You Are Doing Substance Abuse

How many times have you realized that the first thing you do in the morning after waking up is to check your phone? Also, at the end of the day taking your phone to bed, looking at it continuously, eventually drifting into sleep.

Being a former addict to my phone, I can practically guarantee that most of you never even gave it an ounce of thought.

I want to start by saying that this post aims to build awareness when it comes to Digital Technologies (Social Media, your smartphone).

What is Substance Abuse?

Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is using a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others.

Source: Wikipedia

You would be thinking how using my smartphone usage is similar to substance abuse. Bear with me; it will get clear as you read along.

What is Addiction?

Addiction is a condition in which a person engages in using a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to pursue the behavior despite detrimental consequences repeatedly.

Source: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

I am sure the picture is getting a bit clearer; if not, look at the above paragraph and specifically at the word in bold - behavior.

How the Heck Do Smartphone Usage and Substance Abuse Tie Together?

At the beginning of the 21st century, scientists researched the increasing usage of digital technology. They suggested that behaviors that did not involve ingesting substances could become addictive in the sense of the technical definition of addiction.

A critical 2010 survey paper, appearing in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, concluded that "growing evidence suggests that behavioral addictions resemble substance addictions in many domains.

This ensures that new technologies are particularly well suited to foster behavioral addictions. - Adam Alter

Reasons Why Smartphone Usage Is Analogous to Addiction

Smartphones create behavioral addiction because they encourage behaviors such as positive reinforcement and the drive for social approval.

Smartphones are overall addictive but the prominent culprit enticing you through your smartphone is social media.

Let's dive deep into how it happens:

• The trap of staying connected - The biggest allure of getting a smartphone is that you can always remain connected to your loved ones. I will not deny that this is false. But you need to understand that everything comes at a price. This attraction of being constantly connected deprives you of having distraction-free time. Notifications continuously bombard you.
• The Numbers & Instant Gratification- We are all addicted to numbers. They give us a sense of accomplishment and external validation. For example, you bought a new car, and you want to show it off to people on the internet, to people who don't really care about you. So when you post a photo of your car on social media, you are eagerly waiting to see how many people like your picture, how many people commented on you and your vehicle. Whenever you see someone interacting with your photo, you don't know it, but your body releases dopamine.
• Dopamine (the anti-hero) - Your body releases dopamine when you feel a sense of achievement. It is your body's way to reward itself. But this information should be taken with a grain of salt because, as a matter of fact, your body will release dopamine when you smoke, drink or gamble. Anytime your body releases dopamine, it wants to repeat the task to get another release. It creates a sense of urgency to determine inherently which behaviors to foster to release dopamine.
• Superficiality - The story of numbers, instant gratification doesn't end here. Here is a twist in the story, I would like to introduce you to the counterpart of dopamine - cortisol. This is the hormone released by the body when you are feeling sad. And when do you feel sad?

1. When you don't get likes and comments on your car photo on social media. 

2. When you start comparing yourself with others, especially the lives of people you see on social media. You need to understand that social media is nothing but a highlight reel of people's lives. People post good parts or parts of their life showcased as good on social media. This is the biggest problem on social media. You never know what the truth is. 

3. Also, these days, there is a trend of toxic positivity. You feel sad, dissatisfied in your life; the advice given is to smile, things will become better. 

4. There are reports that dive into the fact that how people order stuff online just for an Instagram picture and then return the product. They do this with products they can't afford but the inherent desire of showcasing that they have a perfect life to people on social media.

• Hustle culture - I am all for working hard towards your goal. Think about it, is your goal so vital that you are willing to sacrifice your sleep, your social life in the real world, your connection to loved ones, and whatnot?

People keep on talking about I am hustling for this and that, but nobody says what their internal feelings are. 

I tried being a part of that hustle culture only to seek professional psychological help later on.

The crux is hustle is not for everybody. You need to straigthen your priorities in life before jumping on the hustle wagon. I didn't and I paid for it with loss in both mental and physical health.

• Slot machines - You are all too familiar with the pull to refresh to update your social media feeds. But, have you ever thought about why it is designed this way. Let me tell you. 

The apps can auto-refresh, but the pull to refresh is a conscious design choice providing an addictive illusion of control. It ties perfectly into gambling and the release of dopamine. This control makes you think that you are the one who is controlling what you see on your screen, which is far from the truth.

• Never alone with own thoughts - This addiction is not limited to social media. The problem is you don't allow yourself to be alone with your thoughts. When was the last time you went somewhere or were somewhere where you didn't have the constant buzzing device with you? Even if you are going for a walk, commuting, cooking, sitting in a waiting room, etc., you either have some podcast on, or some music on, or you are playing some games, or some or the other app is enticing you to look at your phone through notifications.

• Fear of missing out - These days, people have forgotten how to live in the moment. The fear of missing out is so intense that you can't even eat your food without checking your phone ten times during the meal. If you don't reply to a text asap, you might be left out of the conversation. You have made your phone a part of your body, and that too an integral one. You don't want to live without it. How is it different from addiction to drugs?

Here Is How You Can Reclaim Your Life

Below are a few possible solutions that you can incorporate into your life to better handle this addiction.

I hope I provided you with some value through this post.

Thank you for reading!