#579 Anna Lembke MD - Dopamine Nation

The Not Old - Better Show

Anna Lembke MD - Dopamine Nation

The Not Old Better Show Author Interview Series

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I’m Paul Vogelzang and today’s show is brought to you by Raycon Everyday Ear Buds

Our smartphones are turning us into dopamine addicts, addiction expert Professor Anna Lembke says.

As chief of Stanford University's dual diagnosis addiction clinic, Dr. Anna Lembke has treated patients addicted to everything from heroin to water (yes, you read right), and she refers to the smartphone as the "modern-day hypodermic needle".

Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence examines how we can beat our digital dependencies, with its central thesis attempting to find out why with more abundance than ever, we remain less happy than we were in the past.

In my conversation with Dr. Anna Lembke today, we’ll talk about her new book "Dopamine Nation,” defining dopamine, and the interconnection between pleasure and pain, and how that connection helps explain addiction. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter, the chemical messenger, that's most connected with processing, rewarding pleasurable behavior. The more dopamine a drug or behavior releases, the more addictive it is. Dr. Lembke is a psychiatrist who's the medical director of addiction medicine at Stanford University and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. Dopamine is the key here, the key to pleasure and pain.

That of course is our guest today, Dr. Anna Lembke reading from her new book, Dopamine Nation about pleasure and pain. Dr. Lembke will illustrate today how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. You’ll hear about the lived experiences of her patients, which are the gripping fabric of her new book. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. My conversation with Dr. Lembke shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, Dr. Anna Lembke.

My thanks to Dr. Anna Lembke, author new book, Dopamine Nation for her generous time and preparation today. Of course, my thanks to Raycon Everyday Ear Buds for sponsoring today’s episode, please check out Raycon Everyday Ear Buds for a wonderful in-ear audio experience…just like the Not Old Better Show… My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience…please be safe, get your flu shots and your booster shot for COVID, recommend others do the same and Let’s Talk About Better. The Not Old Better Show. Thanks, everybody.

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