No, I'm addicted to the apps in my phone. Without them (or internet to use them) I don give a damn about that thing.
this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2024
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I am addicted to dopamine.
My phone is one of the less harmful sources of a dopamine feedback loop.
Working with my therapist to get a hold on that.
Ugh same. I've tried to reduce screen time a few times but it inevitably leads to more skin picking/nail biting.
I've always been shit at being idle. There's so many other activities I've been suggested to try instead but none have worked (usually either because of adhd or the chronic tendinitis in my wrist).
I'm addicted to having something to do, the phone is the most obvious thing to look at when I don't have anything else to do, but I never look at my phone when e.g. driving except for purposes of navigation or music control.
I'm addicted to the internet
The phone is just one of many ways to get to it.
It's like saying a drunkard is addicted to "the bottle". They aren't. They are addicted to alcohol.
No. I could stop af any time. I just choose not to. Its totally voluntary.
(Just like smokers, they could stop at anytime, they just choose not to)
My doctor said I should not drink brake fluid, I told him not to worry... I can stop anytime
It's easy to stop smoking! I do it several tines a day!
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When I'm tired, I am, and I hate it. With more energy I do other things, but the phone is always that super-low effort thing to pick up.
I have a book to read, and paper and pencil for sketching next to me, and those are the things I want to do, but they feel like effort right now.
That's a hard thing to say. I traveled in countries I couldn't speak the language of before smart phones existed and it was a struggle of paper maps and relying on hospitality workers, guides, and locals who I could speak with as well as phrase dictionaries. It was a struggle and you'd have to be very careful about going off the beaten path.
With a phone I can just walk in a direction I choose, ask locals questions in the local language, and feel confident that if I got myself in a shitty situation I'd be able to sort it out.
Addicted means it's a bad thing. Did people used to be addicted to A-Zs, reading, talking to friends, reading news, etc?
My phone just provides an easy way to do the things I already want to do.
"Addicted" means: exhibiting a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity.
If something is chronically prohibiting you from living a normal healthy life, that would be considered an addiction. If you have set times or you have the ability to responsibly engage with something without it interfering with other tasks or obligations, it likely is not an addiction. If you continue to do something which is more often detrimental to your well being yet you feel you're getting a rush by doing it, that is likely an addiction.
No. No one is asking if talking to friends or reading the news is an addiction. However, if you find that you are engaging in these activities as a way to absolve or distract yourself from other obligations, you may fit the definition of being addicted.
This really raises the moral question of what are people supposed to do with their time. If you have the means to care for yourself, who's to judge you for what you do with your time? If you choose to not have a family or not participate in your community or give back to the world in any way, is an addiction really a problem? If you're choosing to not have a healthy productive life, is an addiction to drugs or gambling or sex or social media detrimental to anything?
This really raises the moral question of what are people supposed to do with their time. If you have the means to care for yourself, who's to judge you for what you do with your time? If you choose to not have a family or not participate in your community or give back to the world in any way, is an addiction really a problem? If you're choosing to not have a healthy productive life, is an addiction to drugs or gambling or sex or social media detrimental to anything?
I've never met anyone with an apparent addiction - and I've met quite a few in my day - that were completely happy with the life they were leading. Probably because real addiction entails a loss of control that would be detrimental to your life and self-esteem. Even if you have no one around you, if you want to do anything else with your day besides drink and you constantly fail, it's not a good thing for your mental health. You'd continuously find yourself in degrading situations.
Coming to terms with "choice" in the context of addiction is a difficult thing to me. I'm really not sure where I stand on it. It's definitely not the same as making decisions when completely sober, you're not completely helpless or without personal responsibility either.
And then some people seem to be able to consume copious amounts of drugs or alcohol at some time in their life and then just walk away from it without issues. Perhaps it's genetics, or a personality thing, who knows.
I can imagine people being so distraught and apathetic that their addiction feels like the only thing that gives them purpose in life. I think that's why a lot of people find addiction - to make up for what they don't have. Or, in the context of younger people with phones, they just don't know a world without it.
