A Quick Way To Overcome Addiction 

Quitting an addiction is never the hard part. The hard part is relearning to live without it.

- I just want to let anyone who’s reading this, and going through a tough time know that it’s going to be okay. You’ll get through it! ✨

For me with cigarettes, changing my mindset from “I have withdrawals and feel bad because I haven’t had a cig” to “ I have withdrawals and feel bad because I HAD CIGS” helped me quit.

There is NO QUICK WAY to "overcome" addiciton. It's a lifetime struggle. stay strong.

Speaking as someone who's 43, and 7 years clean from almost a lifetime of opiate addiction , I have to say that no method really works unless you're 100 percent wanting to stop. Even then, there's going to be relapse . If that happens, just keep trying. If you want it, you'll get there. You really will. It took me leaving my home state, and severing contact with those who I got high with, and a great psychiatrist/counselor/ therapist . My life is so much better now. I don't know how I lived the way I did for so long. But I have no desire to ever go back. If you're struggling with addiction, please know that things can get better. It's gonna be hard for a while, and take actually putting in the work. Don't let addiction steal what you love anymore. You can do it. You're stronger 💪 than you know. You deserve to be happy and healthy. You're worth it. ❤

Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.

Optimistic way to look at beating addictions and overcoming them. Be comfortable with uncomfortable feelings and embrace it head on, it gets better over time. The hard part is doing it everyday, but it gets better over time

It's normal to feel down (any negative emotion), you don't have to fight it or get rid of it, it is part of life and life accepts both part of negativity and positivity. It's just we are conditioned to get rid of negative emotions but getting rid of it just makes it worst. So yeah I think this video is helpful, just take a break if you feel down, do NOTHING and take the negative emotions in it's okay to feel shame, angry, jealous, envy, hate, joy, flattered, confused, excited, fearful and just every emotion. It's OK. Its part of life and life is whole.

If overcoming addiction was easy, there’d be no addicts

I love the saying “This too shall pass”.

One thing that helped me is writing down every time I have an urge, how long it lasted, what I was doing, and how I overcame it. I still struggle but I have improved a lot! (Another tip is to tell yourself that the urge is part of addiction. Its just your mind tricking you, and you are trying to get better.)

I started drinking alcohol since my teenage, spent my whole life fighting alcohol addiction. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. This is something that really need to be use globally to help people with related health challenges.

I do think that the Do Nothing Rule may be harder to incorporate in a busy life where burnout really pushes to do things that are dopamine spiking but the 10 minute rule works regardless!

Stop scrolling and listen to what he's saying 😘

There is no quick way.

At 65 years old… I had smoked cigarettes for 54 years. I had been an alcoholic for 35 years. I was 6’1” and 350 pounds. I decide I was going to quit smoking, quit drinking and I was going to lose 160 pounds. My method was deciding that no matter how bad I felt I was willing to endure the pain and suffering required to break my addiction to nicotine, alcohol and massive quantities of food. It took me 30 months to achieve ALL of those goals. I’m now 72 years old and still don’t smoke, don’t drink and I’m still under 200 pounds. I never went to a meeting. I never joined a group. I didn’t chew nicotine gum. I just dealt with the constant discomfort of addiction recovery… mind over matter.

BE OF SERVICE!! Helping others is the most gracious thing you can do and you get the "dopamine hit". It also gets you out of your own head and into social situations for long term health and development

I took a break from video games about two weeks ago (in order to focus more on school/work/lifting), and the first few days were awful! It felt like there was a huge boring hole in my day where I would usually just game. I felt a bit depressed in a weird way and couldn't really describe the feeling. After two weeks, I feel waaayyyyyyyy more in tune with my current (and productive) routine. I feel great and am glad I made the decision to take a break!

I had a experience with this dopamine stuff , I went fishing with my dad and his girlfriend for some hours , at first I was bored and didint like it but as time went on I learned to like it more and more and by the end I was incredibly happy that we went fishing and I got to pet a live fish we caught and released . I’ve learned that the longer time away from tech you are the easier it is to enjoy mundane things like playing fetch with your dog or making a art piece.

