From smartphones, to sugar, to exercising, the modern world is plagued by dopamine addictions, and Dr Anna Lembke holds the key to breaking free
Dr Anna Lembke is Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is the author of bestselling books such as, ‘Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence’.
In this conversation, Dr Anna and Steven discuss topics such as, the link between addiction and childhood trauma, how exercise balances your dopamine system, the benefits of chasing pain, and the real effects of alcohol on the brain.
00:00 Intro
03:44 Why Does Dopamine Matter?
04:08 What Is Dopamine?
05:35 How Understanding Dopamine Can Improve Your Life
06:09 Biggest Misconceptions About Dopamine
07:30 Everyday Activities That Impact Dopamine
09:36 Dopamine and Its Relationship to Pleasure and Pain
18:26 Why Do Our Brains Overshoot?
20:31 How Our Brains Are Wired for Addiction
25:22 Finding Ways to Deal With Pain
31:51 Stories of Addiction
34:52 How Many People Have Addiction Disorders?
40:14 Hiding Away From Friends and Family
41:21 Distinguishing Between Good and Bad Behaviors
45:50 How Addiction Makes You Feel
47:50 Is Work an Addiction?
54:18 What Activities Provide the Biggest Dopamine Hits?
58:59 Can We Inject or Drink Dopamine?
01:01:00 Why We Must Do Hard Things
01:02:37 Can You Get an Exercise Comedown?
01:04:19 How to Optimize for a Better Life
01:05:17 How Should We Be Living?
01:09:29 Being Comfortable With the Uncomfortable
01:10:34 Causes of Anxiety Throughout Life
01:12:43 Living in a World Where It's Easy to Outrun Pain
01:13:09 Where Are You Now in Your Grieving Journey?
01:14:43 Youngest Child Seen With Addictions
01:15:37 Youngest Age When Addiction Can Have an Effect
01:16:50 Youngest Patient With Addiction
01:18:40 Has Society Gone Soft?
01:21:05 Victimhood and Responsibility
01:25:02 How to Help Someone Overcome a Victimhood Mentality
01:28:36 Connection Between Responsibility and Self-Esteem
01:30:13 Importance of Our Self-Narrative
01:37:24 Ads
01:38:22 How Helping a Loved One Too Much Can Hurt Them
01:44:49 Overcoming Pornography Addiction
01:48:35 Harms of Watching Porn
01:51:04 Is Dopamine Responsible for Sugar Cravings?
01:53:05 Turning Addictions Around
01:58:25 Why We Bounce Back to Cravings After Relapsing
02:02:49 Effects of Early Exposure to Addictive Substances on Children
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You can purchase Dr Anna’s books, here:
‘Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence’ - UK version: https://g2ul0.app.link/BWfeDh0TqPb
‘Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence’ - US version: https://g2ul0.app.link/jPIwbElUqPb
‘The Official Dopamine Nation Workbook’ - UK version: https://g2ul0.app.link/MbZZbHhUqPb
The Official Dopamine Nation Workbook’ - US version: https://g2ul0.app.link/BEet3RnUqPb
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACEpisodes
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