If you live alone, have no kids or pets, and all you do after work is play video games or doom scroll or watch porn; as long as your bills are being paid, is this an "addiction"? Are these the kinds of people you've met?
I think we're only just beginning to see the ramifications of phone / social media addiction and our disinterest or fear in engaging with others in real life. Our devices are giving us all this unnatural dopamine drip we otherwise can't find in the wild. Is this an addiction and if so, is their reliance on screens going to become a problem as these young people face adulthood? Or is adulthood going to change for them? Not to mention how my 70+ year old mother is 100% addicted to the dings from her phone.
I think that's why a lot of people find addiction - to make up for what they don't have.
You're probably correct, although I also think once an addictive pattern is established there's often a kind of feedback loop where the pattern interferes with your ability and options to have a better life.
If you live alone, have no kids or pets, and all you do after work is play video games or doom scroll or watch porn; as long as your bills are being paid, is this an "addiction"?
I guess there's a few ways to answer that question. In an extremely literal sense, no one is ever going to be diagnosed with anything if their behavior doesn't affect themselves or others around them negatively. But if we define addiction as a certain behavioral pattern, this person would still be addicted to their phone given that this behavioral pattern is present. Do they "play video games or doom scroll or watch porn" every day simply because they're bored, or because they can't help themselves? And if an opportunity arose and this person's life had a chance to turn significantly better somehow, would this behavior stand in their way?
I'm not saying I know the answer, by the way, and I'm certainly not judging anyone in this kind of situation.
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Unlikely. I often forget it exists. If I didn't think about a friend or relative wanting to send a message, I'd probably leave it on a table or something until I need to take a picture or note or look something up. And then it would probably be out of battery.
Yep, and weβre surrounded by enablers, too. I left my phone at home accidentally when I went out with the fam. βFuckit, I donβt need a phone. Letβs just goβ¦β
And not only did it become quickly obvious how much I use my phone (NFC payment, looking up store hours, nearest grocery store, etc) but how much everyone expected me to have a phone and everything on it. Use my phone to pay. I donβt have it, I gotta use a card. Give my kid cash for when we drop her off to hang out with friends with apple pay. Canβt do it, no phone. Hereβs $15 cash. (Eye roll, carrying change is a burden now) Use loyalty card at the store. Nope, itβs on the phone. Wife has to use hers. Canβt get my daughterβs text messages, and even though she knew Iβd left my phone, she still texted me.
People expect you to have all the conveniences on a phone, including the ones that are convenient to them.
I'm addicted to my laptop and basically any social media platform. Block one and I'll find plenty of others to waste my time on.
With the ADHD, I need my alarms, calendar, timers and reminders to be anywhere remotely productive, so if I'm not addicted to my phone, I absolutely am dependent on it. I probably am addicted to it though. Most of us are, IMHO....
Absolutely.
Going somewhere? Music and maybe a game!
At home with nothing to do? Music, videos, or maybe a game, even if doing other things!
Going to my different classes in the allotted 10 minutes? Music!
I'll gladly admit I'm addicted to not just my phone, but also some of my other electronics as well.
I'm here aren't I?
I'm pooping so it doesn't count. But I can't poop without it so maybe I am
Yes. When I go off backpacking where it can't do anything, it takes 2-3 days for me to stop reaching for it or having any sort of brief anxiety reaction when it's not in my pocket.
I have the exact opposite experience. As soon as I hit the trailhead my phone gets turned off and put in a waterproof bag. I almost never take it back out until the trip is over.
Though my wife keeps hers on hand for taking pictures so I guess I benefit from her phone being handy.
No! :) In fact, I recently bought a Razr 2024 because I don't use my phone much and I would benefit from the tiny screen and form factor. I used to use a CAT S22 for the same reason. I still need android, but I don't need a huge screen for media.