Another way that I used before back when I was struggling is whenever I wanted to do something bad, I'd stop and do something else to either keep myself busy or improve on myself, in my case it was working out or drawing or sometimes photography after a while these bad things didn't even bother me anymore and I didn't even think about it

It's also best to keep in mind that a drop in enjoying certain activities is sometimes just natural. It doesn't necessarily mean you're doing something bad. You can be stressed from work, having a kid, moving, etc and you simply can't enjoy watching a show you really like because you are worried about stressors in your life. Part of identifying actual unhealthy addictions is being able to accurately and honestly assess if it is impacting your life negatively.

Always remember what someone said to me about many drugs ‘they allow you to borrow a feeling, but the debt always needs to be repaid’. If a drug makes you happy, then expect to find depression afterwards, if a drug makes you alert and energetic, then expect to be lethargic and so on.

I’ve struggled with heavy addiction for the past 15 years. Half my life I’ve struggled on and off. I’ve never really had too hard a time putting it down for a “short time”, the difficulty is keeping it that way and doing “nothing”. But, for today, I’m confident I can do that..

9 months and 5 days ago i quit alcohol and pornography on the same day. Has been a hell of a ride, first 3 months were like hell, now I can say I have the drive I've never felt in my life, now I want to quit social media, I'm making nice progress, to all the people that feels like it's going to be impossible, just go for it, if you lose friends, or social "oportunities" I promise to you it's for the best. A world closes, and it opens a whole new better one, just don't overthink it and try it.

I left cigarettes 🚬 because of this video, it's been a month

I just spent the majority of this weekend completely wasted. Missed out on valuable time with my family and the best part is, I can’t even begin to justify it. Almost exactly a year ago I spent 3 weeks in a treatment program. I loved it, really flourished in it and I’d gladly do it again. I recognize the importance of the 10 minute rule, but I agree also with a few other folks here. It’s a significantly harder battle with addiction than to simply do nothing. But this video was definitely uplifting to watch, even if only to remind me that there is a better life on the other side of this. It’s a rough fight, but I’m working bit by bit to turn things around. I wish all the very best to any of you finding yourselves in the midst of addiction. Everyone’s battle is different, everyone has to approach it their way when they decide to do so. The one common ground is, you CAN do it. ❤

I woke up one day, and out of the blue, I realized that one drink took me three steps back. Always! And it scared me to realize how far back I was in life because of my addiction. That’s when it hit me, and my addiction ended that day. I’m wishing all of you struggling right now that the same happens to you one day 🙏🏼

Trying to cope from my phone addiction I used to write about my feelings, sometimes in every few hours, helped me a lot!

Thank you for this information. I just celebrated a year sober 4 days ago. It hasn’t been easy, but not impossible either. I think I’m just starting to come out of the “do nothing” stage, and am beginning to be able to find some joy in my life. So glad for content like this, it keeps me motivated and on my new path.

Definitely gonna try the 10 min trick. The Do Nothing rule gave me anxiety just thinking about doing nothing 😢. I get pleasure from being productive but not the dopamine response video games gives me. Do you have a video talking about serotonin vs dopamine and how that balance works?

I'm addicted to being poor 🎉

When you feel burn out, take a break, let yourself recovery and come back to what you were doing later, you'll feel enjoyed again

Caffeine and nicotine are more addictive then people think

I really needed something like this... I was crying for more than 15 minutes now. A sadness that I can't control, but knowing that eventually it will get better makes me feel already a bit better

My first and toughest addiction in life is food addiction. I was able to overcome alcohol and drugs but food addiction has been the toughest. I really need a lot of strength to overcome it.

One of the MASSIVE issues, especially for young men, is that our brains are so goal oriented: This means that our brains easily recalibrate to do things - especially the ones that give us lots of dopamine. "WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?!" you ask? Well unfortunately, in today's day and age, some of the things that cause this to easily happen are: • Watching naked ladies on the internet • Eating garbage foods • Playing video games It's content like this that helps us realize and combat the struggles of today and regain momentum towards chasing our purposes in life. Thank, IP for the continued bangers.

