Capitalism and Addiction

Thesis: What if the reason that we can’t move beyond our current state of capitalism is because the behaviours that are normalized and reinforced within this system are addictive?

I’m not talking about doom scrolling and online shopping, but the underlying systems that creates those types of behaviours. Let’s pan out.

Under capitalism, our day to day lives are filled with behaviours and patterns which are normalized but harmful. Over consumption. Endless growth. Excessive stimulation. Expectations of convenience and comfort. While we can recognize many of these patterns intellectually, we continue reproducing them because the system makes alternatives feel either impossible, undesirable, or emotionally threatening.

When human beings struggle with addiction, there are common behaviours that caregivers often point to: compulsive behaviour, loss of control, withdrawal, continued engagement despite harm, salience – where the behaviour becomes central to one’s identity or routine, normalization, and rationalization.

When we look at common behaviours that have become normalized under global capitalism such as over consumption, constant stimulation, compulsive productivity, and dependency on comfort and convenience, it’s difficult not to notice similarities. And while it’s easy for many of us to acknowledge the addictive nature of screen usage and processed foods, I’m not sure if we’re prepared to scale out and admit how deeply many capitalist patterns of life have embedded themselves into our identities, habits, expectations, and emotional regulation.

At a certain point, it becomes increasingly plausible that our current iteration of capitalism does not simply encourage consumption, but organizes society around addiction-style patterns of behaviour, attention, reward, and dependence.

Are you shocked? Probably not.

At the same time, there is also a growing understanding that addiction itself is often misunderstood. More and more, we are coming to recognize that people struggling with addiction are not weak or immoral. Addiction is increasingly understood as a response to trauma, disconnection, chronic stress, emotional pain, alienation, and unmet human needs.

I believe this wholeheartedly.

So when I suggest that many of us are struggling with forms of addiction under capitalism, I don’t mean this as an accusation against individuals. I mean that we are living within systems that continuously produce the social and emotional conditions under which addictive behaviours flourish.

We are overstimulated, isolated, emotionally strained, chronically stressed, and disconnected from meaningful forms of community and belonging. We are encouraged to self-regulate through consumption while simultaneously being told that our struggles are personal failures rather than structural outcomes.

If we’re ready to acknowledge that many of the behaviours reinforced by capitalism resemble addiction, what do we do with that information? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. But if I’ve learned anything from addiction recovery, acknowledgement is often the first step.

Also, if we’re banging out heads against a wall wondering why we can’t escape the capitalist system, even though we’re started to really clearly identify tangible ways that we might reorganize our social and economic systems, acknowledging that we are struggling to change our behaviour because of addiction helps provide some clarity. Maybe we should stop banging heads and start addressing the systems and root causes in a way that supports our addiction recovery.

I think often of Mark Fisher’s description of a condition he called “depressive hedonia”, a state where people are able of pursuing pleasure while losing the capacity for deeper fulfillment or happiness. We’re always chasing the dragon and never feeling satisfied. And when we frame that condition alongside Fisher’s idea of capitalist realism, the inability to imagine coherent alternatives to capitalism, it becomes less surprising that meaningful systemic change feels so difficult. We may be able to intellectually imagine different systems, but emotionally and behaviourally we remain deeply dependent to the current one.

I suppose this post is really just a thought experiment to say that while we are building new systems and structures and ways of being that prioritize collective care over profit motives, we also need to acknowledge that shifting to new systems is going to be hard – not just on a collective scale, but on a personal one. If capitalism produces forms of conditioned dependence that feel like addiction, then people are going to need support in changing their lives and behaviours. Support from family and friends. Support from caregivers. Support from communities.

Imagine applying a 12-step program to consumption and expecting people to heal while constantly being advertised to and shopping existing as a core part our societal infrastructure?

How might we help someone who chronically overworks themselves when they still have to sell their labour to pay rent?

What kind of supports exist of people who are trying to overcome screen addiction when everyone around them is constantly connected and staring at their phones?

We have a long way to go if we want to collectively create conditions that will help people overcome these challenges.

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