Unstructured Days Breed Profound Idleness (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Ottawa, Canada – New findings from qualitative interviews with unhoused adults in Ontario highlight boredom as a powerful force behind alcohol and drug consumption.[1][2]
Unstructured Days Breed Profound Idleness
Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 18 unhoused adults from shelters and drop-in centers in Kingston, London, and Hamilton. Participants described daily lives marked by enforced waiting, strict shelter schedules, and limited mobility. These conditions left hours unfilled, fostering a pervasive sense of emptiness. One participant captured this as days stretching without structure or purpose. Such environments amplified rumination on past losses like family breakdowns or job failures.[1]
Boredom emerged not as mere restlessness but as a response to mismatched capabilities and opportunities. The study, guided by economist Amartya Sen’s Capabilities Approach, framed it as a symptom of social exclusion. Shelters often lacked arts, crafts, or group events, leaving residents with few outlets. Participants noted high substance use rates in these settings, estimated at 80 to 90 percent. This idleness clashed with basic human needs for play, affiliation, and control over time.[1]
Substances Fill the Void of Empty Time
Interviewees linked boredom directly to substance use as a coping strategy. Drugs and alcohol provided cheap stimulation when hobbies or outings proved unaffordable. One woman explained that without productive distractions, individuals risked substance abuse. Substances also sped up monotonous days or offered social bonds in isolated communities. Researchers noted that about 53 percent of unhoused people in high-income countries use substances, with boredom exacerbating this trend.[1]
Access played a key role. Between shelter closures, many turned to use due to gaps in services. Peer pressure in street settings normalized consumption, with one man observing copious drugs and alcohol outside facilities. Yet participants recognized the harm, viewing it as self-medication against intrusive thoughts. Meaningful alternatives like movie nights temporarily curbed use by occupying time.[1]
Voices from the Margins
Participant Shawn likened idle hands to “the devil’s playground,” underscoring the danger of unfilled time. Another, Jimmy, said many replace boredom with booze or drugs to avoid facing feelings. Susan described it as self-medicating to dodge rumination. These accounts revealed mechanisms like escaping negativity, gaining alertness, or building connections through shared use. Speedy noted that beer and weed “speed up the day.”[1]
The study team, led by Cory Herzog-Fequet from the University of Western Ontario alongside Rebecca Gewurtz, Noah Hansen, Halley Read, and Carrie Marshall, analyzed transcripts using reflexive thematic analysis. Two main themes surfaced: contextual boredom triggers and substances as escape. Findings appeared in PLOS Mental Health.[1]
Shifting Focus to Meaningful Engagement
Access to low-cost activities emerged as a countermeasure. Creative sessions or recreational groups reduced substance use when available, participants reported. The Capabilities Approach urged expanding freedoms like play and social participation. Policy implications include redesigning shelters with structured pursuits and vocational programs. Broader supports, such as universal basic income, could enhance autonomy.[1]
Limitations included the small sample from mid-sized Canadian cities and lack of diversity in race or gender identity. Still, results built on prior work linking boredom to poor mental health in homelessness. Interventions targeting environment over abstinence alone showed promise for harm reduction.[1]
- Boredom stems from shelter routines and limited choices, driving rumination.
- Substances offer affordable escape, stimulation, and social ties.
- Activities like group events cut use by filling time productively.
- 80-90% substance prevalence in shelters highlights urgency.
- Capabilities Approach guides equitable solutions.
Key Takeaways:
- Provide arts, crafts, and events in shelters to combat idleness.
- Prioritize dignity and choice in daily supports.
- Address boredom as social exclusion, not personal failing.
This research reframes substance use among the unhoused as tied to environmental voids, urging services to foster purpose. Meaningful engagement could break the cycle, improving well-being and recovery odds. What steps should communities take next? Share your thoughts in the comments.
