Hi Jose, really wonderful post. Thank you for articulating something so clearly that I have been thinking about for a while. There are recovery programs for all kinds of addictions - alcohol addiction, food addiction, spending addiction, you get the idea - and I think very soon there will be a recovery program for digital addiction. I didn't realize how addicted I actually was to my smartphone until I switched to a dumbphone. The impacts of my smartphone addiction still plague me, even without a smartphone in my life.
You should check out ITAA (Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous). They are definitely not as popular or known as other intervention programs, but they are there!
It's a fair association, but I would say that smartphone addiction is far more destructive across society than alcohol. Smartphones are more like the silent killer of cardiovascular disease and alcohol is more like a cancer. One seems obvious and scary and yet kills far fewer than the other, silent killer.
I've been addicted to both, and alcohol can be dealt with and eventually put out of sight, but navigating the world of tech is a full time effort, requiring actions daily, and a constant rejigging and readjusting to new insidious tactics in our lives. It that sense I think food addiction is more similar to smartphones, as you can't just quit food like you can drink or drugs. You still need a fridge in your house and have to eat 3 meals a day.
Didn't mean to sound so bleak! Thanks for your updates. Makes me realise I'm not alone in the fight...
I personally stopped drinking without really thinking about it too much. I literally just like the feeling of being awake and clear in the head more than not being like that.
To be fair most of my life I actually felt more clear after 1 or 2 drinks but that's because it helped me relax and think less during my busy chapter of life. These days after a lot of meditation, clarifying and simplifying my life and working less, I actually feel pretty chill most of the time and it never gets to the point where drinking would actually improve anything more than what my state of being already is.
I do drink alcohol-free beer sometimes because I find it cold, refreshing and without a tonne of sugar. The taste and feel is more interesting than plain water. Those aspects of drinking a beer do improve my experience on a hot day biking around town.
Hi Jose, really wonderful post. Thank you for articulating something so clearly that I have been thinking about for a while. There are recovery programs for all kinds of addictions - alcohol addiction, food addiction, spending addiction, you get the idea - and I think very soon there will be a recovery program for digital addiction. I didn't realize how addicted I actually was to my smartphone until I switched to a dumbphone. The impacts of my smartphone addiction still plague me, even without a smartphone in my life.
Thanks for sharing your perspective!
You should check out ITAA (Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous). They are definitely not as popular or known as other intervention programs, but they are there!
https://internetaddictsanonymous.org/
In Netherlands there are recovery programs
Very interesting. Glad to hear there are local programs that people can go to!
Thanks for this podcast. You use one keyword and now I understand why I like reading your posts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
It's a fair association, but I would say that smartphone addiction is far more destructive across society than alcohol. Smartphones are more like the silent killer of cardiovascular disease and alcohol is more like a cancer. One seems obvious and scary and yet kills far fewer than the other, silent killer.
I've been addicted to both, and alcohol can be dealt with and eventually put out of sight, but navigating the world of tech is a full time effort, requiring actions daily, and a constant rejigging and readjusting to new insidious tactics in our lives. It that sense I think food addiction is more similar to smartphones, as you can't just quit food like you can drink or drugs. You still need a fridge in your house and have to eat 3 meals a day.
Didn't mean to sound so bleak! Thanks for your updates. Makes me realise I'm not alone in the fight...
I personally stopped drinking without really thinking about it too much. I literally just like the feeling of being awake and clear in the head more than not being like that.
To be fair most of my life I actually felt more clear after 1 or 2 drinks but that's because it helped me relax and think less during my busy chapter of life. These days after a lot of meditation, clarifying and simplifying my life and working less, I actually feel pretty chill most of the time and it never gets to the point where drinking would actually improve anything more than what my state of being already is.
I do drink alcohol-free beer sometimes because I find it cold, refreshing and without a tonne of sugar. The taste and feel is more interesting than plain water. Those aspects of drinking a beer do improve my experience on a hot day biking around town.