Thank you, this brought along of clarity and understanding for me. Recently I've noticed I've been addicted to sugar again and that because I've been indulging in other dopaminergic activities too lately. So it's not just about the sugar. And i like the concept of reframing that low or bored state to mental soreness like muscle soreness. Thanks!

DMT is a naturally occurring hallucinogenic drug with spiritual and cultural significance in indigenous cultures.

Can you please make a video on how to maintain consistency?

I was lucky to be around when the quitnet forums were a thing. I had an army of supporters behind me at all hours of the day to get me through. Not only would they cheer me on and give me words of support when I was craving...but the process of cheering others on and supporting them myself made me MUCH stronger in my own quit. 13+ years puff free and counting!

Discipline is the key

Dude why are you one of the only videos that I actually will feel motivated by just sitting on the couch and watching tv for a couple weeks instead of all the other crap i'm doing, thank you sir!!!!

Lots of praise and applause to u for the 10 min delay trick and the recovery pain analogy! 👏

It makes me so happy to see a wider audience of people finally understanding dopamine and it’s power

This was the only video i needed, i am highly educated in the concept of living healthy and i have started to build my life around a month ago while i've been on the research for nearly a year. Now i know that instead of being on my pc to kill boredom when i have nothing scheduled i should work on something like a hobby, for me the first thing i'll try is cooking. Fun fact: Dispite me not being an addict to anything i get to say 'i am on recovery' because i am restoring my hormone levels

i started doing the 10 minute trick in hour spans without knowing this was a trick im quitting my nicotine chew and all day yesterday i kept telling myself later ill put one in and the whole day went by with me only taking one dip where i usually go through a can a day

Your video really helped me. When I don't drink at night, I feel like my life is just mechanical and without joy. Now I know I need to push through this to find meaning.

This might be the most effective video I’ve seen to quickly explain the dopamine response with and without addictions… I’ve heard this many times but in this short and more importantly visual format, it makes it very easy to process. I want to watch this daily to burn this into my brain.

Summary The Nothing Rule and the 10-Minute Trick are two strategies that can help you build better habits and break bad ones. The Nothing Rule is based on the idea that when you indulge in pleasurable activities, your dopamine levels spike. When you stop these activities, your dopamine levels drop below baseline. This can lead to feelings of boredom, tiredness, and anxiety. However, these feelings are actually a sign that your dopamine levels are starting to recover. The Nothing Rule simply suggests that you allow yourself to experience these feelings without trying to numb them with more pleasurable activities. The 10-Minute Trick is a way to deal with the negative emotions that can arise during the dopamine recovery process. When you feel a strong negative emotion, such as boredom or stress, you tell yourself that you will allow yourself to indulge in the pleasurable activity that you are craving in 10 minutes. This gives your brain a deadline for when it will be able to relax, which can help to reduce the discomfort of the negative emotion. Both the Nothing Rule and the 10-Minute Trick can be helpful in building better habits and breaking bad ones. However, it is important to remember that they are not magic solutions. They will only work if you are willing to stick with them and allow yourself to experience the negative emotions that come with the dopamine recovery process. Here are some additional tips for using the Nothing Rule and the 10-Minute Trick: Be patient. It takes time for your dopamine levels to recover. Don't expect to feel better overnight. Be kind to yourself. It's okay to feel bored, tired, or anxious. These are normal emotions. Find other ways to cope with negative emotions. Exercise, meditation, and spending time with loved ones can all be helpful. Don't give up. The Nothing Rule and the 10-Minute Trick take time and effort, but they can be effective in helping you build better habits and break bad ones.

So the main takeaway from this videos is "stop doing the things you enjoy doing, so you can start enjoying more boring things". On the other hand a wise man once said "Find something you love and let it kill you".

As a person that is pretty much micro dosing dopamine spikes this was really helpful in understanding my issues.

Needs to be taught in all levels of school incl early grades w/easy animation etc. Key to what drives any addiction. Education is a start. Thank you.

This is super helpful and explains how I have been feeling lately after kicking several addictions at once. Thank you, dropped a like and subscribed. I look forward to future content 🙏

This point about dopamine is really true. After I reach a major goal I have a big celebration. I've learned to use the "down" feeling of low dopamine to rest for a day or two and do nothing. After all that stress, I need a break anyway.

