Everyone is an addict. Whether or not we’d like to admit it, we all fit the description; we are all people who “use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences”. Don’t believe me? When did you last compulsively check your phone, hoping for a special notification? Or even more likely, when did you last open social media? Time spent on our phones has harmful consequences, but we continue to use them every single day. Similarly, many other excessive behaviors, including shopping, junk food consumption, and gambling, prevalent throughout modern America have gone unnoticed and unchecked, simply because they do not fit the more widely accepted substance-focused view of addiction. This is not to say that substance abuse should be ignored as a major factor in the creation of an addicted society; rather, it is imperative that we–the “we” here meaning all members of society, but especially younger generations–must acknowledge and work towards the prevention of all forms of addiction, as the disease has become widespread across America.
While we can discuss the multitude of addictive substances plaguing our nation at the moment, the most popular drug in America isn’t even treated as a drug at all. The substance I’m referring to? Caffeine. Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant drug designed to block adenosine, the chemical that makes you feel sleepy. Blood vessels in the body’s stomach lining and intestines absorb caffeine directly into the bloodstream. Other drugs that work similarly include cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines. Now, one cup of coffee a day probably won’t lead to a full-scale addiction, but due to its stimulating effects, dependence can easily form. Interestingly, it is difficult to quantify the exact number of “caffeine addicts” or people dependent on caffeine in America, because the line is rather vague on what constitutes “addiction”. However, about 90% of all Americans consume caffeine regularly. According to the United Brain Association, around 8% of caffeine users fit the criteria for “caffeine use disorder”. With simple calculations, that comes out to around 20 million people in the United States alone. While the figure may contain inaccuracies, caffeine addiction does play a huge role in the culture of Americans, and can be noticed within almost every person’s daily life.
However, substance abuse only represents a fraction of the larger picture. Behavioral addictions can be just as dangerous, and often go ignored due to inadequate awareness of their effects. The idea that addictions could form without the overuse of substances came from Stanton Peele, who wrote a book in 1975 claiming that love could be considered scientifically addictive. He even went as far as to say that certain forms of love “may be potentially more destructive and prevalent than widely recognized opiates”. From this new thought came many more possibilities. Psychologists began to recognize dangerous habits throughout society that followed the same general structure as previously studied substance abuse issues–activities such as “gambling, video game playing, eating disorders, sports and physical exercise, media use, sex addiction” and many others. Through numerous studies and scientific observations, we can easily see the effect that these troubling behaviors have on the minds of generations, both young and old.
Now, one of the most prevalent addictions in younger generations can be found in cell phone usage. While everyone knows that they’re maybe, just a little, just a smidge, addicted to their phone, nobody really wants to accept the growing societal issue at hand. The average American checks their phone 352 times per day; that’s once every 2 minutes and 43 seconds. This is compared to the mere 96 times per day recorded in 2019. Depressingly, 71% of people in one survey said they spend more time on their phone than with their romantic partner. Even young children have become roped into the cellular device rabbit hole, with the majority of American children owning a smartphone by age 11. Now, all these stats aren’t really surprising, per-se; I mean, we see this around us every day. However, the negative consequences may not be so clear. Over half of American adults in a survey by YouGov state that they feel anxious being without their phones. In fact, we have gained such a dependence on these devices that merely owning them has caused a documented increase in that anxiety, as well as depression and various other mental health issues. Teens and adults lose productivity, as they become easily distracted from work by addictive scrolling apps like TikTok and Instagram. Everyone knows the feeling of taking a quick “brain break” and realizing after your 100th car crash Instagram Reel that your allotted “end of break time” passed hours ago. Clearly, cell phone addiction is a prevalent issue in our society. Nobody really denies this, but also nobody wants to solve the issue. Sure, there are features that help limit mindless scrolling, but the reality is that the human mind will inevitably find a way to continue satiating its addiction. So why is everyone addicted? What makes these issues so difficult to tackle? Well, the short answer is money. Think about it; companies that sell addictive products make more money the more people are addicted. A simple statement, but sometimes hard to recognize and accept in practice. In the context of caffeine, one could argue that the United States should simply regulate the production, selling, and consumption of such a widespread drug. Well, it is important to know that coffee is the most consumed beverage in the country (yes, above tap water), and that it provided $343.2 billion dollars to the US economy in 2022. The country makes insane amounts of money off of this product, so why should it make an effort to slow down? In addition, if we recall our U.S. History around the 1920s, the last effort to regulate a highly popular addictive substance didn’t go so well for the government. A similar issue arises with cell phone addiction and media consumption. Apps like TikTok and Instagram are not addictive by accident. The developers know that the more time users spend on their app, the more ad revenue the company will receive. Analysts estimate that TikTok’s ad revenue will reach $17.2 billion in 2024, all indirectly garnered from its user base. TikTok especially has been questioned about its highly effective and secretive algorithm, which delivers tailored video content to each of its users and encourages them to continue scrolling through more and more addictive videos. Due to increasing mental health concerns, many social media apps, including TikTok, have introduced screen time features to encourage users to “take a break”. However, when researching these features, the first articles that come up have titles akin to “How to Get Around TikTok Screentime” and “Why Does Instagram Keep Telling Me To Take A Break?” Clearly, many users are already far too addicted to even appreciate the efforts made by companies to reduce risk of mental health issues. The only real way to amend this issue is to examine yourself and your habits. Take note of behaviors that you often fall back on when bored, stressed, or procrastinating. Set up your own effective boundaries, such as timers, locked screen times, and positive distractions (like music or fun tasks) to avoid falling down the scrolling rabbit hole. In the end, companies will continue to promote harmful behaviors and substances for profit, and it’s up to the individual to avoid falling into these addictions as many have done before.