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

Follow Dr Anna:

Website - https://g2ul0.app.link/f0HLrXUTqPb

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

Independent fact check:

annalembke.tiiny.co

My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://g2ul0.app.link/DOACBook

You can purchase the The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: Second Edition, here: https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb

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