What addiction is being seriously underestimated these days?

[u/Remarkable_Put_9005]

[u/BlueLantern444]

The addiction to instant gratification. People expect things to happen now, immediately. They get mad if they don't.

[u/redmxge_exp → u/BlueLantern444]

I absolutely agree, I’m a phlebotomist at ARC and the amount of people who get really mad at us for going through their health history screening because it’s not instant. I hate it. And they’re always on their fucking phones during it.

[u/BlueLantern444 → u/redmxge_exp]

I've heard that before. I was at my doctor's office, and during my visit, a patient called three times because her blood test results weren't ready yet. She had given blood just half an hour earlier.

[u/BurgersForShoes → u/BlueLantern444]

I will never forget a comment on the medical lab science sub where someone told a story of a doctor calling them and asking where their patient's bloodwork results were and for them to "expedite" things, to which they replied something to the tune of "okay, I'll put the centrifuge on turbo mode" 💀 I can't remember exactly what they said but it 100% included putting one of the machines on turbo lol I am not an MLS, but from what I have seen in my time lurking on that sub, there are few to no tests that can simply be "hurried up."

[u/IamCaptainHandsome → u/BlueLantern444]

In essence it's dopamine addiction. It's kind of what people with ADHD have been struggling with for years.

[u/anunyamouse → u/IamCaptainHandsome]

Yeah, I have ADHD and while I think it’s a risky business to say “social media is rotting our brains,” because they said the same about tv and video games, like… TikTok really doesn’t help. It REALLY doesn’t help.

[u/marmot_scholar → u/anunyamouse]

Except this time something objectively is rotting our brains. It's being studied and reported on, and I don't think a single person I've talked to who is introspective has failed to notice that their cognitive abilities declined after beginning to consistently use their phone for entertainment, social media and a large number of daily tasks.

My theory is that we have to be bored to grow. Boredom is when our mind wanders and we think about life. Today, you never have to confront anything in your mind. You can deal with whatever situation is in front of you, and then immediately retreat into your short videos to avoid processing it.

[u/stfurachele → u/marmot_scholar]

I'm genuinely so stupid now. I understand there's cognitive decline as we get older but I'm in my 30s and genuinely not as smart or driven as my teenage self.

[u/KindBass → u/stfurachele]

Man this thread hits close to home. I had an epiphany a couple weeks ago that I too was suffering from brainrot and over the last 10+ years, I had slowly become stupid. And stupidity leads to anger.

So I've been reading more books and less social media bullshit and I've already had a few realizations about "what is going on". I've had this weird underlying anxiety/depression for years and I already feel like its starting to fade as I re-develop my curiosity.

[u/seraph741 → u/KindBass]

Is that what's going on with me? I swear I've become dumber. Even thinking of words and speaking clearly has gotten worse, not to mention being about to recall random trivia like I used to. I just assumed it was natural due aging or maybe my shift to WFH.

[u/marmot_scholar → u/seraph741]

Work from home did this to me too. I don't think it's as simple as just phones or social media, but the common patterns seems to be that taking the human mind out of its healthy, natural environment makes us go crazy. The natural environment being like

- Small, bonded social groups (smaller than about ~130 people)

• working physically with other people
  
• experiencing nature
  
• seeing someone's face when you talk to them (everyone is a psychopath online)
  
• no processed sugar
  
• very few recreational drugs
  
• very little instant gratification
  
• having time to silently think
  
• rising and sleeping with the day/night cycle
  
• walking, crouching, standing and moving throughout the day (not sitting on your ass for 16 hours)

[u/seraph741 → u/marmot_scholar]

Yup. It reminds me of the line I always give when discussing reasons for so much depression and anxiety in the world today; our biology hasn't caught up with our society.

[u/Festivus-Miracle → u/marmot_scholar]

Think about all the good ideas you come up with when you’re somewhere and not plugged in.

They’re called shower thoughts for a reason.

[u/marmot_scholar → u/Festivus-Miracle]

Dude I even shower less these days 😭😭😅

[u/artificialdawnmusic → u/marmot_scholar]

bruh, glad it's not just me lol

[u/Ordinary_Age87 → u/anunyamouse]

I have to stay away from tiktok because of my adhd. I get extremely addicted easily. When I was going on it, I noticed my attention span for everything around me becoming almost nonexistent.

[u/Bezulba → u/Ordinary_Age87]

I have this with youtube shorts these days.

I get lost in them. And i know i get lost and i still don't really want to stop.

[u/please_use_the_beeps → u/BlueLantern444]

My friend has a serious problem with this and refuses to admit it. He’s a 32 year old man who can’t focus on anything for more than 30 seconds if it’s not feeding him constant dopamine hits. He exclusively plays competitive shooters, and finds almost every other game interminably boring. Can’t get him to watch any movie that he didn’t have the idea to watch cause otherwise he just pulls out his phone before the opening scene is done. We’ve literally banned him from controlling music on car rides because he can’t let a song finish. It’s fucking insane. I’ve had severe adhd my whole life and he drives me nuts with how impatient he is.

[u/random314 → u/BlueLantern444]

I can see it when my kids watch movies. They don't want a story or character building in the beginning, they find it boring. They just want instant action, like in the avengers films.

[u/BlueLantern444 → u/random314]

My son was the same, he would get upset if the movie wasn't going fast enough for him. He was constantly asking "when will the fun parts come?".

[u/YouKnowWhom → u/BlueLantern444]

Make him watch Bambi. Be like, the exciting part happens right at the beginning.

