Dopamine Nation

Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

By: Dr. Anna Lembke

Narrated by: Dr. Anna Lembke

Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER

“Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, as heard on Fresh Air

This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.

In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain . . . and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

©2021 Dr. Anna Lembke (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Anna Lembke deeply understands an experience I hear about often in the therapy room at the nexus between our modern addictions and our primal brains. Her stories of guiding people to find a healthy balance between pleasure and pain have the power to transform your life.” (Lori Gottlieb, “Dear Therapist” columnist at The Atlantic, New York Times best-selling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone)

“Just when you thought you knew all you needed to know about the addiction crisis, along comes Dr. Anna Lembke with her second brilliant book on the topic—this one not about a drug but about the most powerful chemical of all: the dopamine that rules the pain and pleasure centers of our minds. In an era of overconsumption and instant gratification, Dopamine Nation explains the personal and societal price of being ruled by the next fix—and how to manage it. No matter what you might find yourself over-indulging in—from the internet to food to work to sex—you’ll find this book riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued. Lembke weaves patient stories with research, in a voice that’s as empathetic as it is clear-eyed.” (Beth Macy, author of Washington Post Best Book of the Year, New York Times Notable Book of 2018, and best seller Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America)

“We all desire a break from our routines and those parts of life that upset us. What if, instead of trying to escape these things, we learn to turn toward them, to reach a peaceful harmony with our selves and the people we share our lives with? Lembke has written a book that radically changes the way we think about mental illness, pleasure, pain, reward, and stress. Turn toward it. You’ll be happy you did.” (Daniel Levitin, New York Times best-selling author of The Organized Mind and Successful Aging)

"Explore[s] the dichotomy between seeking a readily accessible hit of dopamine—from our phones, gambling, or a bag of Fritos—and maintaining healthy, productive, stable lives.” (The New York Times, Inside the Best-Seller List)

Fascinating, honest and an eye opener

Thank you Dr. Lembke,
Your book has given a name to symptoms I was unaware existed bringing clarity to the world we live in. I feel better prepared to help myself and help others as we navigate through emotions and behaviors in our Dopamine Nation. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Great read

Such a fascinating topic! Great read - I learned so much! Highly relevant and highly recommended.

Executed perfectly in every single way possible

First of all, no one better than the author could have narrated this book better. This book exceeded my expectations considering my prior bored experiences with scientific publications. The processes behind addiction (behavioral included) is most interesting to me as a psychology student and this book provided me with EVERYTHING I need to know and base my understanding on. Thank you Dr. Anna Lembke you’ve inspired me, and of course thanks to Huberman Lab for introducing you to me ;)

Excellent

helped me so much to understand evertthing about addiction. thank you. loved that it was read by the author

Gave me the real reason why i should quit Nicotine

Story a little lengthy but proper key explanation of dopamine balancing is contained herein...worth the listen.

Could not stop listening

The story telling entwined with studies and experiments, makes the book interesting and understandable. It’s raw, real and such an insightful look into the behavior of people suffering from an imbalance or addiction. The takeaways and insight into how to make life changes is honest and helpful. I love hearing it read by the author too. Powerful and pleasurable!

Life changing

I don’t think there is anyone who won’t find that this benefits them in their life and their relationships. Amazing.

Behavioral Toolbox

Great tools! Provides a clear path for how one can reclaim their life from a neurotransmitter exploited by modern society. The lack of discussion of Ibogaine while including other drugs is disappointing.

Awesome changed my like thank you Dr Lembke, she r

Awesome changed my like thank you Dr Lembke, she really drills down and breaks down agog

so good i got the Kindle to take notes

I am an addiction counselor, and will teach about what I learned from it to my clients. very informative.