I'm an addict
I have a bit of the same problem. I "solve it" by removing all video recommendations and blanking out the Home page. My YouTube watching is now constrained to the Subscriptions tab! I feel this lets me get the positives from YouTube, and limits my potential for misuse.<p>I don't use the YouTube app on mobile (instead using Firefox), so I'm able to use UBlock's cosmetic filters to remove the 'dangerous' elements. Recently the filter changed and I got sucked into recommended videos again (with significantly increased watchtime the last month or so). This post made me fix it again!<p>Also, my phone's Wellbeing settings allows set time restrictions on specific apps. It's a bit too easy to "game", but at least it gives me some feedback on how much time I spend on things.<p>But honestly, we're only animals: slacking off is a desired trait. We just need to put in some guardrails to avoid overindulgence. Good luck! :-)