Dopamine Addicts are switching over to flip phones…

I read a story about a guy who was addicted to dopamine.

He ticked every box — rationalizing how his excessive screen time was harmless, that he was just staying informed and connected…. Lower attention span and feeling more disconnected from others….

And of course, compulsive behavior.

Despite his best efforts to control it with screen time apps and the like, he couldn't.

He'd always go back to it, and he was getting desperate.

So he did something drastic, implementing a solution that admittedly, I'm not a fan of — despite the respect I have for cojones it takes to make that kind of change:

He switched over to a flipphone instead.

🧠 The Dopamine Connection
Learn how porn hijacks your brain's reward system through dopamine and why this makes it one of the most powerful forms of digital addiction.

According to him though, this massively improved his concentration, mental health, and relationships though, so hey — if it works, it works.

Personally, I'm a much bigger fan of learning how to be in control while still having normal access to tech, though. Maybe that's just because I don't have much choice in the matter, working online as I do, but I think even if that weren't the case, I'd still prefer the "self" control path, instead of "external" control of letting something else decide for me. And at the end of the day, technology is part of us, so better we learn how to use it responsibly.

But I digress, as I don't want to go down that path.

Instead, this reminds me of an interesting point:

While this guy represents a more "severe" case of dopamine addiction… it brings up an interesting question.

What IS dopamine addiction?

How do you KNOW if you're addicted to something?

And that, dear reader, is actually a fairly simple matter.

Something becomes an addiction, by definition, when it's a compulsive behavior that's getting in the way of more important things, and yet despite those negative consequences, the person struggles to or can't stop.

Which is pretty stark when you look at the clinical definition like that.

Because, if people were being honest with themselves, almost every single person I know has a dopamine addiction to some degree.

They're using their phones when they should be working.

Browsing YouTube when they should be working.

Choosing Netflix over friendships.

Playing video games when they could be doing something more real and fulfilling.

Picking porn over real partners.

You've got the idea…

Of course, here's the caveat:

If the person is actually doing exactly what they want to be doing, that's fine.

But very often these things become compulsive, automatic, and something you aren't even in control of.

So you'd objectively rather be doing something healthier, more useful, and more productive with your time… and perhaps you even set the intention to do exactly that over and over, but fall short... then the screen ends up sapping that time and energy away instead.

I don't share this to call anyone out.

It's just important that we understand what "addiction" is.

We need to destigmatize it because it is SO much more common than people realize.

Addiction, as ugly as that word may feel to you, can be quite functional. And indeed it usually is, because most people hold down regular jobs and lifestyles for the most part… but there's still something compulsive going on for them somewhere.

And maybe it's an issue for them, or maybe not.

It's up to you to decide if something is worth the energy of working on or not.

But there's one particular vice that demands your attention more than any other (you know, unless you're hitting the meth pipe — then maybe sort that out first…)

And that's porn.

Because of its uniquely destructive nature. The way it hijacks the male brain, releases such a flood of dopamine, and interacts with our sexual programming makes it highly addictive and damaging — not just to the individual, but to those around them in their interpersonal relationships, too. When it goes on long enough, it can totally shatter a man's confidence and his wife's, too. It's crazy stuff.

Plus, interesting thing:

Learn how to control your sexual impulses, and you'll find controlling other things becomes much much easier and much more natural too.

It's one of the smartest lifestyle changes you can make.

You'll thank yourself forever, just like I have been.

Download the BeFree App today and start regaining control over your brain's reward system.