I've wanted the smaller form factors for phones for a long time. In the days of flip phones it was easy to forget. Now it feels like you are carrying a brick
Exactly. I'm always keeping my eye out for "small" android phones, and I've never seen any that I really like until the razr 2024. The previous razr smartphone models were pretty bad, in my opinion, but this one is a tiny bit more than "acceptable". What I REALLY want is a true android flip phone kind of like the CAT S22, but with a competent battery and a screen that isn't 20% bezel, with a standard android version. (The CAT S22 has some sort of lightweight android that causes problems for many apps.)
No I am not. And I hate drivers who have their heads stuck in their phones causing accidents. Grow up
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Input Input Input! I'm addicted to continuous inputs and reactions.
If i can keep my brain running I do not need a phone. I'm happy with a good book for hours.
Yep. Not even going to try and deny it. I know I am because sometimes I reach for it and start scrolling without even realizing that Iβm doing it.
Maybe... I depend on it for a bunch of stuff: my calendar, my personal and work email, communication with friends and family, getting my news, taking pictures of fun stuff I'm doing with my kids, reading books, grocery shopping, etc. During a recent power outage, I ended up going to a bookstore for a paper book, since that seemed to be the thing I missed most.
Not even a question
Not really. I like to have it most of the times with me - even at home. I just like to feel its weight in my pocket.
But that doesn't mean I'm using it always, only if there's really nothing else, I check the few apps I use then read articles and shit or mess with Termux.
According to Samsung's weekly reports, I use it less and less each week.
No. I only use my phone to make calls or send texts.
If I could get away with not having a cellphone, I would honestly much prefer to not have one. Unfortunately, the modern job market and my wife wanting to be able to reach me make it unlikely that I could do so without suffering some fairly major issues.
Initially, I quite liked the idea of being able to consolidate multiple devices, like an e-reader and music player into a single device, but I've really come to resent the expectation that I should always be available to contact at all times.
If I could ditch mine, I'd really rather just have some sort of portable device in a similar form-factor that could play connect to WiFi, play music and podcasts and work as an e-reader. Bonus points for some sort of offline map/navigational capacity. I don't want to get texts or phone calls, and only be able to access email and the broader internet when I'm somewhere with WiFi.
I like to think I'll eventually get to a point where I can do that without having to worry about being unable to get jobs for not responding quick enough. Unfortunately, it seems like more and more things are trying to make cell phones an unavoidable aspect of participating in society, whether it's banks only offering OTP texts for 2FA, or so many venues no longer even offering the option to print your tickets at home, but instead requiring you to display your ticket in an app on a device with an active data connection.
A phone is just a shittier computer. Please don't ask about my computer.
Probably. I do try to limit my usage to like 5 hours a day and less since I need it for GPS and whatnot. I am planning to get a car dash tablet and a mp3 player so that should also help minimize my usage of my phone even more
No if I have my PC close.
No. But also. Yes. But also. No
Fine. Sometimes. π
No. I'm addicted to board games with friends. But here I am on my phone again.
Yes
Screen time says yes.
Phone no as i leave it off for days at a time but computer yes
Phone? Nah. It's only a tool, used for photography, maps/navigation, messaging while on the go, shopping lists and phone calls for that one time a month you need to make one. Maybe other stuff sometimes, like making a bank transfer when not at home or editing OSM.
I used to be indirectly addicted to it. It was actually doomscrolling Reddit, but now that I'm off it I don't get the urge anymore.
My desktop is a different story, I'm kind of addicted to it while I'm at home; when outside I don't really miss it.
Yup
Yes, for maps and speed traps, to reach my loved ones, for being reachable, to provide connection to my notebook so that I can work outside or not at home, and so on...
It's one of the main tech innovations of the last 30 years, I find it ok to be addicted to it, as we were addicted to electricity 50 years ago but we could still survive somehow without for a small time
Yes. I recently took my son to an appointment where my phone died as we pulled up. My phone dying is incredibly rare. I proceeded to clean my car while I waited. I went through the center console, the glove box, the side door pockets, under the seats, behind the front seats, basically everywhere in the cabin of the car cleaning and organizing while I waited. If my phone had a charge, I wouldn't have done any of that. So yes, I'm addicted to my phone.
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