how to actually quit any addiction in 9 minutes (explained by a stick figure)

Summary

This video script addresses the pervasive issue of addiction in modern society, not just to substances but also to behaviors like excessive gaming and social media. It explains the brain's reward system and how addiction works, leading to a cycle of seeking instant pleasure and subsequent pain. The speaker shares personal experiences and strategies for overcoming addiction, including self-awareness, finding healthier dopamine sources, setting goals, and changing one's self-image. The script emphasizes the importance of persistence and self-compassion in the journey to break free from destructive habits and live a more fulfilling life.

Takeaways

• 📈 Addiction is pervasive in modern society, affecting not just substance abuse but also behaviors like excessive gaming or social media use.
• 🔍 The brain's reward system is central to addiction; pleasurable activities trigger a dopamine release, creating a cycle of seeking more pleasure to maintain elevated dopamine levels.
• 📉 Dopamine levels naturally fluctuate, but addiction can cause them to drop below baseline, leading to negative feelings and a cycle of seeking instant gratification to restore balance.
• 🚫 Recognizing an addiction is the first step to overcoming it; self-awareness is crucial to admitting there is a problem.
• 💪 Finding alternative activities that provide a slower, more sustainable dopamine release, like exercise or reading, can help break the cycle of addiction.
• 🎯 Setting goals and finding an obsession can occupy mental space, reducing the desire to engage in addictive behaviors.
• 🌟 Positive thinking and focusing on pleasant memories can help resist urges to return to addictive habits.
• 🧘‍♂️ Improving mental health through activities like meditation, gratitude, and maintaining physical health can reduce the need to cope with negative feelings through addiction.
• 🔄 Relapses are a part of the process, and it's important to maintain a positive outlook, forgive oneself, and continue making progress.
• 🏆 Changing one's self-image and identity to align with the person they aspire to be can be a powerful motivator to break free from addiction.
• 🌱 The journey to overcoming addiction is not linear and requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from setbacks.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the video script?

The main issue discussed in the video script is the prevalence of addiction in modern society, not just to substances like drugs or alcohol, but also to behaviors and activities that provide instant gratification and stimulation.

How does addiction affect the brain's reward system?

Addiction affects the brain's reward system by causing a spike in dopamine levels when engaging in pleasurable activities. However, once the dopamine level peaks, it drops below baseline, leading to negative feelings and a cycle of seeking more instant pleasure to restore dopamine levels.

Why are activities like playing video games or watching porn considered destructive habits?

Activities like playing video games or watching porn are considered destructive because they cause rapid spikes in dopamine levels, which can lead to a stronger and deeper drop in dopamine afterwards, resulting in more pain and discomfort, and making it harder to enjoy activities that offer slower, more lasting rewards.

What is the first step in overcoming addiction according to the script?

The first step in overcoming addiction is having self-awareness and admitting that the addiction is a problem in one's life.

What role does working out play in the speaker's personal journey to overcome addiction?

In the speaker's personal journey, working out played a significant role as it became an alternative source of dopamine, providing a healthier way to experience happiness and pleasure, and reducing the time available for engaging in addictive behaviors.

Why is it important to find an obsession or goal to focus on when trying to quit an addiction?

Finding an obsession or goal is important because it occupies mental space and provides a constant focus, which can help to distract from the urge to engage in addictive behaviors.

What strategy does the speaker suggest for dealing with the urge to engage in an addictive behavior?

The speaker suggests thinking of a pleasant and happy thought or memory instead of focusing on resisting the addictive behavior, as resisting can lead to giving in.

How does improving mental health relate to overcoming addiction?

Improving mental health is related to overcoming addiction because when mental health is in a good state, it reduces the likelihood of seeking instant gratification through addictive behaviors to cope with negative feelings.

What does the speaker suggest about changing one's self-image in relation to addiction?

The speaker suggests that changing one's self-image and identity to align with the ideal person one wants to be can be powerful in overcoming addiction, as people tend to act in line with the person they perceive themselves to be.

How should one approach relapses when trying to overcome an addiction?

One should approach relapses with understanding and forgiveness, focusing on the progress made and setting new goals to continue improving, rather than viewing a relapse as a complete setback.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding Addiction and Brain's Reward System

The first paragraph delves into the prevalence of addiction in modern society, not limited to substances but extending to behaviors like constant stimulation and overuse of technology. It explains the role of dopamine in the brain's reward system, how pleasurable activities lead to a temporary increase in dopamine levels, and the subsequent drop below baseline that triggers discomfort and the desire for more stimulation. The paragraph highlights the destructive nature of fast dopamine spikes from activities like gaming, porn, and drug use, which condition the brain to crave instant gratification, making it difficult to enjoy slower, more enduring rewards. The speaker shares their personal struggle with addiction and introduces the steps to overcome these habits.