If you can't afford a therapist and don't have anyone to talk to, journaling is the next best thing to organize or clear out all the thoughts.

The low dopamine segment is how I feel everyday cuz I have adhd it’s really fun 👍

Firstly, I must say that this video is beautiful! 🌟 It does an excellent job of explaining the dopamine fluctuations in addiction, shedding light on the intricacies behind addictive behaviors. Did you know that these dopamine surges and crashes can make breaking free from addiction even more challenging? Understanding this can help us offer more empathetic support to those facing these struggles. Let's continue raising awareness and promoting understanding. Thank you for sharing this valuable and visually captivating content! 🙌😊

got this recommended while on my 63rd hour of a stimulant binge without any sleep at all lol. what a timing

I feel bad feeling bad now... cuz some ppl certainly went through a worse experience than I can imagine. I will stop complaining when a work I have to do is too hard and try to do it as much as possible. Thank you for this video it helps alot 🙏🏽

The tricky part for me is that growing up my mom couldn't afford childcare, so her alternative was to let me stay up as late as I wanted and play in my room, so I would sleep while she was at work or school all day and stay out of trouble. As a result for years I learned to entertain myself, never leaving my room. That carried over into my adult life, turning me into a hermit who hardly ever leaves the apartment. Because I just don't like being outside around other people, and I really don't like exercise. (I never get that "high" that people talk about, it just sucks overall so I don't do it.) So there's not much left to do but drink and get high, play video games, watch movies, occasionally read books.

Wow, I remember when Ray William Johnson moved on to the mass production model. I hope Improvement Pill gets better results.

"Essentially you feel like crap!" LOL. 😂 Glad to know where that boring, sad, tired feeling comes from!

This idea is so simple and easy yet I've never thought about it and sounds SO right! Thanks a lot!

I feel like this dude is on the best route to helping people overcome addictions but it's not quite finished cause it's not that simple for most so there is still a missing factor at play but again best thing I have heard and makes sense what a great start.

dude the reason i keep to my computer is not simply because i blindedly want hapiness but because its adicting, and getting out of it costs will power which you dont have when you have low dopamine all the time.

Great video 👏🏾 thanks for this information.

Honestly needed this, don't know why it was recommended videos but really hit home

I was trying this out already, but this video motivates me, even more, to take a break from all these dopamine sources. Thank you

2:06 hit the nail on the head

I was a heavy smoker for 15 years. The rule sounds too easy but it helped me to quit my addiction. 3 years later i have almost no cravings anymore and definitely a healthier and happier life. Never thought that doing nothing can help you 😅

Thank you, I finally got it. I finally understand how I have affected myself with my distractions. I have to confront myself

I actually have been using something like a 10 minute rule prior to watching this video. I am a university student and when doing work, I get an urge to play on my phone. I tell myself that I will play for few minutes when I'm done with the current bit. But the thing is, by the time I'm finished with that one bit, I get back in the zone of working and the urge disappears. Kept me on track with my coursework!

Let's show how we love this channel❤

Summary: Do Dopamine Detox

never thought about it that way! honestly a game changer

Thanks for the video I couldn't get rid of watching shorts on RU-vid so I searched it and found your video to get rid of this addiction of scrolling reels and watching videos so that now I can study following your tips ( actually I saw RU-vid 11 hours today )

Great advice, this absolutely works.

I like this idea. It's like a breakthrough in psychology, at least for me. Thanks IP!

One of my most favourite channels❤ Learning from you since college. Love your animations..They explain so well.

This really made me reflect. I am in the habit or “rotating” hobbies. Martial arts > gaming > music > drawing > repeat. Honed in on gaming and music and the loop is now gaming > new genre > flight sims > learn new planes ~ and music > learn a new instrument until it’s too repetitive. Familiar with all but master of none. I imagine that might be the effect of the ebb and flow of immediate gratification drowning out postponed gratification…

Right on time 👍🏼

Hey Pill, loved this Video. I just have an great Idea for one of you next videos: How to Meditate. Would help me and many others!

