Cocaine overdose is a serious risk in Australia, potentially leading to severe side effects or death. This article discusses the signs of overdose, associated risks, and emergency response actions.

Imagine a drug so destructive that it:
Now imagine that 80% of Australians used this drug daily.
You might think we’d be talking about alcohol or hard drugs like cocaine, but we’re not. It’s social media.
The internet – particularly social media – is highly addictive. In fact, it’s designed to get you addicted, so the social platforms can profit. Every like, comment, or share releases a micro “dopamine hit” that leaves you wanting more. If you don’t get it, you crave it.
One social media engineer went so far as to call it “behavioural cocaine”.
Whatever it is, it’s wreaking havoc on Australian children, teens, marriages, and entire families.
Recent statistics show an alarming increase in social media-fueled divorces, self-harm, mental distress, and cyberbullying…and it’s all linked to increased internet usage.
Read on to learn about some alarming Australian social media addiction trends, how it’s affecting our society, and what you can do to stop it BEFORE it gets worse.
Australians are using the internet in record numbers and for record periods of time. This problematic media consumption is having severe consequences on our society including:
Social media addiction is a behavioural addiction where a person compulsively uses social media platforms despite the negative consequences to their physical, mental, and social health. It’s also known as problematic internet use or pathological internet use.
It’s characterised by frequent and compulsive use of social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Linkedin, Instagram, and Snapchat.
The reason that people abuse social media is due to the “dopamine loops” that it creates, which are eerily similar to drugs we typically associate with addiction like cocaine, alcohol, or marijuana.
Humans are social animals. We’ve evolved to get a dopamine hit from socialising with each other. Social platforms exploit this human evolutionary trait by designing their platforms to “hook us”. The constant stream of photos, videos, likes, retweets, shares, etc., triggers the same chemical reaction in our brains as “regular drugs”.
The result? A destructive addiction.
If you, your child, or your partner continue to consume endless hours of social media despite it causing harm to their health or your relationship, it is most likely some form of internet addiction.
Social media addiction symptoms include those that are similar to what people with drug and alcohol addiction experience. There are problems with mood changes and modifications that need to be addressed right away.
Other symptoms include:
If you or your loved one is addicted to social media, there are treatments that can help break the negative cycle of addiction and restore order to your life. You don’t have to keep living this way.
Can’t Put
Your
Phone
Down?
Australians are avid Internet users. In fact, these social media addiction statistics show that internet usage is on the rise and that more and more Aussies are using social apps to pass the time or avoid emotional issues.
Here are a few general statistics from Meltwater’s publication Social Media Statistics for Australia 2024:
The data is staggering.
Australians are using these apps at unprecedented levels, and mostly just for filling their spare time or for reducing the fear of social exclusion.
Here are some more alarming stats on social media usage Down Under:
Fun Fact: Did you know that Facebook has more than 3 billion active users? That means that more one-third of every human being on Earth uses Facebook. That’s mind-boggling.
At The Cabin Sydney, we understand how social media addiction can take hold of your life. Just like any other drug, the addict will do anything to get it.
But it’s not just because these platforms are addictive. It often stems from deeper issues that need addressing.
Here are some common causes we’ve seen:
Social media addiction hurts families by creating emotional distance between loved ones, especially between spouses.
The addict tends to become more absorbed in the online world than in their relationships at home, and this neglect leads to feelings of loneliness and frustration among family members.
As the disease progresses, the addicted person becomes increasingly isolated, choosing online interactions over face-to-face connections. And this often leads to frustration, suspicion, erosion of trust, and guilt.
Before we cited an ABC News story that claimed that up to one-third of divorces cited Facebook as a cause of separation. That is truly a staggering number.
Married individuals can also get hooked on social media and this can be caused by several reasons, including:
Whatever the reasons are, all of these incidents can cause you or your wife to become addicted to social media sites and the Internet in general.
Married people who are not satisfied or getting the love they need in their relationship may turn to social media for adventure or thrills.
Many husbands and wives report that they’ve:
This increased ease of access to potential partners and increasing level of addiction is driving the divorce rate in Australia up every year.
Yes, social media addiction can be treated through a combination of medical, psychological, and behavioural therapy techniques. Here at the Cabin, we call this holistic treatment.
We often find that people are not only addicted to the dopamine spike they receive from Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms, but they are also covering up deeper issues.
For example, a spouse who had an affair via social media most likely wanted to cheat long before they logged on and sent that message. The issue was most likely in marriage in the first place and not the fault of the social platform. In that case, we’d recommend a combination of marriage counselling and digital detox.
Here are a few of the treatments for social media addiction:
End the Social Media Cycle
The Cabin Sydney Can Help You Reclaim Your Time!
We understand how frustrating it can be dealing with someone who’s addicted to their phone. We deal with it every day here at our clinic in Sydney.
But it’s important that you understand that they are suffering from a disease. Internet and social media addiction is a real condition.
The good news is, it’s treatable. With these tips, you can help prevent the addiction from getting worse, help your marriage, heal your family, or whatever else it is that ails you.
If you, your spouse, or your child are addicted to social media sites in Australia, you can contact The Cabin Sydney for help and begin your journey towards recovery.
We offer addiction counselling services in various forms including one-on-one counselling, group therapy, family therapy, and more. During the recovery journey, we will guide your loved one through learning about their addiction, learning healthy coping mechanisms, and how to heal moving forward.
Learn more about us by calling our hotline at 1 800 251 994. Talk to us when you need help for any Internet or social media addiction problems.