Is social media and gaming addictive?

We answer questions from readers of our books from all over the world covering a host of addictions and issues. These two examples relate to gaming and social media addiction along with our replies.

Q. If a person uses a drug or engages in an addictive behaviour to relieve withdrawal or to feel normal, then how is the addiction mostly mental? If the craving is mostly mental, then how are you doing it just to relieve the craving?

A. You need to understand the difference between the Little Monster (the physical withdrawal, which is mild but was the trigger for the addiction), and the Big Monster (the brainwashing, the flawed belief system created as a result of the minor physical withdrawal).

Over time the Big Monster causes stronger and stronger urges or cravings as your brain becomes convinced that you feel genuine relief when a) the Little Monster is fed with the drug b) the Big Monster is calmed (a sense of relief after the psychological craving is paused – it got what it wanted).

The more the Big Monster experiences the apparent relief from the craving – the greater the flawed belief system becomes.

Once they take their drug the addicts do feel better than a moment before, the slight physical itch of the withdrawal (stops momentarily) and the cravings created by the brain’s thought processes, are calmed (momentarily).

Yet even in those moments of peace – the addict remains less relaxed, more stressed, and more uncomfortable than a non-addict does. And soon the torment of the Little Monster and the Big Monster return with vengeance.

The drug doesn’t stop the torment – each time you take the drug it guarantees that the torment will occur again and again and again.

This is explained well in Allen Carr’s ‘Quit Smoking Boot Camp’ book, in Allen Carr’s ‘Smart Phone, Dumb Phone’ book (& video programme), and in even more detail in Allen Carr’s ‘Easyway to Quit Smoking’ book & video programme (the new versions as opposed to Allen Carr’s ‘Easyway to Stop Smoking’).

Q. My second question is, what is a “false high”? I don’t exactly understand the concept. When someone games or uses social media, the high is pretty real, especially with gaming – the emotions can feel intense. Some games can produce an adrenaline rush I believe. On a neurological level, people say the brain is bombarded with chemicals – isn’t that a high?

A. A real high is something that naturally occurs. Something makes us happy; a joke makes us laugh, holding hands with a new partner (or an old one) feels amazing, and kids winning a running race against friends feels great.

In fact, in the case of the last example, youngsters get enjoyment, a high, simply from running the race—whether they win it or not.

In the case of computer/tech gaming the high is distorted – something, the concept of a game, which previously was physical, generated by physical factors becomes something different – entirely “sensorial”.

You might say the same is true of cerebral traditional games which are not normally considered to be addictive or harmful; checkers, chess, crosswords etc – yet these retain an element of being tactile and “in the moment”.

Does one feel a genuine high when enjoying a concert by a great band, or watching a great movie or theatre show?

Undoubtedly yes. In the case of a movie on TV – it is ambient and (like gaming) cerebral – with the viewer becoming largely unaware of their environment as they become engrossed in the story.

So, what’s the difference between that or computer gaming or scrolling through TikTok? Watching a great movie has value, a story with a beginning, middle, and end.

It takes the viewer on a magical journey. Gaming and videos on TikTok etc utilise “short hits” repeatedly creating constant over-stimulation in a number of ways.

It is this manipulation of stimulation on which the game makers and TikTok-style platforms base their business model.

The addict gorges themself on endless hits of adrenalin and other related chemicals in the brain and body and the gorging carries on and on and on.

Genuine highs have a natural life span

Can you see how genuine highs have a natural lifespan whereas junk/fake highs seem to be everlasting?

The fake highs aren’t real; there is no genuine jeopardy; in the case of gaming – the player just presses “restart” with TikTok, the viewer just keeps scrolling and scrolling and scrolling.

Does gaming initially generate a genuine high? Arguably, yes, it does.

But how long does it take for normal levels of adrenalin, dopamine etc., to be replaced by overwhelming, dysfunctional levels? These are levels that the human body and brain were not designed to endure!

It’s not surprising that the better Big Tech has become at generating these unnatural, overwhelming, dysfunctional levels – and even more importantly, sustaining them not just for a minute or two – but for hours, or a dozen hours, the greater the issue of gaming addiction and social media addiction has become.

Founders & employees at Big Tech protect their own kids from the impact of their industry

Adults are highly vulnerable to the physical and mental harm caused by this addiction, but can you imagine the terrifying toll it has taken on young minds exposed to it?

It’s no wonder that the executives at Big Tech go out of their way to prevent their kids from the somewhat poisonous fruit of their labours.

Bill Gates, didn’t allow his children to have cell phones until they turned 14 and limited their access to computers.

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, didn’t allow his children access to the iPad when it was released saying, “We don’t allow the iPad in the home. We think it’s too dangerous for them in effect,”

A school frequented by the children of the great and the good in Silicon Valley near Google’s Mountain View campus, claim that exposing youngsters to technology before the seventh grade (when they are 12 or 13 years old) “can hamper their ability to fully develop strong bodies and healthy habits of discipline”.

A love letter to technology

As Allen Carr’s ‘Smart Phone, Dumb Phone’ book, and online video programme make clear, technology is not bad.

In fact, technology is a wonderful, positive, extraordinary, and exciting part of our lives. It often makes the previously impossible possible and aids and enhances every element of our lives.

It’s a case of separating inappropriate and dysfunctional use from appropriate and functional use. When we do that, we thrive, when we fail we do not.

Further reading

• Check out how to quit social media & technology addiction with Allen Carr’s Easyway
• Check out how to quit smoking or quit vaping with Allen Carr’s Easyway Online Video Programmes