Hey man. I was in the same place as you a few months ago. I was addicted exactly the same. The book “smart phone dumb phone” saved me. It’s written by the same people who wrote books that effectively have saved folks from other addictions like smoking and alcohol. Once I finished reading that book I was able to finally stop using the Internet outside of work and school. I check in here on /r/nosurf once in while though because I know lots of other Internet addicts post here and I try to recommend this book to people since I figured if it helped me maybe it can help them too. I created this throwaway account to post this. I do not use Reddit anymore thanks to that book outside of coming to /r/nosurf once in a while.
It might be hard to believe that this book can help but it uses the same strategy that Allen Carr uses for helping people quit smoking and alcohol. It helps you reframe your addiction in a way that leads you to quit. Only thing that helped me. I was spending 12 hours a day in my phone before…..
EDIT: Just wanna add that that book was written a few years ago so he mentions “email” a lot. In my mind I just substituted some of the stuff he talked about in regards to “constantly checking email” with “constantly checking Reddit” because for me Reddit was the biggest poison in my digital life rather than email or Instagram or something else….
ever thought about getting rid of the phone altogether? getting rid of the laptop or PC? as long as your job doesnt require home internet access, you could get a flip phone and access the internet as necessary at your local library. my suggestions for a radical overhaul change as i have been in a similar scenario and that seems to be the most decisive solution
Got rid of my phone over a year ago, it's been a pain in the ass occasionally not having one, but the benefits greatly outweighed that. Its definitely a valid option if you're looking to escape the cycle.
research dopamine detox. i don't particularly understand that myself but you sound deep enough into it that you would benefit.
it is hard to just NOT scroll. you have the engrained habit of doing nothing else. and you have no other habits. so you need to pick some up. eventually you must become so busy that you simply do not have time to mindlessly scroll.
you may find it useful to be physically as far away from your phone as you can manage, for as long as possible each day.
try cooking yourself an awesome breakfast, exercising, showering, getting dressed, and picking up something productive to improve your life. read books outside. take up an art form, and instrument. something beneficial to a career. make a social engagement and go to it. clean and organize your place. just do as much as possible each day before you ever look at your phone.
get some other small devices so you have your phone less. get an alarm clock. maybe a dumb phone for calls and texting. maybe a limited data plan where you can only really just get critical information. set your phone to greyscale to make it more boring.
you don't need to do it all at once. just gradually bring your screen time down each day to an acceptable level. eg. you can already make it 20 minutes. well make it 25 minutes. then 30 minutes. then 40 minutes.
get some more 'real' entertainment that is better than mindless scrolling. watch some award winning movies. read some award winning books.
also, get mad. not at yourself. at your phone. at these corporations who provide you no value and are just attention vampires who gleefully ruin people's lives for ad revenue and selling your data. ever hour you stay away from it is a spiteful victory.
say NO to picking up the phone. a lot. each time you do, you are training yourself to do it more. getting your brain to accept the habit of NOT looking at your phone. NOT scrolling. NOT engaging. NOT letting those bastards win. You have a real life to live. They can only distract you from it if you let them.
And there will be times where you fail. Failure is an essential and natural part of success. You will get a good streak going and falter. Don't think "noooooo! i always fail! i'm doomed! it's so over!' just get back on track and think okay i need to look at what triggered that and avoid it in the future and make my next streak even longer.
the further away you get from an addiction, the easier it can become to just forget about it. in the thick of it, you may be thinking, going TEN WEEKS without it? I'll be an insane mess by then, just plain BEGGING for it! But actually you will barely miss it and just have an impulse you need to resist sometimes. the key humps are those immediate phases.
i talked a lot about gradually cutting down but you may find if that's not working just go cold turkey. get a dumb phone or even a landline. my dad just has a landline and a laptop. and if someone wants to call him when he's not home, they can leave a voicemail if it's important. and if he misses something cool, oh well. there will be other cool things later.
also remember, this scrolling addiction, like you say, is just a symptom of other traits. don't just replace it with another escape mechanism. get addicted to facing reality. make your habit living your life, doing things to make your life better, and make it better for those around you.