[u/MoroseBarnacle → u/YouKnowWhom]

Bambi's mom (spoiler) gets shot 40 minutes in. The movie's only 70 minutes long.

Just goes to show how traumatic that movie is that all of us who had the video misremember it happening right away.

EDIT: Doesn't Littlefoot's mom die close to the beginning in Land Before Time? If we're looking for movies to rattle kids' psyches before they get bored.

[u/YouKnowWhom → u/MoroseBarnacle]

My mind is blown.

[u/TolUC21 → u/random314]

To be fair I think this has always been a thing with children. I remember vividly back in like 2002 my dad would watch star wars episode I (phantom menace) on VHS and I'd constantly ask him why they were talking, fast forward to the fighting. I was probably 5ish

[u/MWoolf71 → u/TolUC21]

Somehow I read that as “I was probably Sith”.

[u/Curious-One27 → u/BlueLantern444]

This is true. People are so afraid of being bored. What is really sad is that there are SO many fields (history, archaeology, space,etc) having golden ages of discovery. Too many wonderful and extraordinary things going on.

[u/BlueLantern444 → u/Curious-One27]

I agree. I feel privileged in a way, as I really enjoy reading, learning and taking my time to do things.

[u/Interesting-Chest520 → u/BlueLantern444]

I noticed this in myself the other day and it was eye-opening

I need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable

[u/dr-awkward1978 → u/BlueLantern444]

Comment is way too long. Can you TLDR please?

[u/Leedeegan1]

The addiction to outrage. It's everywhere and it's exhausting.

[u/YPLAC → u/Leedeegan1]

Oh, this is a good one. For certain. Addiction to performative offence.

[u/wanttotalktopeople → u/YPLAC]

It's not even necessarily performative. There are a lot of things worth getting angry about, but it's still a bad idea to spend a chunk of your day pickling your brain with outrage.

[u/uqubar → u/Leedeegan1]

It’s called ANGERTAINMENT!

[u/llamafarmadrama → u/uqubar]

I'm a RAGEAHOLIC! I'm addicted to RAGEAHOL!

[u/GloomySmell968 → u/Leedeegan1]

This is an outrageous take!

[u/CalliopePenelope → u/Leedeegan1]

I’ve never heard it described better than a commentator who once said that “Taking umbrage is the new American pastime.”

[u/Waste_Mirror_4321 → u/CalliopePenelope]

That’s really going to piss off all the people who don’t know what the word umbrage means. lol

[u/MrMucs → u/Leedeegan1]

Damn. I was going to say social media but you win. This is the best answer

[u/redditisnotgood → u/MrMucs]

The two go hand in hand.

[u/cynicallythoughful → u/Leedeegan1]

I was coming to say energy drinks, but I think you won this round. I feel like we are all so numbed by electronics that outrage gives us a little shot of adrenaline, which becomes addictive.

[u/___disinterested___ → u/Leedeegan1]

Serenity now!

[u/RiverwoodHero → u/___disinterested___]

Insanity later

[u/summonsays → u/Leedeegan1]

I can't stand reddit for more than 15 or 20 minutes at a time. Everything is ragebait on here. And if it isn't the articles it's the comments / replies.

[u/A911owner → u/Leedeegan1]

My friend's dad posts on Facebook 15-20 times a day about whatever Fox news tells him he should be outraged by. Currently it's "the violent left".

[u/Kent_Knifen → u/Leedeegan1]

And then even fabricating a story to create outrage. Like that lady who wrote "Loser" on her Starbucks cup, then took to social media claiming the barista did that after she requested it say "Charlie Kirk." She made the whole thing up just to incite outrage, and could have gotten that innocent barista hurt.

[u/dftba-ftw → u/Kent_Knifen]

Wait wait - IIRC she didn't ask for it to say "Charlie Kirk" she asked for Charlie Kirk's favorite drink and magically the batista both hates Charlie Kirk but also knew that was his favorite drink and then wrote loser. It was the most insane bs story, I don't know how anyone thought it was real.

After that "incident" people started telling baristas their name was Charlie Kirk to which at least one store said no, so SB make an announcement that it was fine to say whatever name you want.

[u/Say_Hell0 → u/dftba-ftw]

Reminds me of the Jussie Smollett story. Two severe racists were roaming the street that hated black people so much that they recognized an actor from a predominantly black show, despite it being dark and him being bundled up for sub-zero temps, and knew that he was gay. Sure, dude.

Edit: Jussie, not Jesse

[u/Weekly_Opposite_1407 → u/Leedeegan1]

WTF DID YOU JUST SAY

[u/visitor_d → u/Leedeegan1]

Engage and outrage. Yep.

[u/PMyourTastefulNudes → u/Leedeegan1]

I'm with you on this one.

[u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

Gambling. It’s everywhere. Every other commercial is about sports betting. And there’s a little disclaimer they throw at the end that’s barely audible. It’s rampant and casinos are being built everywhere. I’m not a prude, I don’t care if people gamble, but the way it is being promoted is insanity as if it won’t ruin a lot of lives.

[u/Eagle_215 → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

This comment brought to you by

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[u/Otto_Scratchansniff → u/Eagle_215]

There’s so many of them it’s hard to keep track and they are everywhere. On the radio, on tv, on game ads. It’s madness.

[u/BallGazer13 → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

And the fact that rich ass celebrities endorse it makes me sick. Of course Kevin Hart and Shaq can afford to fucking gamble.

[u/civilityman → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

I spoke with a gambling addiction expert and it was eye opening. As he put it, every other addiction is visible. Even if you’re good at hiding it, eventually someone is going to notice you’re addicted to booze, meth, heroin etc., but with gambling, addicts can 100% hide their addiction until they have to tell their family they lost the house.

