Mental Health Without the Bullsht – Entry #4

IMPORTANT NOTE: I am NOT a mental health professional. If you need help, I STRONGLY encourage you to seek it, and you can start here. This series of blog posts is me candidly sharing my deeply personal experiences with you (with some tears along the way).

When You Hear “Addiction,” What Comes to Mind?

Needles. Bottles. Rehab. Rock bottom. The “bad stuff.”

That’s what we’ve been conditioned to see.

But the truth?
Addiction wears a thousand masks. And some of the most dangerous ones look like success.

Let’s talk about the addictions we don’t talk about—
Because I’ve lived them.
Because a lot of you are living them right now.

Workaholism: The Most Socially Acceptable Addiction

We glorify hustle like it’s a virtue.
We praise the 80-hour work week.
We hand out “grind” trophies to people who are quietly falling apart.

Workaholism is addiction, plain and simple.

It’s using work to escape your thoughts.
To avoid your pain.
To feel in control when everything else feels like chaos.

It’s skipping meals, missing sleep, neglecting relationships, ignoring your health—all because being busy numbs the parts of you that hurt.

You get validation for it. Promotions. Praise. Paychecks.
But inside? You’re empty. You’re brittle. You’re alone.

Tech Addiction: The Pocket-Sized Escape Hatch

Let’s not pretend we don’t know this one.

How many times a day do you pick up your phone for no reason?
How often are you scrolling to avoid a thought, a task, or a feeling?

It’s not just social media—it’s dopamine on demand.
Notifications. News. Likes. Games. Porn. Shopping. Noise.

The average person checks their phone over 100 times a day.
For people like us—especially those of us with ADHD, anxiety, or trauma? That number’s probably triple.

We’re overstimulated, under-rested, and addicted to distraction.
And the worst part? We know it—and still can’t stop.

Escapism: Pick Your Poison

Not everyone drinks.
Not everyone uses.
But everyone escapes.

Some do it with work.
Some with screens.
Some with food, sex, gambling, spending, rage, isolation—you name it.

Escapism isn’t always about getting high. Sometimes it’s about going numb.

And the most dangerous escape?
The one you don’t see as an escape.
The one you’ve justified. Normalized. Scheduled into your calendar.

Addiction Is About Avoidance

Here’s the unfiltered truth:
Addiction isn’t about what you use. It’s about what you’re avoiding.

That’s why so many people jump from one addiction to another.
Stop drinking, start overworking.
Delete social media, binge Netflix.
Quit smoking, start scrolling.

Different outlet. Same pain.

The substance or behavior is just the symptom.
The real addiction is to relief.

What to Do About It

Start by being honest.
Not with the world. With yourself.

• What do you run to when things get hard?
• What do you tell yourself you “need to unwind,” but deep down, it’s a crutch?
• What are you using to escape from you?

No judgment here.
Just awareness.

From there? Start small.

• Take breaks before you need them.
• Replace numbing with grounding.
• Find people who call you out and pull you in.
• Set boundaries with yourself—not as punishment, but as self-respect.

And if you need help? Get it.
Not when it’s “bad enough”—now.

You’re Not Weak. You’re Human.

Addiction doesn’t always wreck your life overnight.
Sometimes it’s slow, subtle, socially acceptable—and silently devastating.

But you’re not broken.
You’re just looking for peace in a world that makes it hard to find.

So here’s your reminder:
You don’t have to escape your life to survive it.
You can build one you don’t need to run from.