. I’ve got a massive urge to turn to smoking. Huge urge. Just need something.
Please don’t mention working out. I’ve tried it and yes it is nice and good but it isn’t something I can come back to after work. I need something where I can just relax, rather than stress, my body and brain.
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Needlepunching
Stab yourself some artwork
Reading a series that you get immersed in? Watching the films of a particular director? Duolingo?
Have you tried masturbation instead of smoking?
Video games, sounds like just what you’re after. They immerse you and let your brain relax or work at its own pace. In addition to all the great stories, worlds, characters, soundtracks, etc. And it encourages healthy mindsets; sometimes it surprises me how much I get done in them even after a long day at work.
If you live near a river or have a local boat club, consider giving rowing a go. In a two hour rowing outing on the water, you get out in nature, get to socialise and get your exercise in without staring at a wall in the gym.
I find come wintertime I get very bored in the long evenings, so last year I took up whittling. I’ve found it really satisfying as it takes a while to make something but the end result is really worth it. Plus basic stuff is quite easy to get on with.
Making things is great. I knit, sew, crochet and am dabbling in woodwork and miniatures. Usually have a couple of projects on the go so I can pick up a project that is simple and repetitive when I need soothing or a project which needs problem solving when I want to mentally distract myself.
Embroidery becomes a bit of an addiction for me because it’s so satisfying seeing the design come to life that I find it very hard to put down, it’s genuinely concerning sometimes lol.
I would recommend getting a small embroidery hoop, some scrap fabric, and embroidery needles and thread and just kind of doodle but with sewing, don’t take it too seriously. A bonus is that you then have cool little patches you can give as gifts or sew onto things!
Video games are great.
Recently got into Lego and it melts the stress away plus you have something amazing at the end
Creative hobbies are good, and knitting is probably a relatively easy place to start as you don’t need a lot of tools/resources. Duolingo/learning another language is another option. Depending on where you live, simply going for long walks after work could be relaxing. I like to cook/bake when I am stressed. Good luck.
How about Lego?
Take a look at r/lego
Dare you to give martial arts a try. Or you just gonna sit around caning Marlborough Reds feeling sorry for yourself?
I find gardening addictive but there are some downsides. For one the tendency to overdo it and have several days of aches and pains, and for another the weather getting in the way.
Diamond Painting is surprisingly good for mental health I’ve found.
Kits with everything you need can be bought for less than £5 online or you can spend a bleedin’ fortune on them with pricepoints inbetween.
Lego is only good if you have a suitable disposable income. Most of the really cool sets are £200+ and I did dig myself into a financial hole over lockdown with it.
People will joke about “plastic crack” but building and painting Warhammer models brings me a kind of mental peace that nothing else does.
Building and painting Warhammer – Takes a while to get anything done, it’s quiet and pretty relaxing but can be highly addictive if you get into it.
Nature – I love going for walks and just seeing what flowers/mushrooms/bugs etc are about. Can be quite healthy with the outdoors walking plus there’s so many species you can physically never see everything so it lasts a life time. I’ve made quite a few friends around the whole country doing this too. Also you don’t need actual countryside, any bit of park, wasteground or alleyway will do and apart from maybe buying some ID guides it’s essentially free to do.
Learning a language is pretty good, the moment when you breakthrough from ‘struggling along’ to ‘making progress’ is really rewarding. I use a combination of Duolingo and reading kids’ books with the translate function on Kindle.
I find a leisurely cycle ride round the countryside always wipes away my cares.
Wordle and Spelling Bee on the NYT games app have been big for me since I quit drinking.
I keep tarantulas. I literally lose hours decompressing, watching them, doing enclosure maintenance, feeding them etc. I suppose for me it does what aquariums do for others.
Also, the golf driving range. Hitting 100s of balls with a podcast on can help decompress.
I find baking cakes or patisserie making to be really immersive and not too taxing. Following recipes, methodically working through it, weighing everything out, mixing up a big batch, then baking it. Then afterwards it’s decorating it too that’s very involved or fiddly, but also satisfying. Lastly sharing it with others and getting comments or feedback is very addictive.
Walking to work
Through walking it’s opened a whole new world for me
Been a 300lb teen/adult all my life
Walk 6 miles there and 6 miles back along the canal 5days a week…been doing it since 2017
From that last year iv also done a 50 min exercise when I get home with my partner
And starting next week I’m gonna try jogging to work
Been a slow process to realise what I can actually do but it all started from not getting the bus one day
So yeah walking is mine ha
Have you tried ASMR ? It really helps me when I have anxiety attacks.
you could try a very immersive video game, I found total war medieval 2 would keep me clicking next turn and avoiding going out for a smoke
Airsoft.
You get to run around in the woods or a close quarters arena and shoot people.
I was addicted to heroin for a decade and when I finally came off, I got addicted to running instead. I became depressed after quitting the drug, but I refused anti-depressants as I knew it would pass, so I started running instead. I became so good at it that I felt high afterwards.
I know you said you don’t want exercise, but nothing gets rid of stress and offers a release like exercise. You won’t think about smoking and you’ll feel incredible. If you choose something where you ‘relax’, you’re like to think about smoking unless you can get lost in it.
Writing, learning an instrument, both good distractions. I can also heartily recommend heroin, but be warned, it’s very moreish.
Learning/playing a musical instrument
I chuck a podcast or music on and do some colouring in. My brain feels like its achieved something when i finish a good picture and releases positive chemicals in to my body and listening to podcasts or music at the same time means im fully distracted from other stresses in my life.