We are living in the digital age, there is no debate about that. And with technology making rapid changes and upgrades, what seems on the daily, how does one find balance? Understanding treatment for cell phone addictions in a digital world may seem complicated, but the reality is a balance can be found and lived. Believe it or not, the good ol’ flip-phone is making a comeback! This is thanks to an older generation that has lived both life before and after the introduction of cell phones. With more and more data coming out about how tech affects people of all ages and backgrounds, both positively and negatively, a balance is in high demand. In this article we will cover what cell phone addictions look like, as well as efforts that can be made to find a better balance with our technology.
Interestingly enough, there have been quite a few tech genius minds that are aware of the correlation between technology use and phone addiction. Steve Jobs was a low-tech parent In 2010, when a reporter suggested that his children must love the just-released iPad, he replied: “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.” (New York Times September 10, 2014.) This should speak volumes, as ironically, Apple and its enormously famous iPhone have played a huge role in smartphone availability, demand, and addiction. Being aware of screen time, whether with yourself or someone you love, is the best way to find a healthy balance between tech and life. Phones and their role in everyday life can be kept at a healthy level when used as needed and with awareness. All bringing together the value of understanding treatment for cell phone addictions in a digital world.
What Exactly Classifies As Someone Having A Cell Phone Addiction?
With all the amazing things a person can do on a smartphone these days, the line of compulsion can seem blurred in identifying. However, there are sure signs of cell phone addiction that can be identified now as well as a proper definition. To be technical, Nomophobia is the irrational fear of being without a cell phone or being unable to use a cell phone because of poor signal or low battery. Someone with a cell phone addiction can be classified as having a disorder involving compulsive overuse of their cell phone and/or mobile devices.
How Cell Phone Addiction Develops and Impacts the Brain
Cell phone addiction is also usually quantified as the number of times a user accesses their device and/or the total amount of time they are online over a specified period. Interesting enough, cell phone addiction is rather similar to addictions experienced for people with substances and alcohol. Brain imaging research shows that stimulating glowing screens are as dopamine-activating to the brain’s pleasure center as sex and feelings of euphoria. Phone notifications such as receiving a text, or notifications from platforms such as a ‘like’, ‘comment’, or ‘follow’ can actually trigger the brain for dopamine release and instigate cell phone addiction. While this assumption seems a bit dramatic, there is no denying the proof found in recent brain imaging and scans performed in studies.
In fact, there are linked disorders found to be correlated with phone addiction such as ADHD, addiction, anxiety, depression, increased aggression, and even psychosis. Most shocking of all, recent brain imaging studies conclusively show that excessive screen exposure can neurologically damage a young person’s developing brain in the same way that drug addiction can. Quoting our co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Nicholas Kardaras– “I’ve worked with hundreds of heroin addicts and crystal meth addicts, and what I can say is that it’s easier to treat a heroin addict than a true screen addict.” Understanding treatment for cell phone addictions in a digital world could not be more important to consider. Some of what can be done to address phone addiction depends on awareness, at both an individual and society level.
Tell Tale Signs Of A Person Having Potential Cell Phone Addiction
Just as with anything, nothing and no one can ever fit into a box perfectly by description. Today’s scientific and health community better recognizes the telltale signs of potential cell phone addiction. Understanding how to treat cell phone addiction in a digital world also helps identify when there’s a real problem that needs to be addressed.
Below are listed tell-tale signs of potential cell phone addiction being experienced by yourself or a loved one:
- Excessive phone use, despite it causing social and family conflicts and confrontations.
- Cell phone use is immediate upon waking each day.
- Conscious use of cellphone in situations that require full attention for safety. Such as driving, riding a bike, walking across the street, or watching an infant or very young child.
- A loss of interest in activities once enjoyed and outside of phone use.
- Continuing to use a cell phone, despite the negative effects and disturbances it brings in the home, school, and workplace.
- Noticeable physical and mental health decline, such as anxiety, outbursts, disassociation, poor posture, and eye health concerns.
- Chronic impulsiveness to check a cell phone in any and all situations.
- An immense feeling of urgency to respond immediately to any and all text messages and social media notifications.
- Anxious feelings when a cell phone is not in hand or nearby- especially in a situation where the cell phone is taken away.
While all of these tell-tale signs are almost always an indication of potential cell phone addiction, there are still many signs not named above. Above are the most common, but only the person experiencing the addiction as well as their close family and friends will know just how much their cell phone has become problematic. Mental health is the most affected, with immense and dramatic feelings surrounding cell phone use and limitation being a clear sign. Again, understanding treatment for cell phone addiction in a digital world helps people better understand what is at stake and what they can do to address it. Recognizing the signs and taking action is the best course for anyone seeking to restore balance and technology.
