An American Addiction Centers Resource

New to the DrugAbuse.com Forums?Join or

Are you addicted to social media?

Discussion in 'Other Substances' started by Deeishere, Mar 2, 2016.

  1. MsLucy

    MsLucy Active Contributor

    I believe it is possible. I am constantly checking, posting, or just lurking on one of the many media sites I am a member of. It is constantly on my mind. I feel like i am missing something, or there is more I could have posted. I also use these sites as means of keeping in touch with people I know. So if I'm not checking it for one reason I'm checking it for another. Definitely feels like a an addiction.
  2. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion

    No you weren't and no you aren't. Neither are addictive substances.
  3. monty

    monty Active Contributor

    I too am addicted to internet a lot, sometimes I forget to eat and take bath.Actually I can't get enough time to have these because I am too busy on internet. All the day I used to search anything on the net and pornos also and just keep on watching videos and chatting with friends. Sometimes I used to think that these all things has destroyed my social life and makes my limit just to these online things.So all I can say that I am a addicted to social media.One day without Internet would probably be my worst day of life.
  4. Belovedad

    Belovedad Active Contributor

    Anything can be addictive. Doesn't matter what it is. I can be addicted to sleeping for who cares. Wanting to do something even though you know the consequences but can't fight the urge makes something addictive.
  5. ZXD22

    ZXD22 Senior Contributor

    I used to be addicted to social media but ever since I got my job and have been working exhausting hours, I just stopped going on it all together. If you don't have time for social media, you don't go on. Very simple haha!
  6. Vinaya

    Vinaya Community Champion

    I use social media too much. I spend many hours on facebook, twitter, linkedin, and google plus. However, I don't call myself social media addict. I use social media to promote my websites and web contents. When I am on social media I am not squandering my time, rather marketing my works.
  7. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion

    That is 100% not correct. You clearly do not understand what addiction is. That kind of ignorant approach to addiction makes it more difficult to treat and support real addiction. Real addiction is a medical condition with quantifiable and measurable changes physically and otherwise involving a component of dependence with use that is not easily broken. You can't just be addicted to anything. Some things are addictive and others are not. It isn't just a compulsive behavior or something difficult to stop. It isn't just a habit. Once addicted to something you can never go back to using it in a normal or less harmful manner. Sleep is a prime example of something that is not addictive.
  8. djolem

    djolem Senior Contributor

    We all are or at least those of us who have accounts on any social media site like Facebook or twitter. We all claim, as all addict do, that we are not addicted but we open our eyes in the morning and then our facebook profile. If we think about it we just loose time in great amounts. Liking pictures, posting ridiculous comments and stuff. It is basically pointless but I do it as well.
  9. Belovedad

    Belovedad Active Contributor

    I am pretty aware of what an addiction is. I am also pretty sure that ANYTHING can be addicting. It does not have to be a physical substance or something that can physically harm you. Anything can lead you to show signs of impulse control disorders. Also, your claim on not being able to using something in a normal or less harmful manner? I've seen a lot of 'addicts' who have done that and are still living right as of today. Some things are just your typical addictive. Some people of course think they are addicted to things when they are not but everything can be addicting to at least one person. Sleep is a natural body function. Not a very good example in my opinion.
  10. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion

    No. Addiction has specific clinical definitions and implications. It is a serious disease and you are trivializing it by using such an expansive and wholly inaccurate definition. Addiction is a life long condition that is characterized by not being able to go back to using the addictive substance again if one wishes to remain in recovery. An alcoholic can not return to drinking for example. You can not be addicted to just anything. It doesn't work that way.
  11. serenity

    serenity Community Champion

    I'm not addicted to social media, but I do spend a lot of time surfing the net. For me I would only consider something as addictive if it interferes with your routine and life to the point that it's all that you do.
  12. monty

    monty Active Contributor

    I don't think so because I am very busy person in my life and spend most of the time on PL and have my own gigs on Fiverr.So, I rarely get time to spend on social media but I chat to one of my best friends on FB but not for hrs.So,I am pretty lucky about this matter.;)
  13. Belovedad

    Belovedad Active Contributor

    You are just trying to make it out to be something that it isn't. You need to open your mind to reality and stop forcing your opinions on others.
  14. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion

