That Relationship Show

Dopamine Nation

Feb 1, 2023
Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and chief at Stanford's Addiction Medicine Clinic, dives into the complexities of addiction in this enlightening discussion. She reveals how addiction alters the brain and shares the importance of a dopamine fast in regaining balance. Lembke explores the roles of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin, illustrating how they influence our behavior and relationships. With candid stories, she normalizes various addictions and presents practical tools for recovery, advocating for a destigmatized understanding of addiction as a brain disease.
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ANECDOTE

Moment That Changed Her Career

  • Dr. Anna Lembke recounts missing a patient's heroin use for nearly a year and feeling like a bad psychiatrist.
  • That mistake prompted her to learn addiction medicine and change her career focus.
INSIGHT

Three Roots Of Addiction

  • Addiction risk comes from three buckets: nature, nurture, and neighborhood with access being crucial.
  • Modern society's increased access and drugification of behaviors makes almost everyone vulnerable.
ANECDOTE

From Nursing To Romance Novels

  • Anna shares her romance-novel addiction started after weaning her last child and losing oxytocin from nursing.
  • Easy access via devices intensified the habit into full addiction requiring long abstinence.
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