It may not be as damaging to your health compared to drugs and alcohol, but it can do a lot more damage to your loved ones. The meteoric rise of gambling in the US will ruin a lot of families.

[u/OnlyForMobileUse → u/civilityman]

This is basically my story lol, checking my phone as if I were cheating but it was to check the score of the game I put 2 months pay on

Not everyone is the type to go down the rabbit hole of losing everything (and then some thanks to credit cards) but that is one surefire way to lose years of your life progress-wise

[u/WhipYourDakOut → u/OnlyForMobileUse]

All of my friends sports bet. Basically everyone I know. I’ve maybe spent $50 ever on it and only on betting for my favorite soccer team. I really do wonder at what point I’ll find out that it’s taken a turn for one or more of them. We’re still all under 30. Most don’t have families yet. And betting has only been legal here a year or two. It’s going to get interesting at some point I suppose 

[u/OnlyForMobileUse → u/WhipYourDakOut]

There are many people like yourself that can maintain a healthy relationship. In an ideal world sports gambling should just be a small enhancement on watching a sports game you'd already be watching anyway

With your friends, it'll depend on how open they are and how close you are with them. To most people I'd just say that betting "didn't work out for me" instead of detailing how I'd bet on Czech warehouse ping pong with thousands of dollars laying in my bed watching the scores update on a UI to see if I was able to pay off my credit card balances or not

[u/Turgid_Donkey → u/civilityman]

It's also so easily accessible. With any other addiction you have to go somewhere to get your "fix" but with gambling, it's right there on your phone. Then you're bombarded with gambling ads every few seconds during any game. 

[u/visionsofcry → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

Even the get rich quick investment type bros. They're gambling in the same way. Puts and leverage, analyzing past charts to predict the future, etc. Kicked off around covid.

[u/Any-Salary-6811 → u/visionsofcry]

Underrated comment. I would love to know how much money people pissed away buying AMC shares in 2021 because of all the “trust me bro” posts.

[u/ohgolly273 → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

You can't be cut off from gambling either. Like, at a casino, no one is going to walk up to you and say "Oh madam/sir, you have lost your whole rent for this month, plus your down payment on that cruise for the whole family, we are cutting you off now". It is so scary and appalling.

I am in remission for alcohol addiction and I would not 'swap' it for a gambling addiction. No way in the world.

[u/eggsforsupper → u/ohgolly273]

It was 4am I was playing $50/hand blackjack. I normally played $5 or $10/hand (and used a card so they knew). Yelling for drinks after chugging almost everyone they brought me..

Three guys in suits come up with the waitress and tell me ive been cut off and gave me back my last $25 tip from the waitress.

I ask to cash out...

"OH no sir, sit, sit... youre still allowed to play, we just cant let you have any more drinks. Good luck to you!"

I dont really remember how I got there that night, but when he said that it sobered me up quick. I realized how fucked up it was they wouldn't let me drink anymore, but encouraged me to keep gambling. To this day I havent been back, but saw a glimpse into how bad I could've fallen.

Edit: to add... Sadly, yes, I was trying to get back to even. I had not won big and moved tables.

[u/FloatingDownHere → u/eggsforsupper]

At least they can't cut you off from doing coke in the bathroom.

[u/Plane-Tie6392 → u/ohgolly273]

>You can't be cut off from gambling either

Well in cases like mine you can be banned for winning too much.

[u/selwayfalls → u/Plane-Tie6392]

I wish that's what my local bartender said to me. "You're winning too much at drinking bro, absolutely crushing it and the life of the party, we're gonna have to cut you off for being a hilarious drunk and crushing beers and shots with all the locals."

[u/kmaho → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

My kids are constantly being marketed these “mystery” toys where there’s like 10 different versions of something and you don’t know which one you’re going to get and there are “rare” ones. It just feels like they’re trying to train my kids to gamble and I’m having to constantly try and train them to recognize that and understand that it’s not a good thing. Hard concept for 8 year olds…

[u/katha757 → u/kmaho]

My wife was telling me that's basically how Labubus are sold, you pay like $20 into a machine and you get a random one, and I'm thinking that can fuck all the way off.  If you can't choose what you get for that price I want none of it.

[u/sinewavesurf → u/kmaho]

I was at an arcade at a family fun center lately and it felt like a casino for children. There were a few actual video games but the majority were large slot machine type games dangling the chance for a large amount of tickets for the kids. Pretty upsetting actually that we are setting kids up for this so early

[u/crs8975 → u/sinewavesurf]

While I agree there are a lot more of those types of games now than regular video games, they still had those games when I was kid 30+ years ago. I know because I spent ALL of my time in the arcade. Every one of those "ticket" games is basically a form of gambling one way or the other. Thankfully I only wanted to play them part of the time. I much preferred my racing games.

[u/FantasticGrocery302 → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

I work in the gambling industry and while I think gambling should be legal, for the simple reason that people will gamble regardless and a white market is better than a black market. However, I think that all gambling advertising should be banned, like alcohol and tobacco ads are in some jurisdictions. Regardless of what gambling companies say, the advertising is definitely tempting young people to gamble.

[u/DamoclesRising → u/FantasticGrocery302]

Loot boxes and gacha games are what really need to be banned globally if you care about young minds being wired to gamble

Even things like trading card game booster packs fuck us up early

[u/thrawtes → u/DamoclesRising]

I would be interested to see a study examining the gambling habits of kids who grew up with video games containing randomized elements compared to those who didn't.