05:01

🛠 Strategies for Overcoming Addiction

The second paragraph offers a six-step strategy for breaking free from addictions. It starts with self-awareness and admitting the problem, followed by finding healthier alternatives to replace the addiction, such as exercise or learning new skills. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of finding an obsession that can occupy the mental space previously filled by the addiction. It also suggests thinking of pleasant memories to counteract urges, improving mental health through various practices, and changing one's self-image to align with the desired identity. The speaker acknowledges that relapses are part of the process and encourages forgiveness and a focus on progress rather than perfection. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their strategies and to subscribe for more content.

Keywords

💡Addiction

Addiction is a complex condition characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. In the video, addiction is portrayed as a pervasive issue affecting various aspects of life, not limited to substances like drugs or alcohol but also extending to behaviors such as excessive gaming or watching porn. The script emphasizes the struggle of overcoming addiction and the impact it has on one's mental health and overall well-being.

💡Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward system. The script explains how activities that are pleasurable, such as eating chocolate or playing video games, trigger an increase in dopamine levels, leading to feelings of happiness and pleasure. However, the subsequent drop in dopamine below baseline can result in negative feelings, creating a cycle that reinforces addictive behaviors.

💡Overindulgence

Overindulgence refers to the excessive or immoderate involvement in activities or consumption of substances. The video script uses this term to describe the unhealthy extremes people reach in their addictions, which can lead to a downward spiral affecting their life quality. For instance, the speaker mentions the inability to enjoy a meal without the distraction of a YouTube video as a form of overindulgence.

💡Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to recognize one's own mental states. In the context of the video, self-awareness is the first step in overcoming addiction, as it involves acknowledging the problem and its impact on one's life. The script illustrates this with the example of someone who initially believes they are gaming to relax but later realizes it's controlling their life.

💡Mental Health

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video discusses the negative impact of addiction on mental health, such as feelings of hopelessness and lack of motivation. It also suggests that improving mental health through activities like meditation and socializing can help in the recovery process from addiction.

💡Habit

A habit is a routine behavior that tends to occur subconsciously. The script describes addiction as a habit that is deeply ingrained in daily life, making it difficult to break. It suggests that to overcome addiction, one must replace the habit with healthier alternatives that provide a slower rise in dopamine, such as reading or exercising.

💡Obsession

Obsession refers to a persistent preoccupation or fixation on a particular idea or object. In the video, the concept of finding a new obsession is presented as a strategy to displace the mental focus from the addiction. The speaker shares their personal experience of becoming obsessed with growing their YouTube channel, which eventually crowded out the time spent on gaming.

💡Relapse

Relapse is the return to addictive behavior after a period of abstinence. The video acknowledges that relapses are a part of the recovery process and emphasizes the importance of not being too hard on oneself during such setbacks. It encourages viewing relapses as opportunities to learn and set new goals for improvement.

💡Self-image

Self-image is the perception one has of their own personality and abilities. The script discusses the power of changing one's self-image in overcoming addiction, suggesting that if one sees themselves as someone who has their life together, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that contradict this image.

💡Productivity

Productivity refers to the efficiency of an individual's work or the rate at which goals are achieved. The video contrasts the unproductive state induced by addiction with the potential for increased productivity when one is free from addictive behaviors. It suggests that breaking free from addiction can lead to a more ambitious and fulfilled life.

💡Mental Space

Mental space in this context refers to the cognitive capacity or the thoughts that occupy one's mind. The video suggests that filling this mental space with positive thoughts or obsessions can help crowd out the urges associated with addiction, illustrating the concept with the speaker's personal strategy of thinking of pleasant memories when faced with the urge to game.

Highlights

Addiction is pervasive in modern society, affecting not only substance abuse but also behaviors like constant media consumption.

Overindulgence in addictions can lead to a destructive lifestyle and identity.

Understanding the brain's reward system is crucial for addressing addiction, as it involves the dopamine levels that rise and fall with pleasurable activities.

Addictive substances and behaviors cause rapid spikes in dopamine, leading to a stronger crash and increased cravings.

The difficulty of quitting addictions is likened to breaking a routine as integral as brushing teeth or showering.

Self-awareness is the first step in overcoming addiction, acknowledging the problem and its impact on life.

Finding alternative activities that provide dopamine in a healthier way, such as exercise or learning, can help reduce reliance on addictive behaviors.

Obsessing over a new goal or hobby can replace the mental space occupied by addiction, redirecting focus and energy.

