The Simple Practice to Overcome Modern-Day Addictions

Uncertainty and anxiety seem to be constants in today's world. Economic instability, political shifts, and international conflicts are leaving many of us feeling overwhelmed. In times like these, we often turn to habits—some helpful, some not—to cope with stress and regain a sense of control. 

Dr. Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist specializing in addiction and habit change, points out that our modern world is actually designed to keep us addicted. Addiction isn't just about smoking or gambling—it's anything we continue doing despite negative consequences, from doomscrolling to stress-eating to constantly checking our phones. The best way to break free? Not willpower but mindfulness and curiosity. 

In one of his insightful videos (though from 2019, still highly relevant), Dr. Brewer explains how our brains form habits and provides four key strategies to combat addiction: 

Willpower – While often considered the go-to solution, willpower is unreliable and easily depleted. 

Behavior Replacement – Swapping an unhealthy habit for a healthier alternative, like choosing vegetables over cookies, does not address the root cause of the problem. 

Priming Our Environment & Creating Routines – Setting ourselves up for success by removing temptations (like not buying junk food) and establishing positive routines. 

Mindfulness & Curiosity – Instead of battling urges, get curious about them. We can disrupt the negative habit loop by paying attention to how habits make us feel and considering future consequences. 

This ties closely to something I deeply believe: True transformation begins within and radiates outward. Too often, we focus on external solutions, believing that changing our circumstances will lead to lasting change. We switch jobs because we don't get along with a boss, move to a new city hoping for a fresh start, or buy planners and productivity apps expecting them to fix our time management struggles. But these quick fixes rarely lead to real transformation without addressing the deeper internal patterns driving our behaviors. Instead, we often find ourselves stuck in the same frustrating cycles, just in a different setting. 

Mindfulness and curiosity are simple yet powerful tools we all can access anytime and anywhere. It is cool to know that we have these secret weapons within us to overcome our modern-day addiction, which can lead us to true transformation. If you want to learn more about how habits are formed (and how to break free from the ones that don't serve you), I highly recommend checking out this video https://drjud.com/habit-loops-everyday-addictions/.