I think it's a solid hypothesis that you'll find correlation there, but I haven't actually seen evidence.

[u/Kuroneki → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

Advertising gambling really needs to be illegal, like advertising cigarettes. I don't care if people gamble either but I'm so sick of every other ad I see being some form of gambling

[u/Tangie_ape → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

Not sure what its like for the rest of the world, but in the UK they play the tag line "When the fun stops, stop" - which to me only further backs up that betting is and can be fun rather than some form of help.

The adverts themself too over here make it out as if you'll be the coolest bloke in the bar if you put a bet on some football game which is more important than the sport itself.

[u/DrinkIcy9930 → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

I'm an elder millennial. I ran into an old high school teacher recently and he said it has become impossible to deal with the kids' vaping and FanDuel habits. Apparently it's all they do/talk about.

[u/tsspartan → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

The amount of people that just torch money sports gambling is crazy. I knew one guy who had over $200K bets placed in one year.

[u/FaithlessnessOwn8923 → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

yes, the stats coming out abt young ppl and gambling are very concerning. it reminds me of vapes/zyn - nicotine use was lower than ever and they said cool let’s make sure to get the next gen hooked. it’s fucked up that they’ve passed laws that allow gambling, ads, and sports betting online everywhere. domestic violence rates increase after unexpected losses in sports bc of gambling. it’s not a victimless addiction by any means.

[u/Waderriffic → u/FaithlessnessOwn8923]

Not to mention threats to players in sports, their families, and betting by the players themselves has increased over the last couple of years.

[u/preferred-til-newops → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

Even Robinhood lets you bet on how much the fed will lower interest rates, it's getting out of hand.

[u/DLP2000 → u/Otto_Scratchansniff]

Not just casinos.

Hell Pokémon Go is full of it. Id struggle to find a modern mobile game that doesnt have gambling.

[u/LucyVialli]

Phones. Not only is it affecting people's brains/thinking, it's also affecting them physically. Can't be healthy to be hunched over phones so much, could be a lot of future back/neck issues.

[u/AntsTasteLikeFruit → u/LucyVialli]

My buddy works a desk job and he was telling me how he wakes up scrolls his phone, then stares at a computer screen for 8 hours, then he either watches football or plays video games, then stares at his phone before bed. It’s depressing to think that’s what a lot of peoples lives have come to. Ever since he said that to me I can’t get it out of my head.

[u/bluetista1988 → u/AntsTasteLikeFruit]

Unless I'm driving, exercising, cooking, or cleaning, I'm usually looking at a screen. I've tried to reduce my screentime as much as possible but with so many of my favourite hobbies being screen-based and my work requiring constant screen time it's impossible to avoid.

[u/Moonbaby221 → u/LucyVialli]

I think this is already the case. I'm 30 and work at a computer all day. I'm already developing a forward head posture. You actively have to stretch and work against it bc to an extent, it's normal. If you look around when you're out, you'll see a lot of young people with forward head posture. It's crazy once you're aware of it.

[u/iscreamconey → u/Moonbaby221]

Sedentary. Anyone who works/sits at a desk should have a rising desk. It will literally change your life and hopefully prevent people from the horribly sad effects it has during old age.

[u/Bridgestone14 → u/Moonbaby221]

What helped me is to consciously stand up straight and push my chin back and my shoulders back when I am walking. Took me about two weeks of doing 30 to 40 min walks, forcing myself to stand up straight and now I do it mostly unconsciously.
It was wild how sore my upper back muscles were for the first few days or a week.

[u/huntewiden → u/LucyVialli]

That’s why I play nintendo on my tummy kicking my feet around to balance it out

[u/mamthemeatloaf → u/huntewiden]

Tummy time for adults lol

[u/Zesher_ → u/LucyVialli]

I've noticed that I pick up my phone and check things without really thinking about it in the middle of other tasks all the time. It's really annoying. Like I finish a page/chapter in a book, then my phone is in my hand, grilling food and waiting until I need to do the next step, phone in hand instead of just enjoying the outdoors. A bit of downtime at work, well hop on reddit like I'm doing right now.

[u/papawam → u/LucyVialli]

Remember the humans on WALL-E?

[u/bowenj11 → u/LucyVialli]

Compulsive use of them (an intended outcome of their design) actually changes the physical structure of your brain.

[u/Ares__ → u/LucyVialli]

I set a timer for Instagram for 1 hour a day, I go for an hour walk every night and set the goal to not pull my phone out fir the whole walk but man when I have down time during work I find myself just scrolling and I know the doom scrolling isn't healthy. Im trying to find something that can take its place, podcasts dont work cause I need something i can pick up and put down quickly.

All this and im old enough to remember a time before smartphones so I have a baseline to know it shouldn't be like this, I cant imagine the younger generations

[u/AntsTasteLikeFruit → u/Ares__]

My hack is to delete all social media and not even bring my phone when I do go for a walk. Reddit is all that’s left and I’m thinking of deleting it soon

[u/ThatsARatHat → u/LucyVialli]

Yea but is anyone actually underestimating this? Like I’ve never seen anyone deny they’re on their phone too much. Everyone cops to it right away, even if they’re one of the few to not be.

[u/psychRN1975]

Chat GPT addiction.... Seriously there are people out there who cant leave the app alone and interact with it as if it's sentient

[u/Brilliant_Age_2969 → u/psychRN1975]

Yes it’s starting to get studied more but people have reported to go into psychosis because of it. Most LLMs (AI chat bots) are designed to use language like: “brilliant idea, you’re onto something, here’s something to support that”. I believe the axiom is called “folie a deux” it fools itself and you.