When urges arise, redirecting thoughts to positive, happy memories can help resist the temptation to revert to old habits.

Improving mental health through meditation, gratitude, and social interaction can reduce the need to cope with negative feelings through addiction.

Changing one's self-image and identity to align with the desired persona can be a powerful motivator to quit addictions.

Relapses are part of the process, and it's important to maintain a positive outlook and build on the progress made rather than feeling defeated.

Forgiving oneself and setting new goals after a relapse can foster continuous improvement and forward momentum.

The journey to overcome addiction is not linear and requires patience, self-compassion, and a commitment to personal growth.

The video offers hope and practical strategies for viewers to break free from addictions and live a more fulfilling life.

Transcripts

everyone is getting more addicted

nowadays and I'm not just talking about

drugs or alcohol addiction is literally

everywhere it's like we need to be

stimulated every second of the day and

it's gone to the point where we can't

even sit down and eat without putting it

on a YouTube video to watch

overindulging in these addictions can

drag us to a life we don't want turning

us into a drug addict an alcoholic a

porn addict or even worse a Discord mod

by avoiding these destructive habits we

avoid going down that dark and miserable

path and on the other side we can become

more productive confident ambitious and

ultimately more fulfilled and happy with

our lives I know we've all tried to quit

these addictions ourselves but only to

be on day one again every single day

it's a constant uphill battle but don't

worry by the end of this video you'll

have everything you'll need to finally

get your life together and finally break

free from these habits but before we

dive into what we need to do it's

important to first understand how

addiction Works in our brain addiction

happens in our brain's reward system

when we do something pleasurable like

eating chocolate playing video games

having sex drinking alcohol or smoking

weed our dopamine goes up this makes us

feel happy and experience pleasure but

then a wise SM will come up and tell you

in life everything is temporary what

goes up will always come back down and

he's talking about your dopamine once

our dopamine has reached its peak it

will always come back down that's just

how our brains work but it doesn't just

settle back to normal everything's got a

cost and our dopamine level actually

goes down below Baseline when our dopam

drops below Baseline we experience

unpleasant things like tiredness lack of

focus lack of motivation and

hopelessness it's like the feeling you

get when you just want to rot in bed for

the whole day but our brain doesn't want

to stay below Baseline and experiences

pain and discomfort so it seeks more

instant pleasure to bring our dopamine

level back up as fast as possible but

remember what happens when you see too

much instant pleasure you eventually go

back down and experience pain once again

and the cycle continues it's like an

endless roller coaster of going back up

and down the higher and faster our

dopamine levels rise to the peak the

deeper and the faster the drop addictive

beh behaviors and drugs like cocaine sex

video games and porn increase dopamine

very fast and indulging too much of it

can make our dopamine levels drop lower

and stronger which can leave us feeling

more pain and discomfort afterwards

that's why these things are so

destructive these fast dopamine spikes

train our brain to Crave immediate

pleasure making it harder over time for

us to enjoy activities that offer slower

more lasting rewards for example reading

usually causes dopamine to rise more

slowly compared to Rapid spikes from

video games that's why it's so hard to

sit down to read a book when you're a

video game addict if you're a video game

addict trying to quck League of Legends

or just someone who struggles with some

other addiction normally people would

just tell you to just stop doing it well

the problem is that whatever you're

addicted to has been such a big part of

your daily life it's almost impossible

to give it up the addiction is basically

almost the same as brushing your teeth

or showering it's a part of your daily

routine and you can't just suddenly get

rid of it so how do we actually quit

these addictions step one is to actually

have the self- awareness to admit that

you're actually addicted and it's

becoming a problem in your life some

people would just quote by saying I play

video games to relax and socialize with

friends but in reality they spent the8

hours a day screaming into their mics

destroying their own mental health

because they just had a bad teammate

playing video games aren't necessarily

bad and it's far better than sticking

needles in you that you brought from a

stranger off an Alleyway but it only

becomes a problem when you can't control

yourself from playing video games and

the activity itself controls you instead

step two I used to spend my days Glu

onto my chair frying my dopamine

receptors and my mental health with

legal Legends but one day I realized

that this was actually becoming a

problem I had nothing going on in my

life my body looked mild nourished I

haven't touched grass in weeks and I

wasn't happy with the way I was living I

knew I needed to change so I started to

really get into working out I eventually

noticed that I've slowly played less

video games I was spending more time

working out and just didn't have much

time for video games anymore I was also

spending more time learning about

Fitness by watching videos on YouTube

which took a more time away from video

games I even started to get my dop from

the workout itself since I always felt

good at the end I was also experiencing

happiness and the pleasure from seeing

myself progress weina has become my

alternate source of dopamine instead of

going to cold turkey and completely

eliminating the bad habit we want to

find another alternative source of

