Surviving with ADHD in the Addiction Economy

We aren’t as doomed as we think

Intro: A Very Scary Book

Long COVID, particularly the sort that instills permanent or chronic brain fog in its victims, is utterly nightmarish to me. It has been shown to bear striking similarities to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Alzheimer's, and is estimated to affect 1/20 adults in the world, with greater risks for older, female and unvaccinated populations.

Will There Ever Be Another You is a 2025 novel by Patricia Lockwood, labeled 'autofictional' because it is heavily inspired by the author's experience with long COVID from March 2020 until at least mid-2021. Reading this book is an uncomfortable experience. Time, thoughts, and structure jump, spin and wheel in what one reviewer described as "cortical shrapnel".

Lockwood (and/or her character) is horribly aware of her reduced mental state, struggling with words, synonyms and spelling – let alone with larger tasks as part of her career and personal life. The patterns of her thoughts, and the way she searches for possible examples and answers reminded me of the latter half of Charlie's journey in Flowers for Algernon.

Will There Ever Be Another You, cover design by Lauren Peters-Collaer

Now, I'm sad to say that I put down Will There Ever Be Another You after only reading a quarter of it. Partly because I learned that it is filled with references to her other work, reading which I think will make this a more compelling piece, but also because it was beginning to strike a little close to home regarding my recent experiences living with ADHD. That time spent online has been making it harder and harder for me to string a single coherent thought together.

And from the community I've found this year, I've recently come to learn that it's not just ADHD (though I think it is an aggravating factor): our minds are being attacked 24/7, whether by long COVID or TikTok, and we need to get defenses in place before our grey matter starts leaking out our ears.

The Keeper of Trial, by Anato Finnstark

The Attention (Addiction) Economy

The world runs on eyeballs, and what better way to harvest those jellies than to keep them coming back for more meaningless hits of dopamine, using the same tactics as casinos, big Pharma and anyone else who's ever profited from addictive behaviours. Would you believe that major social media companies have been burying data about their harmful role in teenage mental health? Well, lawsuits are finally catching up with reality at least.

Over the past few months I've been doing a lot of my reading on my phone – if you can even call it reading to scroll through three pages before frantically opening Instagram for the five hundredth time that day, looking for the hit of a notification then disappointedly scrolling for a minute. And even then, I still count myself lucky that I'm part of that rare percentage of people who are actually trying to read a book, rather than just sitting there captivated by short-form video content for hours on end.

The same is true for when I'm watching long-form videos, writing, playing Sudoku, whatever – the hit of opening Instagram or Strava is only ever a second away, and my thumb will often take me there before I even realize it.

More and more often, I'll go to my phone to accomplish a specific task: send a message, add something to my calendar, double-check an event description, etc.; and ten minutes later I'll put my phone down having done anything but the task I set out to do. Granted that that's ADHD at the best of times, but it feels even more insidious when it's my phone, which I in many ways use to navigate and manage my ADHD, which is waylaying and stifling me at every turn.

So how the hell are we supposed to get anything meaningful – let alone productive – done, when even our leisure time isn't safe from this constant, gnawing interruption?

Art by Georgiana Luiza Nicolae

Internet Survival Tips

In the past week, I've heard from two friends that they partially manage these issues by imposing strict daily limits on their app time (using parental controls) to help prevent the endless scroll. I see other people take time off of Instagram altogether, and they seem happier for it every single time. I've personally been working toward moving my social life off of the platform, so that every communication doesn't need to be accompanied by the algorithm pumping its ads-laced serum into my eyes.

(Talking to myself here:) Don't read e-books on your phone! Find a cheap e-reader second hand if you prefer the format, or use your local library if not. If you're on audio or physical books, consider putting your phone out of easy reach so that you can't mindlessly reach for it.

As with above, so much else falls into this same category. Try watching things on a larger screen and find something to do with your hands so your phone doesn't find its way back into them. Crocheting and knitting work for a lot of people, and you even end up with clothes to wear or gift at the end of the process! As for writing, puzzling and whatnot with ADHD, try adding some music or a light show in the background to keep your mind engaged and not yearning for that quick dopamine hit.

But above all, get off the internet. Use it to find in-person community or to learn a new hobby, then ditch its hollow digital shell for the real thing. Finding community, new hobbies and friendships has helped me a ton this year, partly just because it got me off my damn phone for a few more hours each week. I recently ran a half-marathon, both because I wanted to see if I could and because it just feels amazing to have a goal and activity that exist entirely beyond "Slide to Unlock".

Saturn Return, by Angelika Rasmus

Step Outside (and/or Read)

I've written a lot about the importance of books in teaching us empathy, and I think that's doubly true in a world where ragebait content is actively trying to prey on what little empathy we have left as a society.

Books, sunlight, people, exercise; don't sleep on them. But please do sleep, rather than doomscroll. A while back I wrote about how to be perfectly miserable, in case you want more inspiration of what not to do. I've also written once or twice about living with ADHD, a lot of which I glossed over today. Particularly read this piece if you want more about managing attention amid the chaos of the world!

Any tips that you've found helpful in your own life? I'm always on the lookout for more helpful ideas!

Thanks for reading and until next time <3