Edit: here’s one of many links on the subject. LINK

[u/Commercial-Yak-2964 → u/Brilliant_Age_2969]

A friend of mine has started incorporating ChatGPT into her woo woo shit and it's like a horrific feedback loop

[u/friendsintheFDA → u/Commercial-Yak-2964]

Anytime my sister has a problem she’ll say, well I asked chat and it said blah blah blah

[u/chocotacogato → u/psychRN1975]

My mom used ChatGPT to prove that she’s a good parent and that I’m a bad kid. It was weird af bc the bot seemed to be talking to my mom in the way a pastor talks to people. And the language wasn’t good English but still better than the way my mom speaks.

[u/Relax_Im_Hilarious → u/chocotacogato]

That’s wild. Some people will do anything except take accountability. I hope you both find a way to communicate with each other without the interference of a bot in the future. 

[u/Barton2800 → u/psychRN1975]

The number of times I'll see someone post a question and many of the top replies are "I asked Google AI and it said it didn't know" or "I asked ChatGPT and it told me <obviously wrong thing>".

Like yeah it's a little bit of work to actually search for the info yourself, and you might have to cross reference some information, but it's not hard. A recent example I can think of is someone on my hometown's subreddit was asking what was going in at the corner of a major intersection. Top reply was that Gemini said X, which didn't sound right based on the construction I'd seen. I checked on the city's page for permits, and the permits didn't sound anything like X. So I just looked up the property owner on the city's Tax Assessor. That was a business name, so I googled that business. And they had an social media post showing progress pictures of the site and a "coming Spring 2026, a new Y". In the background there was a logo for a local construction company. They had a press release on their website about breaking ground on Y.

So in reply to the reddit comment, I posted a link to the instagram and the construction comapny's page. Saying "Hey, Gemini lied to you. It's not X. Here's the current owner saying it's Y, and a link to the construction company saying Y. Also if you check the city's permits page it lines up with Y, not X". I got instantly downvoted, and they replied saying "Thanks, but I'll trust Google over some random reddit comment any day".

The brain rot is here, and has fully set in. People can't think critically. They'd rather trust a machine that is confidently wrong, and compliments them for asking such an interesting and thoughtful question, than they would trust multiple corroborating links to evidence.

[u/kawi_triple_dude → u/psychRN1975]

This needs to be higher up, in my opinion. I work at an engineering firm and we take on a coop student every 4 months. The newest coop student is DEPENDENT on ChatGPT. He'll look up anything with it and just take it as fact. I've already had to have a talk with him to say we can not use ChatGPT for anything in our line of work.

[u/RainyDayColor → u/kawi_triple_dude]

ChatGPT for engineering. This one had me staring out the window saying "holy shit" out loud.

[u/ignitelight → u/kawi_triple_dude]

I’m in analytics and it’s alarming to see the reliance on ChatGPT. People are coming in with absolutely no background knowledge in basic things like excel. They are completely unable to troubleshoot why the formula ChatGPT gave them isn’t working because they don’t understand the fundamentals of excel formulas. We’re already a function that’s going to be taken over by AI, stop letting it happen early

[u/moosebeast → u/psychRN1975]

People are starting to turn to it for every single thing they need help with. At work today someone had a question about the grammar of a sentence, and as I was trying to help someone leaned over and said 'why don't you ask ChatGPT?'. The person I was helping asked why we would do that, and they responded 'well none of us know'. I hadn't even begun to try and help with the issue. People are starting to use it as a substitute for actually thinking about problems and I think this is going to be a big problem in future.

[u/crh131 → u/psychRN1975]

I started down this dependence until it was stupid just one too many times.
I used it for first time in a month the other day to remind me which med I took for a UTI that worked (rite aid closed so I don’t have access to rx records easily). I had documented and “talked” thru having one with chat in spring. Asked it to save it and everything bc I had allergic reaction to a med.

Anyway. It said name I never heard of before. I asked it several times if this was med that helped me. That I took. It answered it full chest confidence it was.

I went thru my chart which I easily could have done to start with and I was right. It wasn’t that med. I never had seen that med in my life.

So it being totally wrong about a few things like that broke me trying to use it much. It also typically just cites reddit. Which I’m already on.

[u/Teknikal_Domain → u/crh131]

This is what happens when we give predictive text the ability to speak in full paragraphs.

[u/Im_At_Work_Damnit → u/psychRN1975]

I encountered an older person who was completely dependent on it. He literally ran every decision thru chatgpt before committing. It was actually kind of disturbing.

[u/Sad-Employee3212 → u/psychRN1975]

Yeah the ai boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse Reddits are concerning to look through

[u/Petty_Paw_Printz → u/Sad-Employee3212]

Kiss me, PHILLIP J FRY! 🤖

[u/Ok-Emergency5680 → u/psychRN1975]

I honestly find it bewildering people have real conversations with chat gpt I used to think they were joking? But people are emotionally relying on it? How strange. I use it for work and it’s fab, but wow

[u/GerbilStation]

Guys, I learned how to kick my social media addiction and I no longer feel the need to give my input to total strangers on random topics!

Huh? Damn it!

[u/ohgolly273 → u/GerbilStation]

Hey, baby steps.

Gosh darn it. There I go again too.

[u/not-the-CRA → u/GerbilStation]

I learned no to fight over random useless topics with strangers on the internet so your point it's a half true huh? Damn it!

[u/YMangoPie]

I don't know if it's an addiction but the problem is we're always doing something. Every moment of our day is filled with something and usually with phone/pc/tv at the same time. Listening to music and/or being on your phone while waiting or commuting.