dopamine that is healthier for you we

want to replace your addiction with

something else that rais your dopamine

level slowly like reading yoga drawing

or even as simple as socializing with

friends step three however simply just

replacing an ADD addiction with

something else may not be enough

sometimes your addiction is so strong

that reading or going to the gym simply

just can't replace it I remember that I

would sometimes still catch myself

playing League of Legends while I was

still doing good habits like

consistently working out and reading

books but I still had time in my day to

sneak in a few hours of leak however it

all changed when I started this YouTube

channel I started to set goals for

myself and I became obsessed with

growing on YouTube I spent all of my

time constantly working and thinking

about YouTube which took up all the time

I had and eventually had no time to play

any video game and video games wasn't

fun for me anymore so we need to find

something to be obsess over about maybe

it's a certain goal you want to achieve

or a new hobby you want to try this

means that you have to explore and

create new interests for yourself by

having an obsession you'll be constantly

thinking about it and it will take a

mental space in your mind throughout

your day so you won't even have the

mental space to think about the thing

you were addicted to since all you think

about is your obsession but still keep

in mind that there will be times where

the urge to do the bad habit constantly

pops up in your mind so a really good

tip I personally use is to not think

about resisting the bad habit itself for

example every time I get the urge to

play games I never fight the thought of

don't play video games don't play don't

play resist resist because that will

always lead to giving in and doing the

bad habit instead I just think of a

thought that makes me happy for you

maybe it's like a childhood memory maybe

it's your parents pushing you on the

swing and you're laughing and you're

just having fun give this a try every

time there's an urge just think of

something else other than a bad habit

that's Pleasant Pleasant and it makes

you happy step four there are going to

be days where the mood just looks like

this picture right here which can make

us feel crap for the whole day and when

we feel like crap we naturally look for

things that will give us a fast

pleasurable feeling to make us less crap

a lot of times we do these addictive

things as a way to cope and as a way to

cover and run away from our crappy

feelings feeling crappy is usually a

result of our poor mental health but if

our mental health was healthy in the

first place we wouldn't feel like crap

to begin with and if we never feel like

crap we wouldn't turn to those

pleasurable activities to cope with our

crappy mental health some things you can

do to improve your mental health is to

meditate being grateful for little

things talking to people being good

physical shape being kind to people and

most importantly stop playing League of

Legends step five even after doing all

of these things sometimes I still find

myself doing the bad habits like

grabbing lotion and going on in the

incarnito tab to watch adult content

whil playing with my little eggplant I

still had a porn addiction despite me

doing other good habits and finally

stopping my League of Legends addiction

so how did I free myself from my porn

addiction well I've realized that every

time I'm in this phas where there's this

girl I really like and I potentially

want a relationship with my urge to go

on the Hub completely disappears it's

like I became a new person and it feels

like magic it was because I just

couldn't see the girl I like being in a

relationship with a version of myself

that's a chronic fapper so I had to

change my identity to someone else that

I think the girl will want to be with

that made me completely stop going on

the Hub because that's not who I want to

to be anymore I have to change my

identity changing your self-image and

your self identity can be really

powerful since people act in line with

the person they think they are if you

think you're someone who's addicted to

video games or porn you will continue to

be that person that struggles to quit

but if you think that you're someone

who's already got their life together

you won't even think about quitting porn

or video games because a person who's

got their life together doesn't have a

video game or a porn addiction so think

about the ideal person you want to be

and strive to be that person every day

step six now there will be days when

you're going to relapse and that that's

just part of life's ups and downs when

you do relapse it may feel like you just

fell all the way back to the bottom in

getting over it and you're back to

square one however relapsing doesn't

necessarily mean starting over

completely it's important not to be too

hard on yourself because filling

yourself with negative emotions can lead

your brain back to those bad habits as a

way to cope forgive yourself if you slip

up and focus on the progress that you've

made for example if you're overcoming

alcoholism and stay sober for a week had

a drink one night acknowledge your

achievement for that sober week then set

a new goal of staying sober for 2 weeks

this way you're always improving and

moving forward I went from playing video

games 8 hours a day fapping every day

and feeling like crap every day to

someone who can actually feel good about

themselves and is proud the progress

that they've made so far quitting

additions is in linear and will involve

some trial and error remember there will

be setbacks but it's only up to you to

decide if you really want to improve

your life or not but by following these

steps I'm confident that breaking these

habits abits will become easier allowing

you to live a happier and fulfilling

life I also like to hear some of your

strategies with creating addictions in

the comments below anyways I hope you

learned something useful subscribe if

you learn something new