Dopamine Nation
Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Remove from Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Dopamine Nation
Narrated by:
Anna Lembke
Buy Now for $22.19
-
Narrated by:
-
Anna Lembke
-
By:
-
Anna Lembke MD
About this listen
“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.
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 bestselling 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 bestseller 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 bestselling 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 Bestseller List
“[An] eye-opening survey on pleasure-seeking and addiction . . . Readers looking for balance will return to Lembke’s informative and fascinating guidance.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Fascinating case histories, and a sensible formula for treatment.”
—Kirkus Reviews
—Lori Gottlieb, “Dear Therapist” columnist at The Atlantic, New York Times bestselling 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 bestseller 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 bestselling 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 Bestseller List
“[An] eye-opening survey on pleasure-seeking and addiction . . . Readers looking for balance will return to Lembke’s informative and fascinating guidance.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Fascinating case histories, and a sensible formula for treatment.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Great book on Dopamine!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It is a must-read for everyone that knows they have an unhelpful behaviour or habit, and for those that think they don't have any unhelpful behaviours.
Thank you so much Anna for what you have produced. It is brilliant.
Steve.
Exceptional
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
1. I had only peripheral knowledge of dopamine, psychology and brain chemistry before reading this book.
2. I'm a recovering addict
Firstly the "Shocking" as this is how the book begins in Chapter 1. Anna relates the experience of a man with sex addiction, which sets the stage for a couple of points, namely that: 1. Addiction to a behaviour can become shockingly dark, destructive and with time; ever more-so, and 2. This man's experience could be any of us. Perhaps for me that realisation was more shocking than the behaviour described, as I myself struggled with pornography addiction. Even still I was so disconcerted by his experience I struggled to get through the first chapter and considered not listening to the rest. If you can make it through this stage setter, its absolutely worth it.
Fascinating: to understand the connection between pleasure and pain in Chapters 2 and 3; how the body attempts to achieve homeostasis between the two, and how addiction connects to create a feedback loop between them. As someone who has dealt with addiction, I can immediately connect different parts of this process to different phases of my addictive behaviours.
Informative: I found the discussion of the effects of prescription drugs on addiction very informative and sobering. Anna plainly discusses the benefits an drawbacks in an empathetic way. She shares her knowledge of the biochemistry of clinical pharmacology and also practical experience of what short term and long term effects prescription drugs have on the brain, and also the cycle of addiction.
Helpful: Anna's review of pain, radical honesty, and prosocial shame in Part 3 reinforced some home truths and conventional /theological wisdom for me, but backed with her clinical approach, she explains the mechanisms behind why that wisdom works to avoid relapse into addiction. I felt greatly motivated to put these important concepts into practice in my life after listening, which I think may be Anna's greatest success with this book.
As a note on Anna herself, she sounds like a friend we'd all like to have, and is a lovely companion for 6 hours. As a man of faith, I was pleasantly surprised that Anna treats the topic of faith and religion elegantly, reasonably and with compassion (both for its successes and failures). As a man also of science, I was quite satisfied with her explanations of various behavioural and biological processes, and the studies that underpin our present understanding. I can't state enough how much I appreciated the intellectual honesty that governed the communication of scientific concepts in Anna's book. When she was being simplistic in an explanation, she made it plain. When she made certain statements regarding behavioural theories, she elucidated on the origins of that understanding, rather than stating it as a matter of fact. When she made conclusions that were not based on scientific studies (or lacked extensive support from studies), or were based on personal observation through her career, she made it plain.
Perhaps those with training and knowledge in brain chemistry or behavioural psychology may not find the book quite as enjoyable or profound. However from my perspective as a novice in these areas, while having personal experience of addiction, it was time and credit very well spent. Thank you Anna, for all the effort you've put in to this book.
Fascinating, Informative, Helpful, Shocking.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Timeless (so long as we are conscious, carbon entities)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Highly recommend to absolutely anyone!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.