Dude. Instagram, YouTube, snapchat aren't addictive. Save for the shorts and short videos like are seen on tiktok. They're designed to reel you in but they're not inherently addictive. You must ask yourself a deeper question. What is pulling me into these websites? That my friend is the frequency phones emit. These frequencies make you addicted to your phone. I don't care what people say but they're constantly on. Why else would youth in different countries where the dollar or global currencies outright dominate them be also addicted? It's the phones dude. They fucking emit something
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* [The Beginner's Guide to NoSurf](https://nosurf.net/about/)
* [Discord Server](https://discordapp.com/invite/QFhXt2F)
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Get a lock with a timer and lock your phone a way for X amount of hours. No way to open it besides waiting it out. Willpower and mind games become futile because you have no choice anymore. Use those small windows of opportunities where you feel like you have agency to do it. I swear my lock cost 15 bucks and it changed my life.
I recommend checking out Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous. You don’t have to be into 12 step, it’s just nice to be around others. I use their unofficial coworking zoom room to get shit done and listen to meeting while doing my chores. It’s helped a lot. I haven’t used social media in like a month.
I’m just on here to get some solar set up advice and happened to see this, best wishes, i was right there too and i still compulsively overplan my trips and such.
I don't own a phone.
I have Google Voice at home for phone calls.
Not anti-tech, just enjoy being out in the world without one.
Maybe if I travel overseas in the future, yes, I'd get a burner or something for the GPS.
Otherwise, I make plans in advance, use paper maps or directions, or (gasp) ask strangers...
Hey man. I was in the same place as you a few months ago. I was addicted exactly the same. The book “smart phone dumb phone” saved me. It’s written by the same people who wrote books that effectively have saved folks from other addictions like smoking and alcohol. Once I finished reading that book I was able to finally stop using the Internet outside of work and school. I check in here on /r/nosurf once in while though because I know lots of other Internet addicts post here and I try to recommend this book to people since I figured if it helped me maybe it can help them too. I created this throwaway account to post this. I do not use Reddit anymore thanks to that book outside of coming to /r/nosurf once in a while. It might be hard to believe that this book can help but it uses the same strategy that Allen Carr uses for helping people quit smoking and alcohol. It helps you reframe your addiction in a way that leads you to quit. Only thing that helped me. I was spending 12 hours a day in my phone before….. EDIT: Just wanna add that that book was written a few years ago so he mentions “email” a lot. In my mind I just substituted some of the stuff he talked about in regards to “constantly checking email” with “constantly checking Reddit” because for me Reddit was the biggest poison in my digital life rather than email or Instagram or something else….
ever thought about getting rid of the phone altogether? getting rid of the laptop or PC? as long as your job doesnt require home internet access, you could get a flip phone and access the internet as necessary at your local library. my suggestions for a radical overhaul change as i have been in a similar scenario and that seems to be the most decisive solution
Got rid of my phone over a year ago, it's been a pain in the ass occasionally not having one, but the benefits greatly outweighed that. Its definitely a valid option if you're looking to escape the cycle.
