The 30-Day Dopamine Detox

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Hey there,

Social media has quietly become one of the most accepted addictions out there—right up there with smoking, drinking, and gambling.

Around 5–10% of Americans are hooked on social platforms. (For context: nicotine sits at 8.5%, alcohol at 10.2%, and gambling at 1–3%.)

That little dopamine hit from likes, comments, and shares? It lights up the same reward system in your brain.

Ask someone if they could quit Instagram for a week and you'll usually hear, "Of course I could, I just don't want to."

That’s addiction.

So let me ask you—when was the last time you checked your phone? (Be honest.)

If you're reading this on your phone while also scrolling Instagram, you're not alone.

Most people check their phones over 200 times a day, and the average American clocks over 5 hours of screen time daily.

That’s more than 2.5 months per year spent poking at glass.

Sure, social media doesn’t destroy lives the way harder addictions do, but it messes with our brains all the same.

I remember getting Facebook in college, and that little red notification dot became my emotional pacifier. If it wasn’t there, I’d refresh until it showed up.

Fast-forward to now: I barely use Facebook, except for sharing too many pictures of our daughter—but I still feel that twitch for the dopamine drip.

So, here’s the challenge: a 30-day social media detox. 

Just 30 days to reclaim your time, your focus, and your brain.

Yes, your brain will come up with every excuse in the book. “I need it for work.” “What if someone DMs me?” “What if I miss something important?”

But here’s what you won’t miss: comparing yourself to strangers with curated lives, burning hours on your feed, and checking your phone 324 times a day.

Instead, you’ll gain mental clarity.

You’ll have time to read a damn book, work on your business, or finally figure out what you actually like doing when you're not doom-scrolling.

You'll feel the fog lift, your focus sharpen, and—brace yourself—you might even get bored.

Which is good. Boredom breeds creativity.

Ready?

Step one: delete the apps.

Not "move them to a folder," not "hide them on page three"—delete.

Step two: log out on your computer and make those passwords hard to access.

Add friction. The harder it is to get in, the more likely you'll snap out of the trance before you fall into it.

Bonus: install a browser blocker like StayFocusd.

If your business depends on social media, use a scheduler like Buffer or Later so you can still post without getting sucked into the feed.

You can stay present for your audience without losing your presence.

Then comes the hard part: figure out what to do with your time.

Sit with yourself. Fill the space with something meaningful—or at least something less soul-sucking.

And when your thumb twitches to tap the ghost of Instagram at a red light, take it as proof that this detox is overdue.

Now picture yourself 30 days from now — no social media, no endless scroll.

Just you, your mind, and a lot more time.

What could you finish? What could you start?

For me, it’s been like pressing reset.

More creativity. Less noise. More energy. Less anxiety.

And the best part—I’m not letting an algorithm decide how I feel today.

The apps didn’t disappear, but the grip they had on me did.

This isn’t about quitting forever — it’s about coming back with intention. Using social media on your terms instead of letting it use you.

And maybe, just maybe, next time you’re at a red light, your thumb won’t autopilot its way to distraction.

Have a wonderful week, all.
Choose more life, and less scroll - Scott (@motivatedscott).

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