#On addiction

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

twilit halo
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I'd like to focus on less harmful addictions like that of doom scrolling and excessive use of the Internet without joy.
My reasoning for this is that the risks of substance addiction is a reasonably different topic as withdrawal can be deadly and such addictions are more often socially acknowledged unlike social media and something I won't name because of fear of tos.

My question is, why are we addicted to such things and how can we reduce the activity to a manageable level without frequent relapses?

hollow sequoia
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Not sure about the specifics on this. But its a topic that interests me. Personally I think its horrible that ipads are practically replacing parents, and the world's attention span is down the shitter.

I'm sure there are lots of good ways to detox. Personally one new years I vowed to never scroll on reels again. I've never touched tiktok before, and I haven't used insta reels/shorts since. That's been my motivation is suppose.

I've tried to quit before with limited success, but something about the psychology of a resolution has me questioning myself. And I'm very happy about it.

With limited attention spans I think its likely that risk may lose followers too. 😦 long games aren't coveted nowadays. Even waiting in a lobby I have to use bots to make the lobby seem full. Then they wait for a few seconds and it's clear to see why given the trend of the new generation of phone zombies.

twilit halo
# hollow sequoia Not sure about the specifics on this. But its a topic that interests me. Persona...

I completely agree, attention spans have been reduced so much by shortform content. I personally found that thinking more actively helped me acknowledge what I valued in certain apps and delete what I concluded did not bring me joy. I thought " how would I feel if I deleted Instagram?" and realised there was 2 thoughts.
A logical side told me I'd have more time and feel better, another, more emotional side said no I need this, so I deleted the app.
I've found I can communicate with my friends perfectly fine through discord and messanger.

Unfortunately I still find myself spending 4 - 6 hours on YouTube watching videos half I don't enjoy, but there are videos I do like and educational videos I love so it's not as easy.

Do you think techniques like meditation could provide means to understand such addictions and thus be more prepared for dealing with them and thinking actively rather then habitually?

hollow sequoia
# twilit halo I completely agree, attention spans have been reduced so much by shortform conte...

Exactly that. I find it's almost spiritual warfare with me. I argue mentally over every decision. I often overthink. Im sure this quality has helped me overcome this. Quite existentially, I ask myself is it really worth wasting my limited time? My dad and I talk about this a lot. He has been a strong motivator too.

I look around me and everyone is a zombie, stuck in this matrix and they can't appreciate the world's beauty. I wish I could go back in time to a generation without this hypnotic drug (phone). I'd love to live life more fully and explore, I've always had a longing for an 80s childhood (think stand by me, or really any kids messing around back then).

Arguably we are not fully committed to a truly absurdist lifestyle. I do attempt to live my life to the fullest, but not wholeheartedly. Seeing as I still find time to spend hours playing risk. It's a dilemma. I want to justify risk ('at least its not tiktok' 'it helps cognitive skills') but idk. We all need a break sometimes right!

As for meditation, I do yoga sessions twice a week. I can confirm it does help. It's a perfect time for derealisation and reflection. The existential thoughts help to think more logically about decisions in life.

twilit halo
# hollow sequoia Exactly that. I find it's almost spiritual warfare with me. I argue mentally ove...

I'd imagine yoga is absolutely brilliant, not having personally practiced it yet but the ability to concentrate on such things is mentally challenging unlike that of mindless scrolling.
In terms of desire for previous times I think the initial distraction has always existed, take studying at a library.
Back in the 80s you'd have to go out of your way to get to a library sit down with your books and read, you'd still get distracted and stare at nothing for minutes on end but be right back to what you intend on.
Now with the portable nature of a phone that distraction turns quickly into a mindless action that can quickly lead into a several hour sink hole.

In terms of arguing for how we feel about playing games like risk I find it is dependant on your activity, if you are playing a game of risk where you are actively thinking through what you are doing and if someone were to ask if your enjoying the game you'd generally agree (unless someone just capped behind you in the noob corner) then I'd say it's not a waste of time at all.
If you get into that mindless state of monotonous action then it becomes problematic.
I'm not sure on the comparison of risk to other content, like tik tok, as a means for coping with possible excessive use rather than focusing on risk alone and how you feel about it. I personally found myself using comparisons as a discrimination between people like comparing different courses to that of my own in college, yes while on average the stereotypes can be accurate that leaves me incapable of talking to and working with people who besides a different career path are hardly different to me.