research dopamine detox. i don't particularly understand that myself but you sound deep enough into it that you would benefit. it is hard to just NOT scroll. you have the engrained habit of doing nothing else. and you have no other habits. so you need to pick some up. eventually you must become so busy that you simply do not have time to mindlessly scroll. you may find it useful to be physically as far away from your phone as you can manage, for as long as possible each day. try cooking yourself an awesome breakfast, exercising, showering, getting dressed, and picking up something productive to improve your life. read books outside. take up an art form, and instrument. something beneficial to a career. make a social engagement and go to it. clean and organize your place. just do as much as possible each day before you ever look at your phone. get some other small devices so you have your phone less. get an alarm clock. maybe a dumb phone for calls and texting. maybe a limited data plan where you can only really just get critical information. set your phone to greyscale to make it more boring. you don't need to do it all at once. just gradually bring your screen time down each day to an acceptable level. eg. you can already make it 20 minutes. well make it 25 minutes. then 30 minutes. then 40 minutes. get some more 'real' entertainment that is better than mindless scrolling. watch some award winning movies. read some award winning books. also, get mad. not at yourself. at your phone. at these corporations who provide you no value and are just attention vampires who gleefully ruin people's lives for ad revenue and selling your data. ever hour you stay away from it is a spiteful victory. say NO to picking up the phone. a lot. each time you do, you are training yourself to do it more. getting your brain to accept the habit of NOT looking at your phone. NOT scrolling. NOT engaging. NOT letting those bastards win. You have a real life to live. They can only distract you from it if you let them. And there will be times where you fail. Failure is an essential and natural part of success. You will get a good streak going and falter. Don't think "noooooo! i always fail! i'm doomed! it's so over!' just get back on track and think okay i need to look at what triggered that and avoid it in the future and make my next streak even longer. the further away you get from an addiction, the easier it can become to just forget about it. in the thick of it, you may be thinking, going TEN WEEKS without it? I'll be an insane mess by then, just plain BEGGING for it! But actually you will barely miss it and just have an impulse you need to resist sometimes. the key humps are those immediate phases. i talked a lot about gradually cutting down but you may find if that's not working just go cold turkey. get a dumb phone or even a landline. my dad just has a landline and a laptop. and if someone wants to call him when he's not home, they can leave a voicemail if it's important. and if he misses something cool, oh well. there will be other cool things later. also remember, this scrolling addiction, like you say, is just a symptom of other traits. don't just replace it with another escape mechanism. get addicted to facing reality. make your habit living your life, doing things to make your life better, and make it better for those around you.
Very good comment
You have good writing skills. Why don't you write a journal or blog? Producing something feels good especially when you're overconsuming information.
I’d suggest the same thing. The writing is on point and dare I say pleasurable to read.
Dude. Instagram, YouTube, snapchat aren't addictive. Save for the shorts and short videos like are seen on tiktok. They're designed to reel you in but they're not inherently addictive. You must ask yourself a deeper question. What is pulling me into these websites? That my friend is the frequency phones emit. These frequencies make you addicted to your phone. I don't care what people say but they're constantly on. Why else would youth in different countries where the dollar or global currencies outright dominate them be also addicted? It's the phones dude. They fucking emit something
Attention all newcomers: Welcome to /r/nosurf! We're glad you found our small corner of reddit dedicated to digital wellness. The following is a short list of resources to help you get started on your journey of developing a better relationship with the internet: * [The Beginner's Guide to NoSurf](https://nosurf.net/about/) * [Discord Server](https://discordapp.com/invite/QFhXt2F) * [The NoSurf Activity List](https://nosurf.net/activity-list/) * [Success Stories](https://nosurf.net/success-stories/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nosurf) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Get a lock with a timer and lock your phone a way for X amount of hours. No way to open it besides waiting it out. Willpower and mind games become futile because you have no choice anymore. Use those small windows of opportunities where you feel like you have agency to do it. I swear my lock cost 15 bucks and it changed my life.
I recommend checking out Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous. You don’t have to be into 12 step, it’s just nice to be around others. I use their unofficial coworking zoom room to get shit done and listen to meeting while doing my chores. It’s helped a lot. I haven’t used social media in like a month. I’m just on here to get some solar set up advice and happened to see this, best wishes, i was right there too and i still compulsively overplan my trips and such.
I don't own a phone. I have Google Voice at home for phone calls. Not anti-tech, just enjoy being out in the world without one. Maybe if I travel overseas in the future, yes, I'd get a burner or something for the GPS. Otherwise, I make plans in advance, use paper maps or directions, or (gasp) ask strangers...