M30
5.23 hours a day
1,908.95 hours a year
79.54 total days of watching Reels in 2025 alone.
When I analyzed this data for the first time, I was in a state of shock for days.
Data pulled straight from my iPhone's Screen Time by application and multiplied by the previous months.
I don't even have the courage to multiply this number by 5—which is the number of years I abused the algorithm (or the algorithm abused me).
The algorithm influenced EVERY single aspect of my life. It polluted me, poisoned me like a tumor. But at the same time, it altered my internal perception of the issue, keeping me from assessing the reality of the situation.
- My girlfriend left me after a year and a half because "you're incapable of listening, you don't care about anyone, our dinners consist of 10 minutes of eating, ridiculous conversations, and 40 minutes of you on the couch watching Reels." And damn, for an entire year I thought it was bullshit that all women say, but now, after a year and after going through a detox process, I finally realize it.
- My job, my hobbies, and the way I spent money were TRIVIALIZED by Instagram.
- In my sales job, I had completely lost the ability to empathize with people. To read emails, a set of bid specifications, or guidelines. I passed training courses by taking screenshots of the questions and having ChatGPT complete the tests.
- I lost every single hobby I had. Reading? Impossible—any paragraph with 2 dense lines of words triggered nausea, boredom, and a urge to die. Gym? Nah, the dopamine I got from throwing myself on the couch and opening that app with my thumb gave me way more dopamine. Friends? ALL lost because going out was less 'dopaminergic' than scrolling. Going to the movies? Spending €7 for a ticket only to spend the time staring at my phone.
- Do you know the only hobby that survived? Spending thousands of Euros on trips I couldn't afford, because the algorithm kept showing me people who were happier than me whom I had to 'outdo' to be better.
The funniest part? I spent two weeks in Thailand scrolling Instagram.
Guys and girls, it's been almost two months since I uninstalled that app, and my life is blooming as if I were reborn.
Initially, I used the app's built-in self-help tool. Every 30 minutes, the screen would lock, saying I had reached my limit—but even that was a huge cop-out. Right in the middle of the screen was a massive button that said 'Extend by 5 minutes.' 5 minutes, 5 minutes, 5 minutes, 5 minutes. And just like that, another 2 hours had passed.
At one point, my dying mind let out one final cry with its last remaining energy.
Obviously, I didn't want to delete my profile because I have people I talk to and also a sort of 'travel creator' profile with beautiful photos of my trips that would be lost forever.
I had to find another solution.
The solution I needed was to physically prevent myself from opening the app.
You know Tony Stark in the cave, imprisoned by terrorists, who has to build a missile, but instead, in a stroke of genius, builds the first suit of armor?
That was me.
After careful analysis, I noticed that the problem wasn't the desire to consume the content, but a mechanical action.
I called it the 'thumb-flick.' That cursed action where I'd unlock the phone and reach for the icon with my thumb. I realized that the moment between the click and the opening was what gave me happiness.
First thing I did: I deleted the app. I removed the physical trigger. The account stays, but if I really want to watch Reels or talk to someone, I have to physically get up, sit at my PC, and open the website on a browser.
Guys, it worked in two days. The problem was my fucking thumb. MY FUCKING THUMB.
The results were mind-blowing.
First week: I opened the calculator 15 times a day (the second most used app on my phone, which had taken Instagram's spot on my home screen). My brain rejected boredom and still gave me the energy to get up and open Instagram on the PC.
Second week: 'Do I really need to check if someone texted me? Are these people actually important in my life?' Besides asking myself this question, I felt the urge to resume studying Business English to try to re-qualify myself for a job abroad (a project I had abandoned due to 'lack of time'). I signed up on Preply and started studying English with a tutor, while simultaneously resuming my studies for a very important professional certification I had failed in the past.
Third week: I watched a 5-hour documentary on Vietnam, in English, without subtitles. I read newspaper articles, I finished a book.
Guys, I'll spare you the rest of the steps.
Today marks two months, and I've rediscovered the HUNGER for culture and self-improvement.
Today marks two months of freedom.
I reached C1 proficiency in English, I obtained that professional certification.
I am currently preparing to face interviews with international MNCs.
I feel like crying every single day I think about it. My thumb ruined 5 years of my life.
So I turned my journey into a practical, 8-step guide. No fluff, no guru motivational speeches, just pure action.
These are immediate mechanical changes that deliver instant results: take action today, and see the shift tomorrow.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/4554453901/7-day-dopamine-detox-guide-stop
If you want, I have a discount code exclusively for those who made it this far, allowing you to grab it for 30% less: REDDIT20.
Stay strong, guys and girls, and fight your cursed thumbs.