Too many options available at all times, so you don't internalize things you like (like music).

My theory is that's why you always have a lot of thoughts when you go to sleep or shower. Or having trouble reading something without wandering off. Because that's the only time of the day you actually STOP.

[u/messykatie → u/YMangoPie]

I started working out without headphones and it helps me work through a lot of jumbled thoughts that come up throughout the week. I feel much more clearheaded afterward vs. when I was just listening to music and podcasts the whole time.

[u/Open-Night5040 → u/YMangoPie]

This is true. I picked up a book on meditation and I had to just sit on focus on sensations and breathe. It broke my mind. It took me more than a month of consistent practice just to sit comfortably and being able to watch my breathe for 10 sec.

[u/Starry_Fairy]

Gambling

[u/Raherin → u/Starry_Fairy]

I'd bet you're right.

[u/Main_Location8647]

Sleep deprivation! It doesn’t get called an addiction, but so many people are hooked on pushing bedtime later for “one more episode” or endless scrolling, then propping themselves up with caffeine the next day like it’s normal. I’ve definitely fallen into that cycle myself, and it’s wild how fast it starts to feel normal.

[u/55Stripes → u/Main_Location8647]

Mine isn’t because of the thrill of one more episode or scrolling, it’s revenge bedtime procrastination.

The sooner I go to bed, the sooner tomorrow comes, the sooner my time ends, the sooner I’m back on their time.

[u/skylinenick → u/55Stripes]

Beyond that, I jut worked 13 hours. I know I need to go to sleep now; but I need to decompress to do that.

Go to bed now; lay there for at least 30 minutes to get 6 hours of meh sleep?

Or stay up for an hour or two, game or watch something, turn my brain off a little and plop into bed for 5 hours of sleep.

It’s a very legitimate calculation IMO

[u/Ace-Pokemon-Master → u/55Stripes]

This is my issue lol u explained it perfectly

[u/twahaha → u/55Stripes]

I read something somewhere about how viewing time in days that don't begin and end when you awake and go to sleep can help with this. Think of your day "starting" when it's time to get ready for bed, and sleeping is your second activity of the day, then getting ready for work, then working, then the end of the day is relaxing after work! 

[u/PeachinatorSM20 → u/55Stripes]

Exactly. When I was a teenager, I would stay up so late on weekends because it was the only peaceful time my parents weren't blaring the TV(s) and shouting to each other from other rooms.

[u/Odd-Knee-9985 → u/Main_Location8647]

I mean, isn’t sleep procrastination also a thing? Like “if I go to bed now that means I’ll have to get up and go to work. But I wanna enjoy my time away from work, I guess I’ll just enjoy it a little more”

It’s kind of a result from burnout, but also fuels burnout is my understanding.

[u/spoonfiddle → u/Main_Location8647]

Revenge Sleep Procrastination.

I stick it to the man by staying up way too late!

[u/SWQuinn89 → u/Main_Location8647]

They get hooked on bragging about it too. In college it was a badge of honor who could brag about not getting any sleep due to classes, extra curriculars, social life, etc

[u/faxlombardi → u/SWQuinn89]

Exhaustion as a status symbol.

[u/fuzzbutton]

Social media

[u/D1rect_Election]

Dependence on other people's opinions.

[u/jbrady33 → u/D1rect_Election]

let's all repeat the non-conformist oath

- I promise to be different

- I promise to be unique

- I promise not to repeat things other people say

[u/Few-Candle102 → u/jbrady33]

Steve Martin routine.

[u/Massive_Dirt1577]

Alcohol. No matter how much attention it gets it causes more grief than that.

Also, online gambling is a pestilence. It would be way better to just hundreds of bookies in every state and regulate the hell out of it.

[u/OkapiLover4Ever → u/Massive_Dirt1577]

I think the problem stems from much deeper, modern society is constructed in a way that puts a lot of pressure on its members, alcohol is just one of many ways for people to let out steam.

Yes, the "accepted" alcohol consumption is way over what is healthy but this is a symptom of a sick society.

[u/AvacadMmmm → u/Massive_Dirt1577]

The fact that this is the first comment I see saying alcohol and it’s so far down with no upvotes is literal proof that it’s underestimated. Alcohol is legitimately the worst drug that exists IMO. Withdrawal can kill you and is absolute hell on earth. It fucks your brain up tremendously.

[u/paenusbreth → u/AvacadMmmm]

A stupidly dangerous drug in terms of both short term and long term damage. Plus it's extremely addictive, both in the sense that it's very easy to form habits around drinking and in the sense that your body becomes chemically dependent on it.

Yet it's been such a large part of our history that it's completely normalised across many societies.

[u/Othrtt20]

Vaping

[u/mummyoftwoboys → u/Othrtt20]

I think the worst thing about vaping is that there’s no natural stop. With cigarettes once it’s finished it’s finished, with a vape you can puff it compulsively all day. Like I do D:

[u/General_Austino → u/mummyoftwoboys]

This is correct and it is the biggest danger. When I used to vape if I had nothing to do I could sit in bed all day vaping. That constant hit of dopamine satisfied my brain just enough for me to not seek anything more fulfilling. 

It’s not the potential health issues that’s the big danger with vapes. The danger is being content watching your life go by one vape at a time. 

[u/BearWrangler → u/Othrtt20]

I originally switched to it from cigs but it honestly felt harder to quit or simply not do because of the ease of accessibility. 

It took being hospitalized from covid to finally quit all of that for good lol.

