Solutions & tools
No miracle method. Concrete, science-backed solutions adapted to your situation.
Do right now
These actions don't require any particular motivation. They require a decision. Once. And they shift the odds in your favour starting today.
Your brain takes the path of least resistance. If you add friction — taking the phone out of the bedroom, deleting the apps, enabling a blocker, turning off notifications — you give your prefrontal cortex a few seconds to step in. Those few seconds make all the difference. It's not willpower. It's behavioural architecture.
These tools create a technical barrier between you and problematic content. One Sec imposes a 10-second pause before opening an app. Cold Turkey is the most radical: once activated, it cannot be disabled during the session. Freedom covers multiple devices, BlockSite manages custom lists.
Phone out of the bedroom at night. Social media apps deleted from the phone. Notifications off except calls. Charger in another room. These changes take 10 minutes. Their impact on compulsive consumption is immediate and documented. Environment determines behaviour.
Over time
These solutions build something deeper. They rewire the brain towards healthy, lasting sources of dopamine.
30 days, because that's the minimum time needed to observe measurable changes in dopamine circuits. The program moves through 4 phases, one per week, and each day has a precise goal.
Week 1 · Understand: observe your mechanisms without guilt. Week 2 · Cut the triggers: remove what sets off the automatism. Week 3 · Replace the habits: install new routines in their place. Week 4 · Rebuild your identity: anchor the change for the long term.
Physical exercise increases dopamine and serotonin and stimulates BDNF, a protein that promotes neuron growth. HIIT workouts produce the strongest effects. 3 sessions a week are enough to observe effects on mood within the first 2 weeks.
10 minutes a day strengthen the brain area weakened by addictions. Meditation trains you to observe an urge without automatically giving in. An intense urge lasts 15 to 30 minutes. If you don't feed it, it passes. Recommended app: Insight Timer (free).
Sleep deprivation reduces prefrontal cortex function and increases impulsivity — conditions that favour relapses. Screen exposure between 11pm and 4am suppresses dopamine production over the following days. Simple rule: phone out of the bedroom, wake up at a fixed time.
In-person interactions activate reward circuits that digital cannot reproduce. Group sport, classes, associations — rebuilding natural sources of dopamine tied to human connection. It's one of the most solid factors in preventing relapse.
If several attempts have failed or if your consumption is severely impacting your life, professional support is indicated. CBT is the most validated approach for behavioural addictions. Your family doctor is the first port of call. Addiction Switzerland: 0800 105 105 (free).
Our book
Dopaminergies brings all these solutions together into a coherent program, grounded in neuroscience and adapted to the Swiss reality. Complete support from the first day of awareness through to long-term maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
Intentional friction first. Phone out of the bedroom, apps deleted, blocker on. These actions don't require motivation. They take 10 minutes and change the odds immediately. Then sport. Then the 30-day program if you want a complete structure.
No. Start with one or two concrete actions. Overloading yourself with simultaneous changes exhausts cognitive resources and increases the risk of giving up. Our 30-day program is designed precisely to introduce changes gradually, one week at a time.
The first effects on mood and concentration are often visible within the first 2 to 3 weeks. Measurable neurological changes appear after 30 to 90 days depending on the intensity of the dependency. Patience itself is a skill that the reset gradually gives back to you.
A relapse doesn't erase your progress. It's information about the triggers that are still active. Note what happened, in what context, in what emotional state. That's more useful than guilt. Start again the next day without dramatising.
Yes — insofar as they create friction between impulse and behaviour. They don't remove the urge; they give your prefrontal cortex a few seconds to step in. Combined with restructuring your environment, they are one of the most effective short-term tools.
Not immediately. The first sessions are hard because the brain compares them with the artificial spikes it's used to. After 2 to 3 weeks of regular practice, sensitivity to natural pleasures returns. Sport doesn't replace artificial dopamine — it recalibrates the threshold that lets you enjoy it again.
Our team is available on WhatsApp and by email to answer your questions and point you towards the right solution.
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