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The different nature's of the apps do generate completely different user bases of which I have found the risk community to be generally more engaging and educated then that of short form social media, so the comparison is deffinatly well founded but not necessary when thinking about the enjoyment of playing risk

hollow sequoia
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Yeah ofc. Risk isn't dying any time soon, I think it won't be popularised given its a form of long form content. Take movies for example, it's incredibly sad that so many people are unable to watch an entire movie. Short form content has fried everyone's brains

twilit halo
hollow sequoia
green abyss
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A logical side told me I'd have more time and feel better, another, more emotional side said no I need this, so I deleted the app.
I've found I can communicate with my friends perfectly fine through discord and messenger.

Unfortunately I still find myself spending 4 - 6 hours on YouTube watching videos half I don't enjoy, but there are videos I do like and educational videos I love so it's not as easy.

I personally think its because of social media companies and creators that we have this - dangerous - trend of short-form videos

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Of course its very much down to ourselves to just stop watching that garbage, but clearly thats a tough task for our brain, with how well its being triggered by the algorithm

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I think if creators started uploading longer - more meaningful - videos and companies would remove reels/shorts/short-form functionalities we might be able to take a step in the right direction. Perhaps politicians can do something about it as well

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But in the grand scheme of things I don't know if its just social media, or in general more and more distractions that are harmful

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I'm very much also victim of the social media addiction, although I have deleted instagram a year ago and luckily never had TikTok

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Twitter and youtube are the main problems for me, and the tough part with YouTube is that it does offer good content but you also get dragged into their shorts etc

twilit halo
# green abyss Twitter and youtube are the main problems for me, and the tough part with YouTub...

I found that you can disable youtube shorts for 30 days by pressing an X that appears in the corner of the shorts panel on desktop youtube, since doing that shortform content has not been a problem for me mostly just longer videos which are often much easier to acknowledge you are watching. Once that 30 days is up if they re appear you can just click it again.

In terms of companies utilising short form content on their sites I can't really blame them, if only TikTok provided an addictive form of free content then they would dominate the market and make significantly more money. As long as there is demand companies will adapt to that and provide what we click.
The attention market in general is messy and I don't see a world where it ever stops adapting to be more and more targeted then it is even now.

arctic pewter
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Addiction is where Compulsion meets Obsession. But in order to get over the addiction work must be done. Following 12 steps of recovery can usually help with most if not all addictions. First is an admission that your life is unmanageable because of the addiction. Then Your will cannot help and that a Higher Power of some sort can. Then make a decision to turn it over to that higher power. The hard part is the inventory on yourself. This can be done in many ways but usually it brings you to admit what the nature of the problem is. Then you move to the characters of defect that cause the problem and simple ask your higher power to remove them. Usually through prayer and meditation. When you figure out these defects you can then be ready to have the shortcomings of the actions (Like needless schrolling) to be removed. But the real work starts when you make a list of all the people you harmed and become willing to make amends. After the list you then make the amends to them all. After amends you take a daily inventory again but this time a short version of a few questions. But this will help if you wrong someone or start acting out on some defects of character. The last 2 steps are prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with that higher power you have. And then be prepared to walk through this someone else is the last step.

dusky tulip
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I found these really insightful and I hope you will too!

hushed pivot
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From my experience, we are all slaves to a system that needs us but makes us feel replaceable. We are playing a game that we aren't privy to the rules at which it operates. Given a directive to engage in a system of indentured servitude and socially shunned if any other course of action is pursued. So over occupied with bread and circuses that we ignore what is in front of us until some minor speed bump finds us staring into the abyss behind the veil, and honestly, some people are simply not equipped to mentally deal with it so they choose to find a path in life that strays from what shunned them. Alcohol, sex, drugs, social media and likes, electronics, over achieving, dominance over others, or total disassociation are all heads of the same madusa. It has just become that things promoted and financed by organizations beyond our grasp end up becoming taboo and everything else is over analyzed to the point of dismissing the real issues at hand.

twilit halo
glacial willow
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@twilit halo it depends on your age because if you are young and do not have a job or a business to work on then it's quite common that you are spending this much amount of time on doom scrolling and watching videos . And second is that you're in the age of working in a job or being a business owner but you are just wasting your life and depending on your parents because you don't have a purpose to work on and you haven't created it . Now the simple fix is to get a purpose and follow a schedule because addictions will always creep up to you in free times and one day or another you'll end up doing them . They can't be reduced but can never permanently go .