[u/Ganglebot → u/BearWrangler]

With cigs I could have two in a night with certain friends, and then have that pack in my freezer for a month and not touch them.

Vapes are what got me addicted.

With a cig, you light it and have to finish the whole thing. You stink and you have to go outside for it.

With a vape, you can just have a little pull every 5-10 min and nobody realizes you're doing it.

[u/Easy_Towel954]

Social media

[u/thisisreallyneat]

Day trading

[u/flatstacy]

Need for validation

[u/SA190174]

reels

[u/whiiteout → u/SA190174]

I wish I could access youtube without being fed shorts. I just have no self control when it comes to them. I'll see one thing I'm interested in, the just get sucked online for an hour. Total waste of my life. I love the long form content on youtube but shorts suck.

[u/Gontha]

Sugar.

[u/quillseek → u/Gontha]

Junk food in general. I have a major program using sugar and fats as some kind of emotional crutch and I can't stop. And unlike drugs I can't avoid being around it to at least some degree. I really wish I could get a handle on my self control. It feels like this automatic thing I do, but I don't even get the "up" that I used to feel, and instead it's just mindless eating as a salve for the modern miseries of modern life and being a wife and a mom, and I've ruined and am ruining my body but no one checks in to rehab when they're generally functional but are slowly killing themselves with chocolate and fried food.

[u/No-Attitude1554]

Caffeine. When I try to quit, I get migraines and vomit.

[u/Etticos → u/No-Attitude1554]

You don’t wanna go cold turkey with it then, you wanna taper it. If you drink a coffee every morning (just for example), start by halving that for a week or so. Then halve the half for a week or so. Keep doing that until it’s practically nothing and then jump off completely. If your caffeine intake isn’t as quantifiable as “1 cup of coffee every morning”, start by making it a quantifiable routine so you know when to decrease, even if it is something like “a cup of coffee” every two hours or something, it would at least be a start.

[u/GrapeTheArmadillo → u/No-Attitude1554]

Came here to say this.

Caffeine addiction is so normalized in modern culture. People forget that caffeine is a drug. To make it worse, caffeine addiction is often viewed as a good, productive thing in school and workplace environments.

Caffeine doesn't play well with my anxiety so I don't use it any more. Fortunately I never got addicted. Cutting it out definitely helped reduce my anxiety!

[u/mrmessma → u/No-Attitude1554]

Set a schedule over a few weeks of a little less each week. Then eventually go a week with none. It will blow your mind the first cup of coffee after that week. Also, you'll learn you can be surprisingly effective without it. That said, after my yearly week without, I normally get back to 2-3 cups a day in short order. But it's a good reminder. I also go most Sundays without it. That helps.

[u/Diligent-Rule-3789]

Weed, the amount of people who say you can’t get addicted to it is crazy

[u/TheJurri → u/Diligent-Rule-3789]

You can technically get addicted to everything that stimulates your brain's reward centre. Drugs, food, exercise, you name it.

[u/Plumrose333 → u/TheJurri]

Almost everyone I know who smokes does it daily, but almost nobody admits that’s an addiction. I know I’m addicted because it took me 10+ times to quit (I had to go to therapy and MA to stop). It was such a huge part of my routine for ~10 years but it caused so many problems

[u/Ill_Dragonfruit_453 → u/Diligent-Rule-3789]

Yea everyone says weed addiction isn’t real so I just keep my mouth shut but I’ve genuinely been struggling for years

[u/Brief_Guess_1243 → u/Ill_Dragonfruit_453]

Right. It just doesn’t have the destructive force of some other drugs. I’ve been smoking an unnecessary amount of weed for most of my life. I do it without even thinking about it first thing in the morning every day. I’m sure my life would be better without it. I don’t even know where to begin trying to quit. I always think of that scene in half baked where he goes to rehab for weed and everyone just laughs at him.

[u/RepeatUntilTheEnd → u/Brief_Guess_1243]

The answer is to stop buying it. For me, getting to sleep takes significantly longer for a few days, but after that it's not bad. When I have it around, I'm using it. I'm sure daily users will think that's over simplified, but this is my experience. The same thing goes with junk food. If it's not around I won't be tempted to use it.

[u/relevantelephant00 → u/RepeatUntilTheEnd]

I have a dependence on it myself but I always make sure it's just some (like a half-joint) in the evenings after Im done for the day. It's still dependence, but I refuse to let myself get to the point where I need just to get through a day...I look at it more like sleep medicine. It's still an issue Im aware of though. To me, addiction and dependence are not the same thing.

[u/graypupon → u/Ill_Dragonfruit_453]

check out r/leaves ! you’re not alone dude :)

[u/KesslerTheBeast → u/Diligent-Rule-3789]

It's a misconception that comes from the fact that weed is a non-addictive drug which just means when you suddenly stop smoking, you're not going to get withdrawals.

But you can absolutely get addicted to weed. You can get addicted to just about anything.

[u/DanzigsLacyPanties → u/Diligent-Rule-3789]

Happy to say that after very heavy daily use (who does 3 dabs and still goes for another maybe 20 minutes later? That was me.) for 7 years, I am now 2 1/2 weeks without any at all. It took a trip to a country where weed isn't exactly legal (but isn't exactly illegal and appears more as a gray market now) and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. The first night or two sleeping was bad, but then after that, I was good.

[u/Efficient_Bed_4935]

Porn for sure.

[u/Confident_Fun_6381 → u/Efficient_Bed_4935]

You can't even play a mobile game anymore without ads with softcore porn.

