If it was alcohol I would be drunk all day every day

[Thecatisnotinthehat]

Has anyone been completely addicted to their phone and managed to break the addiction and how. I am scrolling from early morning to late at night and hate how it owns me. If it was alcohol i really would be drunk all day every day. I've tried blocking apps and sites, willpower, just putting it away, locked box etc etc and can over ride all of them. I feel nothing but shame for how it's taken over my life. I was addicted to smoking years ago and kicked it but cannot find my way out of this. Its frightening how a lump of plastic has been crafted to suck in weak people like me. Please has anyone beaten a severe addiction to a phone. Thanks xxxx

You need to fill the time with something else. Do you work? I’m not allowed to have my phone on me at work so that is one way to stop it. Do the people around you use their phone a lot? Set up rules that apply to you all, if possible. We have no phones at the dinner table and they are set to shut off at 11pm (earlier for the kids). Any hobbies that you would like to take up that mean you just can’t scroll? Sports, crafts, gym, etc. You have to really want this, it’s an addiction like any other. If you are prone to addictive behaviours then it is really hard, you have my sympathy.

If you have overrided all the usual ways then I suggest you look into addiction therapy. Just because a phone is considered a normal part of life it doesn't mean it can't become all consuming.

I have an addictive personality too, so I try not to become too dependent on things early on, eg I only drink alcohol at Christmas and since a lot of people do dry January it is easier to stop again. I could never do this mumsnet glass of wine most evenings. I'd be an alcoholic within the year.

Thanks for replies
Think I will have to look into addiction therapy. I contacted a local.addiction support centre and they weren't interested. It felt like phone addiction was somehow less important to more traditional.addictions even tho the impact to the addicts life is very similar.

That sucks OP, did they not give any guidance at all?

In the meantime can you partially treat it like a cigarette addiction? Part of that is finding something else to do with your hands when you get the urge. Also try and change your routine a little. If you pick up your phone as soon as you wake up then leave it downstairs. If you pick it up while the kettle is boiling for the first coffee then avoid the kettle/coffee, have a fruit juice instead (I found this one the toughest when giving up cigarettes).

I scroll more than I’d like, but not to the extent that it severely impacts my life. The one thing I find quite helpful is to have a list of things that need doing or I want to do and whenever I feel myself getting sucked into a mindless scroll session I do something on my list. It might be clean the bathroom or package up an item to post, it doesn’t matter as long as it breaks that phone contact. The other thing I do is to ply podcasts while I’m doing things, because it distracts my mind from the activity (if it’s boring) and also stops me picking up the phone.

You can buy and download a hypnotherapy session for this problem.
I’ve attached a screenshot as don’t know how to add a link.
The fact this exists suggests you are not alone.

Aww more replies....thank you all. All of life is lived thro this stupid phone so everytime I try to cut back there's reasons to pick it up. Thank you for hypnotherapy link. I will have to try it. I'm so disappointed life has come to this, how on earth can I be wasting my time on this phone but just not be able to control it.