I Went Cold Turkey on My Phone Addiction (And It Actually Worked)

I'm an addict.

Not to drugs. Not to alcohol. To my phone.

Here's the truth: I have zero self-control. I used to spend my downtime reading books, listening to long-form podcasts, or watching stuff I wanted to learn. Productive things.

Then one day I caught myself. There I was—mindlessly scrolling Twitter or burning hours watching reels that my family had sent me. Classic dopamine junkie behavior.

It hit me while listening to Andrew Huberman interview Dr. Anna Lembke (I knew it but just needed someone to confirm it). Phone addiction works exactly like drug or alcohol addiction. Your brain doesn't care what delivers the dopamine hit. Could be chocolate cake. Could be news. Could be Instagram. Your brain just wants that sweet, sweet dopamine.

The solution? According to Dr. Lembke, it's brutal but effective: complete abstinence for 6-8 weeks.

For alcoholics, this means no booze in the house. For gamers, it means no consoles lying around. For phone addicts like me? That's trickier.

You can't just throw your phone away (though part of me wanted to). So I did the next best thing. I went nuclear with iPhone's Screen Time settings—blocking every app that triggered my mindless scrolling.

The key move: I had someone else set the passcode. Now if I want Twitter, news, or Reddit, I have to literally ask permission like a teenager.

The first 6 weeks were exactly what Dr. Lembke predicted: rough. My brain screamed for those easy hits.

But then something magical happened. I stopped missing it.

Sure, my mind still plays tricks—"just a quick check won't hurt"—but with Screen Time as my bouncer, I stay honest.

The crazy part? My life is legitimately better without the feeds, the endless scrolling, the constant "breaking news" that's almost never important.

I've reclaimed those hours for books, podcasts, and learning. The dopamine still comes, but it's from building skills and knowledge—the slow-burn stuff that actually compounds.

The biggest surprise: there has been zero downside to cutting off email, social media, and news. Zero. Instead, I'm more productive and way more positive throughout the day.

Sometimes the best productivity hack isn't an app or a system. Sometimes it's removing the things that steal your attention in the first place.