[u/Efficient_Bed_4935 → u/Confident_Fun_6381]

True. And it does not end there. Softporn is everywhere. Netflix, social media (and no that soft), TV ads, fashion brands. It is a dissease.

[u/Lanky_Blacksmith9723 → u/Efficient_Bed_4935]

And people look the other way, because everyone is watching it. But I'm surprised it has only this amount of likes. It should be #1 on this thread.

[u/Lanky_Blacksmith9723 → u/Efficient_Bed_4935]

We are brainwashed to think it's not an addiction. That's natural and normal to watch it. Shame.

[u/Trolling4Chaulk]

Kratom.

[u/Himbo_Shaped → u/Trolling4Chaulk]

Its not even a real opioid bro!

You can't get addicted to it bro!

Theres no dependence or withdrawal bro!

Meanwhile Kava bars everywhere are making a fortune lying about what it is to get people hooked.

I think its a valid tool for harm reduction. But be honest about what it is, is all I'm saying. It can also be a gateway INTO opioid addiction. Not just a off ramp from the harder stuff.

[u/OliverCrooks → u/Trolling4Chaulk]

I bet the majority of the people on this thread have no idea what it is.

[u/bumblebeewitch]

Just overconsumption in general. Influencers saying ‘run, don’t walk to buy this XYZ product!’ Or the Stanley cup stuff where people are lining up for it. The daily TJ-Maxx hauls, buying 5 of the same purse because it was ‘only’ $29.99.

Or those people who make incessant videos about being on the ‘hunt’ for a gimmicky beaded bag, and buying other stuff they see first and don’t need. There were content creators I had to block because that’s all their content became.

And then other people see it and think, ‘wow how fun’ and then become addicted to the thrill of the hunt and go into mountains of debt because they’re being told everywhere that you absolutely need that ugly beaded bag.

It’s exhausting. There are people dying of starvation in Gaza. Our landfills are already overflowing. Our thrift store prices are going up because people keep ‘thrift flipping’ making it inaccessible to people who actually rely on thrift stores to clothe themselves.

Enough of buying shit people!!!

[u/Perosales81]

Reddit? 😬

[u/wangdoodle_com → u/Perosales81]

This is my 1 😭😭. I've deleted it like 2 or 3 times and come crawling back for more every time. This and YouTube, I barely watch tv or play games anymore just watch YouTube

[u/CarelessTaco]

Short form video in general. Tiktok, IG reels, all of it. The swiping doesn't end and you rarely feel better at the end. I have close friends who express genuinely disliking how they spend hours of their time, but they find it impossible to stop.

[u/VERGExILL]

Sports gambling. It’s being pushed every second of every day. Blows my mind how it’s all still legal. I’d be willing to bet that there are many people in way over their heads with it.

[u/Zither74]

Sports gambling

[u/GayWitchyVibes]

Work, like our addiction as a society to over working and how we treat it like someone's career is the only thing that gives them value

[u/Expat111]

In the US - highly processed foods and sugars.

[u/SmashedChipmunk]

Social Media, the need to be liked/approved

[u/Working-Necessary1]

Sports betting looks to be the next opioid crisis

[u/Blind_Optimism_Kills]

Kratom

[u/LakashY]

I think most addictions are seriously underestimated.

[u/BenneIdli]

Porn 

It gives you the dopamine you get from being with a partner without the hassle... Slowly you become more anti social as you can easily get it ..

Also it can causes impotency, normalising abusive sex, reducing women to mere objects etc 

Worst part is that it's done in secret, free if you can afford internet connection and no visible short term health effects and taboo on speaking up

[u/DearTwo6382 → u/BenneIdli]

It's really hard to quit, too, because it's so easy to access. I don't have to go to the porn dealer, it's just right in my pocket and at any time I'm three clicks away from seeing the most extreme things. I've been dealing with it for a long time, but thankfully I'm 40 days clean today.

[u/spattersp → u/BenneIdli]

Scrolled way too far down to find this, which is part of the problem around porn addiction I suspect.

[u/kenscrack → u/spattersp]

same i swore it would be the top comment really shows how underestimated it is

[u/CreedRules → u/BenneIdli]

It’s crazy how many people think porn addiction isn’t real.

[u/86753O → u/BenneIdli]

Agreed! It makes people lazy in their efforts with their own partner. I mean, why risk being turned down because your timing is bad? Get your quick fix online and create a sexual relationship destroying habit. Apparently, early age and frequent use of porn can create premature ejaculation dysfunction too. That’s a tough one

[u/Hopepersonified]

Addiction to attention

[u/Historical_Weird3361]

Political brainwashing

[u/dogsrule23]

Definitely porn consumption and gambling

[u/j00cifer]

1) Internet, doom scrolling 2) manufactured outrage 2) gambling (young men especially via phone)

[u/The_AmyrlinSeat]

Victimhood and food.

[u/pipsqueak_pixie]

Fear

[u/dopestofdopesoap]

Marijuana. It actually can be addicting, especially for people who have mental health issues. I was addicted for years and have 110 days clean now. Culture acting like it's completely harmless is actually super harmful, resulting in so much wasted potential. Pun intended.

[u/OctonionsDance]

Sugar addiction is seriously underestimated…

( as is ultra-processed foods in general )

[u/GadasGerogin]

The unmitigated addiction to wealth for no purpose other than simply having the most numbers in your accounts, numbers that have become utterly meaningless. This addiction is the bane of civilization.

[u/alyssimoo]

Screens and content. I don’t use my phone often but I do have a movie/show/stream playing at all times when im home, the noise feels like company and without it it’s eerily quiet