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Comment by hooande | Hacker News Reader

This is like saying "I cured my alcoholism by throwing all the liquor out of my house". The problem isn't the availability of the stimulus, it's the lack of control over your desire for it.

You can't cure a need for distraction by blocking domains. There isn't a cure. You have to learn to live with it, like alcoholism.

The good news is that major life events tend to be great for breaking the distraction seeking pattern. At some point you'll get married or have kids or change careers, etc. And then your life will be so different that looking back on a dns kill switch button will seem silly.

Until then, just keep pushing the button I guess. We all have to make it through somehow

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This is colossally bad advice when literally a fundamental part of the playbook to defeating alcoholism is getting it out of the house... Getting it out of the house and blocking domains are extremely valid tactics for getting over an addiction.

The “alcoholism is an incurable disease” trope came from a religious organization peddling snake oil. Not the best foundation to build your argument on. Studies indicate that many people are cured of their alcoholism and addiction. Generally through “aging out”. Additionally, just like alcoholism, the problem is the result not the cause. Alcoholics who don’t drink also don’t run over kids. People who don’t endlessly scroll don’t waste 5 hours a day. It doesn’t matter how it’s achieved

Had kids. Changed careers. Moved 2000 miles. Stopped running. No cell phone but infinite scroll isn't limited to the handheld devices.

Still have a 68k line /etc/hosts from the Steven Black list.

Most alcoholics do need to keep all the liquor out of their homes. This is a necessary but insufficient condition for many of their recoveries.

This is terrible advice for people with addiction. No mental health doctor would agree with you.

> The problem isn't the availability of the stimulus, it's the lack of control over your desire for it

…

> pushing the button

It’s possible you just didn’t recognize the way they’re exercising control over their desire for it. If you’re framing it in terms of alcoholism—speaking from experience here—you don’t come up with convenient ways to get away with not drinking, just convenient ways to go right on drinking even when you know you shouldn’t and wish you wouldn’t.

Having a kid made my internet addiction 100% worse. When your free time only comes in brief, unpredictable snatches, and your smartphone is right there in your pocket and can be held while rocking a baby who can't quite sleep, guess what happens...

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