Thread by @JonelleCapri

Twitter is a behavioral addiction & cocaine is a substance addiction. Substance addictions suck b/c they alter neurotransmitter-receptor interaction & change the brain's homeostatic set point. Behavior addictions suck b/c the brain is basically addicted to its own damn self 🧵

https://twitter.com/jrichardgoodman/status/1334272683421253640

Addictions that are BOTH substance & behavioral, like smoking (addiction to nicotine AND to the act of smoking), are surveyed consistently as the hardest to kick.

Spontaneous resolutions to both kinds of addiction do happen. Some people just... stop. But it's NOT typical.

Because the brain is a big ol' asshole about addiction, and it really digs in on those reward pathways once they're set.

The pathways used in both addiction types are super similar. But the engagement with the neurotransmitter-receptor system is different (direct vs indirect).

Substance is direct, an immediate interaction with brain receptors, an immediate shift in brain chemistry, and therefore a faster, more potent, and more obvious physiological response.

With behavior, it's indirect. Fast, sure, but the brain still has to create and modulate its own biochemical reward response. And while the brain is an idiot, it's not a *complete* idiot, so the response is milder, and requires far more repetition to become a true addiction.

But you have to remember, the brain is still doing tons of other shit while it's also being addicted to twitter, which is why our environment factors very heavily into the intensity of an addiction.

NOTHING happens in a vacuum, ESPECIALLY not brain chemistry.

If the brain is nothing else, it's adaptive. If it has something else to do other than social media and cocaine, it's eventually gonna go do it.

This is why one of the best way to kick addiction is to remove yourself from the source and the triggers of your addiction.

But the whole world is addictive. Modern life is a trigger.

Societal participation is now dependent on a wifi connection, which is itself behaviorally addictive and also the source of many-a-substance.

It is impossible to avoid something when you need it to survive.

In this context, it might seem like it's easier to kick a drug habit than it is to drop the bird app. And... yeah.

But there are studies that show that moderation, when consistent and with structured limitations, can be an effective method of addiction reversal.

Will power is, and has always been, a scam. So don't fall for that. Grit works for like, 7 people in the world, and good for them. But in these sorts of matters, my motto is: "Believe in yourself, but don't rely on yourself"

Community & environmental management are where the wins are. Ask for help/support. Find people on your team. This kind of thing isn't just for substance addiction. You're way more likely to turn off notifications if you're in a club called "The No Notifications After 5p Club"

Routinize your life. The brain loves a routine, that's why it creates so many bad ones. We call them "habits", but to the brain it's a whole expansive network that it put time into, it's so proud of itself. It won't want to switch gears without a replacement routine. Give it one.

Organize your environment to fit your goals. Make it as difficult as possible to do the addictive behavior/substance and as easy as possible to do literally anything else.

There's a whole industry of apps and lockboxes that burn dollar bills aimed toward this purpose.

Habituate yourself to something else. Build a new brain pathway. Easier said than done, and you're brain is gonna be such an ass about it, but consistently do a different behavior than the one the brain asks for when an urge hits. It'll eventually draw a new map in your head.

Talk yourself through it. Out loud! Studies show that talking out loud to yourself can increase focus and motivation.

Don't be mean though. Negative self talk is among the worse things you can do to yoir brain, but that's another thread.

I totally have a phone addiction, and when I find myself in a twitter spiral, my version of self talk (along with a bunch of other deterrents) is to clap a few times and say "Hey, hey, hey!" to myself in the tone one might use to tell a cat to get off a counter. It works for me.

And lastly, as it has become my brand, I must say: This is all dopamine's fault.

I just memed about this, please clap

https://twitter.com/JonelleCapri/status/1333797381112963075?s=19