Substance Use

Social Media Addiction and Substance Abuse

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Social Media Addiction And Substance Abuse

Social media is fun. But it can become a compulsion — even a behavioral addiction. Co-occurring drug or alcohol addiction can ramp up behavioral addictions as they feed into each other.

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Social Media Addiction

While doctors can’t necessarily diagnose you with “social media addiction,” it can still interfere with your mental health and physical health. Here’s a social media addiction statistic that may surprise you: Some experts suggest that a full 10 percent of Americans meet the criteria for addiction to social media. 

Of course, when used in moderation, social media can be a wonderful way to interact with family and friends. It can also be a relaxing and mindless activity. But especially with the availability of smartphones, it’s very easy to lose track of time and to devote too much of your energy to scrolling through social media throughout the day. Sometimes, it can be truly debilitating.

How To Identify Social Media Addiction

If you’re concerned that your social media use has gotten out of control, you’re not alone. Below are just a few indications that social media has become a problem for you: 

  • Ignoring real-life, face-to-face people in favor of social media
  • Struggling at work or school because of social media use
  • Experiencing frustration when social media is unavailable
  • Thinking about social media while not using it 
  • Using social media to vent frustrations or deal with problems

It can be difficult to identify the line between being enthusiastic about social media and being addicted to it. 

Problems Of Overusing Social Media

There’s nothing wrong with scrolling through TikTok or checking your Instagram each day. In fact, it can be a great way to connect with others. But like anything, it can be used to the point that it causes legitimate emotional problems, such as:

  • Isolation and sense of loneliness
  • Low self-esteem
  • Fear of missing out (“FOMO”) 
  • Neglecting real-life people and relationships
  • Ignoring responsibilities in favor of social media 

Consider how social media impacts your emotions. How does it really make you feel? Are you envious of the lives you see projected on social media and feel like yours doesn’t measure up? Do you worry that failing to post or maintain your social media presence will negatively affect you? It’s important to consider whether or not social media truly serves your best interests.

Zinnia Health And Social Media Addiction

One good way to get started is by deleting social media apps from your smartphone. Or if that seems too drastic a step, you can adjust the settings so that certain apps (like Instagram and Facebook) don’t send you push notifications. Many smartphones allow you to set time limits for specific apps, so you only use them for a certain period of time before getting an alert to move on. You may be surprised by how quickly time flies when using social media.

Zinnia Health can help you move away from any behavioral pattern that’s not working for you — including social media. Our approaches to addiction treatment — including dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and rational emotive behavior therapy — can show you how to deal with the craving for social media.

With Zinnia Health, you’ll have the chance to interact with other people and form real-life friendships that are much deeper and more fulfilling than social media followers and “likes.” Call us today at (855) 430-9439.

Call us
Ready to get help?
(855) 430-9439
Why call us? Why call us
VIEW OUR TREATMENT CENTERS