    No, I am not. There is a clear and clinical definition of addiction as a disease. The colloquial and inaccurate definition you are operating from does not apply here to begin with. Based upon this widely known and medically accepted definition of addiction I am questioning the validity of social media addiction pending further study. I am dealing in verifiable known fact here, not personal opinion. It does not matter what your personal opinion of a fact is, the nature of it is true regardless of what you choose to believe. You can choose to believe that gravity isn't real, you still wont change the nature of gravity by doing so. I strongly encourage you to open your mind as you have suggested to me, and actually look up the information I have attempted to provide you with instead of trying to force your unsubstantiated opinion of the matter upon me. In the mean time I will place you on ignore as you have made your mind up and do not wish to be confused with the facts.
  15. Jack Wallace

    Jack Wallace Senior Contributor

    • Virtuаl rеlаtiоnships. Аddiсtiоn tо sосiаl nеtwоrking, dаting аpps, tеxting, аnd mеssаging саn еxtеnd tо thе pоint whеrе virtuаl, оnlinе friеnds bесоmе mоrе impоrtаnt thаn rеаl-lifе rеlаtiоnships. Wе’vе аll sееn thе соuplеs sitting tоgеthеr in а соffее shоp оr rеstаurаnt ignоring еасh оthеr аnd еngаging with thеir smаrtphоnеs instеаd. Whilе thе Intеrnеt саn bе а grеаt plасе tо mееt nеw pеоplе, rесоnnесt with оld friеnds, оr еvеn stаrt rоmаntiс rеlаtiоnships, оnlinе rеlаtiоnships аrе nоt а hеаlthy substitutе fоr rеаl lifе intеrасtiоns. Оnlinе friеnds tеnd tо еxist in а bubblе, nоt subjесt tо thе sаmе dеmаnds оr strеssеs аs mеssy rеаl-wоrld rеlаtiоnships. Sinсе fеw rеаl-lifе rеlаtiоnships саn соmpеtе with thеsе nеаt, virtuаl rеlаtiоnships, yоu mаy find yоursеlf spеnding mоrе аnd mоrе timе with оnlinе friеnds, rеtrеаting frоm yоur rеаl wоrld fаmily аnd friеnds. Соmpulsivе usе оf dаting аpps саn сhаngе yоur fосus tо shоrt-tеrm hооkups instеаd оf dеvеlоping lоng-tеrm rеlаtiоnships.
  16. Novelangel

    Novelangel Active Contributor

    I think most of us living in today's world, have addictions to the internet and social media. My husband freaks out if the power goes out, and he spends hours just sitting in front of the computer. I do as well, but I work online so this is a necessity. I react to power outages in a slightly different fashion just because I like to read, so a good book can fill some time. Plus, there is always housework, as long as I have enough light to see by, or I can do arts and crafts, which is something I don't always have a lot of time to do when the power is on. If your ONLY favorite pastime is the internet, or television... you have a problem because there is a terrible loss when outages happen.
  17. Damien Lee

    Damien Lee Community Champion

    A lot of people spend a lot of time on social media outlets because they're simply bored, or have the need to communicate with others due to the atomization of society. People are communicating less and less on a face to face basis, but are engaging with others more on social media. But I also think it's easy to give up on social media if someone wants to call it quits.
  18. Tremmie

    Tremmie Community Champion

    I was addicted to Facebook... I couldn't picture my life without logging into it daily and check it every 15 minutes. It's awful. I am so glad I could get rid of this horrible addiction to be honest. Never again. I quit it and haven't come back ever since... I do miss the friends I made from games, but... it wasn't healthy. Facebook made me feel so depressed as well.
  19. CryingCanary

    CryingCanary Active Contributor

    How so, 'fairly easy'? If you're truly addicted to social media, I don't think it'll be anywhere close to easy to 'call it quits'. It is an addiction after all, 'calling it quits' might take less time to achieve than other addictions but it's still an addiction. I myself used to be obsessed with tumblr, I didn't eat just so I could blog more and when I realized how serious my problem was, it took me over two months to finally deactivate my account. So I wouldn't say it's easy...
  20. darkrebelchild

    darkrebelchild Community Champion

    I am not in the least addicted to social media because it bores me most times. I can go for days without logging into any of them.

    My focus right now is to develop myself, not live and breathe social media.