Name an addiction that society has fully normalised – 17 compulsive behaviours that have become a part of everyday life
When watching an old film or TV show, it can be shocking to see that certain addictions were once a regular part of daily life. But while habits like smoking have largely been sidelined, they’ve been replaced by other bad habits.
Over on Twitter @Strictlyirene was keen to hear which addictions have been fully normalised by society, so she put the question out to her followers and set the ball rolling with a suggestion of her own:
Mine? Endless scrolling doom feeds till 2am, FOMO on steroids, but hey, it’s “just relaxing” (post-breakup, it was my numb-mode bestie, worst enemy).
— irene (@Strictlyirene) November 26, 2025
And after going viral, her question was answered with these top replies…
1.
Being constantly ‘busy.’ If you’re not overwhelmed, people assume you’re lazy
— nena! (@adrizia4u) November 26, 2025
2.
Easy: chasing validation. But hey, everyone calls it ‘being social’ now.
— SABRINA (@SVBRINXA) November 26, 2025
3.
Coffee is basically a whole lifestyle now
— kty :ʚ (@rjmxrell) November 26, 2025
4.
Entitlement to men’s money
— TK GERALD (@gerald_tookema) November 26, 2025
5.
Notifications. One ping and we’re all lab rats again
— VibeSupplier (@TheVibeSupplier) November 26, 2025
6.
Having Baby Mommas and Baby Daddies
— TayDaDon0095 (@igetbuccets0095) November 26, 2025
7.
Alcohol, and I don’t meant people who over drink. I mean people who have a couple drinks everyday or can’t do anything social without it.
— Allan Sivils (@allantsivils) November 26, 2025
8.
Ultra processed food and sugar. That stuff got me to 510 pounds and quitting it was like detox. I managed to break it and lose 310 pounds. But the addiction is ubiquitous. https://t.co/JV7rXwYFVh pic.twitter.com/VDib0BLj0A
— Jet (@Jet_Bak) November 26, 2025
9.
Society glorified burnout so much that rest feels “lazy.”
People forget that constantly grinding isn’t normal.
It’s just packaged as ambition.— FLYNN.base.eth (@flynn7977) November 26, 2025