Hi, my name is Corina and I’m addicted to Facebook.  And I hate the fact that I’m addicted to something so trivial and silly.  But here I am.  I blame my iPhone because the problem lies in the fact it is too accessible.

Standing in line at the grocery store?  I don’t have to read the covers on the tabloids anymore.  I don’t have to but I still glance at them.  What?  How else am I going to keep tabs on what my would-be-good-buddy Jennifer Aniston if I don’t look at the covers of the tabloids?  But that takes a total of 30 seconds.  One push of a button later and I’m looking at status updates.  Usually, the same updates I’ve already looked at all afternoon.

Sitting in the waiting room?   Check the updates of people I haven’t seen in twenty years.  Oh, look! So and so is also sitting in a waiting room.  I like the status.  Maybe add an LOL for effect.

I hate that I automatically check during a down time.  It’s become more like a nervous tic than anything.  I try to be discreet and turned off chat.  But when I like every status within 14 seconds – it kinda gives me away that I’m on it every 14 seconds.

In an effort to stem this embarrassing compulsion I tried finding something to divert my attention.  I downloaded a (free) game on my phone called BubbleXplode.   It has 7 different versions of, well, basically popping bubbles.  There is one I like to play called “Chill Out.”  The description says it is an endless game.  I wondered what that meant and started playing it.  After fifteen minutes I discovered it means it never, ever ends.   Basically, it’s the equivalent to having a roll of bubble wrap and popping all the bubbles.  But you can’t pop all the bubbles because it never ends.  I like trying to get all one color in a big mass for a “Stellar Pop.”  It just feels so good.  It’s amazing how much time can be wasted just popping bubbles.

Did it help with the Facebook addiction?  No, not really.  Now I just switch back and forth between the two.  Here’s the lesson of this story:  you can’t overcome one addiction by developing another.  It just doesn’t work.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to check some updates and then pop some bubbles.