Understanding Treatment For Cell Phone Addictions In A Digital World
Cell phone addiction near? Have no fear! Thankfully, there are many different kinds of treatments available for cell phone addiction, both holistic and conventional. Ranging from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Meditation, there is something for everyone in finding a better balance with tech and its devices. For anyone in search of professional help and a supportive setting, it is important to research what an addiction and rehab facility has to offer and what treatments they can provide. Just as each person struggling with cell phone addiction is different, so are the facilities that offer treatment.
At Omega Recovery, for example, our team is proud to offer all forms of treatment for addiction that plainly work. We combine both holistic forms of treatment as well as scientifically proven, to provide our clients with the varied support they need. Below we will identify and better explain some of the best treatments used today for treating cell phone addiction. Thus helping to give a better understanding of treatment for cell phone addictions in a digital world.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aims to change the maladaptive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from mobile phone addiction into healthy and positive ones. CBT provides step-by-step strategies to stop compulsive behaviors and reshape how someone perceives their cell phone.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT):
Research has shown that DBT is effective in treating a wide range of disorders such as depression, PTSD, substance addiction, eating disorders, BPD, and mobile phone addiction. DBT can help anyone seeking cell phone addiction treatments learn healthy coping mechanisms and improve emotional regulation. DBT can also help people reduce their use of interactive media by teaching them skills to identify high-risk situations and negative thoughts. Considered a transdiagnostic or modular treatment that primarily uses a skill-building approach that focuses on the development of four key skill modules.
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Mindfulness:
Practices of being fully in the moment, full of awareness and appreciation. Putting aside judgment and attention to understand how others may feel during a situation. Or in other words, the practice of being fully aware and present in this one moment on all levels.
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Distress Tolerance:
How to tolerate pain and find healthier ways during difficult situations that led to their unhealthy behaviors. Being able to successfully and effectively deal with short term and/or long term effects from cell phone addiction.
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Emotion Regulation:
Identify unhealthy behaviors and implement coping mechanisms to help modify the negative emotions felt with cell phone addiction. Shifting decisions made from an emotional standpoint to a more mindful standpoint.
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Interpersonal Effectiveness:
Ability to balance the wants and needs of a relationship while respecting boundaries and priorities. Such as how an individual asks for what they want and how they say no, while also maintaining self-respect and relationships with others.
Motivational Interviewing:
Based upon similar principles of experimental social psychology, MI practitioners see motivation as an interpersonal process as opposed to a personality trait. Essentially, this means you can teach and encourage motivation as a mindset. Motivational Interviewing uses four key components:
- Engaging: Getting to know the client and establishing a trusting and respectful alliance.
- Focusing: Coming to a shared idea about the main focus of a client’s recovery.
- Evoking: Bringing out the client’s own arguments for change.
- Planning:The client is willing and able to envision change and how they will manifest it.
Mindfulness Coaching:
Mindfulness-based mental health education therapy effectively alleviates cell phone addiction and improves cognitive tendencies and mental health in people. Mindfulness coaching focuses on being present and aware in the moment, rather than just goals and outcomes. Mindfulness coaches help clients learn to be aware of their thoughts, emotions, and actions, and how to make choices about what they want from life. This approach especially serves as a valuable reference for effectively preventing and managing cell phone addiction among teenagers.
Why Omega Recovery Is The Best Option For Cell Phone Addiction Treatment
Do you or someone you love have Nomophobia and/or a concerning cell phone addiction? The irrational fear of being without a cell phone or being unable to use a cell phone because of a poor signal or low battery is real today. While most people today have experienced some degree of Nomophobia, some have crossed the line to full-blown cell phone dependence and/or addiction. As technological advances rise, so does the increasing number of people have become addicted to the little dopamine reward we all get every time we check our phone. Others suffer from severe FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and feel compulsively driven to check their cell phone for any and all calls, texts, tweets or messages awaiting. Omega Recovery is here to help in understanding how addiction happens and also in understanding treatment for cell phone addictions in a digital world.
At Omega Recovery, Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, one of the country’s foremost experts on treating tech and cell phone addiction while also the author of the best-selling book “Glow Kids”. He and his team have developed a comprehensive and immersive 8-week program designed to not only treat the cell phone addiction, but to also address any and all underlying issues that may be contributing to the addiction. Many smart phone addicts struggle with self-esteem issues, depression, anxiety, substance use, low resilience, shame, and trauma. In fact, oftentimes someone suffering from cell phone addiction also struggles to find real purpose and meaning in their own life. Hence the addictive escape into the device in their hand.
Get Started Today
At Omega Recovery, our professional and knowledgeable team is here for each of our clients on their journey toward a mentally healthy and well balanced life. Located in the beautiful city of Austin Texas, we provide a healing environment for anyone seeking to break the shackles of a life lived around a device. Understanding treatment for cell phone addictions in a digital world is of the utmost importance for many, as we all cultivate a more balanced and beautiful world that includes technology. For more information, visit our website https://omegarecovery.org/ or call us at (512) 601-5407.
