is social media addiction the new alcoholism?

What if we treated social media the same way we treated recreational drugs and alcohol?

It's not socially acceptable to wake up with a beer on your bedside table and start drinking before you get out of bed. Even at an all-inclusive resort with someone with alcoholic tendencies, this would be excessive. Yet we're comfortable with going on Instagram as the first thing we see in the morning.

Ideally, you keep very few drinks in the house except for occasions that are appropriate for such drinks, but what if you had kegs of beer and a full bar of hard alcohol available in your kitchen at all times? We have access to as much mind-numbing screen time as we'd like. As long as the internet and electricity keep flowing, we're hooked.

How can I use this idea?

Maybe there could be a return to internet cafes, a dedicated place where people use social media to drown themselves in the cheap dopamine of the internet together instead of alone on the couch.

Simpler ideas include leaving the phone in the other room. During the day (easier said than done), but especially at night–nobody thinks it's healthy, keeping an open bottle of vodka next to your bed for easy access.

One-two beers rule. Over time, a trend of less consumption and lighter content is created without going cold turkey. One light beer is easier on the system than a shot of tequila (or seven).

Reminding yourself how you're going to feel after and the next day. The guilt and shame that can perpetuate during a hangover or after wasting hours to mindless doom scrolling.

Believe that it's possible to change your habits and change your outcome.

iPhones and social media can be powerful tools or quietly derail your life; as a society, we're okay with that.

Being attached to your device is not frowned upon, but maybe it should be.