Just a quick heads up for anyone with ADHD… we gots a lower dopamine baseline than NTs so just remember that it’s not always a bad thing to take the stims!

Simple, straightforward, and powerful message. ❤

1:22 the way you say naughty videos is killing me

Here’s my experience: just quit abusing dopamine via smoking weed In recovery I take things slow. I focus a lot on what I’m doing and appreciate the simple things in life. I pick one or two activities I like for the day and truly just live in the moment as I connect with others around me. It keeps my mind quiet and has helped me spike dopamine naturally.

your transition to sponsors is so smooth!!

Thanks! I needed this!

Woah I love this video... it explained my mental stuff and also gave out solutions

thank you for this

Starting new hobbies works as well, doing new exciting things produce a lot of dopamine

I spend too much time on youtube searching for a dopamine release of some sort. A new interesting video, a new technique to improve my hobbies, or perhaps a song that comes to mind. This randomly popped up into my feed, and it got me thinking. I know all these things, but I still keep searching for "something more" to distract myself from the chaos that is reality. Addiction comes in many shapes and forms. Nearly everyone has an addiction, a "guilty pleasure" if you will. Truth is, not all addictions are inherently bad. Remember to take some time to break habits, reflect upon yourself. It's all relative. If you are sad, distressed, exhausted or feel "something has to change" my only advice is to keep fighting- you can do this. Now it's time for me to put my phone aside ❤

Thank you. Now I know why meditation works.

But pleasure's not exactly the enemy. Reading, socialising, playing a game, competing, exercising.. can be pleasurable and constructive without being a cheap temporary fix for an addiction.

It took me close to 2 - 3 years to recover from me many years of drug abuse. Even 8 years later I deal with noticeable repercussions that will stay with me through life. I've not relapsed once in those 8 years and am greatful of the many people who helped me through my road to recovery. I couldn't have done it alone.

Let's say you're trying to break the habit of watching too much TV. You've decided to give up TV for a week, but you're feeling bored and restless. You might be tempted to watch TV to relieve these negative emotions. However, if you do, you'll be spiking your dopamine levels, which will only make it harder to resist TV in the future. The nothing rule says that the best way to deal with these negative emotions is to do nothing. This may seem counterintuitive, but it's actually the best way to allow your dopamine levels to recover. When you do nothing, you're giving your brain a chance to adjust to the lower levels of dopamine. Over time, your baseline levels of dopamine will increase, and you'll find that you're less bored and restless. Here's an example of how the nothing rule might work in practice. Let's say you're feeling bored and restless at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. You might be tempted to turn on the TV, but instead, you decide to follow the nothing rule. You sit down on the couch and do nothing for 10 minutes. You might feel even more bored and restless at first, but after a few minutes, you'll start to feel better. Your brain will start to adjust to the lower levels of dopamine, and you'll find that you're able to tolerate the boredom. The nothing rule is a powerful tool for breaking bad habits. It can help you to resist temptation and allow your dopamine levels to recover. If you're struggling to break a bad habit, give the nothing rule a try. You might be surprised at how effective it is. Here are some additional tips for using the nothing rule: Be patient. It takes time for your dopamine levels to recover. Don't expect to feel better immediately after following the nothing rule. Find other activities to occupy your time. If you're bored, you're more likely to give in to temptation. Find other activities that you enjoy, such as reading, listening to music, or spending time with friends. Set a timer. If you're struggling to sit still, set a timer for 10 minutes. This will help you to focus on the present moment and avoid getting overwhelmed by the boredom. Be kind to yourself. If you slip up and give in to temptation, don't beat yourself up. Just start again the next day. The important thing is to keep trying. I hope this helps!

This may not apply the same to a dangerously physically addictive drug. Unfortunately some can actually be life threatening and not just a mental addiction.

Thank you so much, this surely helps a lot. Stay Blessed!

really a rare advice when it comes to addiction but, something about it is just so logical. Have to try this out. thank you.

There is NO shortcut. No easy or simple way. I had to change my whole life and my whole self to get out of it. Everyday is a battle.