Dopamine Nation cover art

Dopamine Nation

Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

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Dopamine Nation

By: Anna Lembke MD
Narrated by: Anna Lembke
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About this listen

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.
Biological Sciences Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Social Sciences Inspiring Social Media Addiction Addiction Science

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
All stars
Most relevant
I really enjoyed this. The personal stories demonstrated and helped to explain the concepts within the book very well. I will listen to this again for certain.

Exceptional

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Excellent book, I was gripped.
I learnt new information/facts/studies about addiction, dopamine & recovery that I didn’t already know which was very compelling & motivating. Plus the case studies of her real patients and their experiences was a brilliant way to bring the topics to life and made it more engaging and relatable.
I have an addiction to screens which I have tried to overcome for years and this gave me fresh hope & approach.
Thank you

Excellent & thought provoking

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This book sheds light on our work of over consumption and contains excellent case studies to help us as the reader reflect on our own experience. The author also shares her own experiences with a refreshing candour. I highly recommend this book.

Massively thought provoking

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There is a sacredness to this book, an undertone of grace and undeniable compassion to the worse afflicted with the greatest disease of our times, addiction. Anna is soft and tender, empathetic and knowledgeable, she presented such a difficult subject in an unbelievable palatable manner. She took us in, broke us down, presented the issue and left us with some soothing balm. What a writer! I doubt anyone could do justice to this difficult subject as Anna did. I will wholeheartedly recommend this book to every single person, but a word of warning, be prepared to meet the real you including those parts that makes you go limp.

Difficult subject introduced with compassion

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This book is about both pleasure and pain. I have always looked for sources to understand how pain works and stumbled upon this book originally to read about depression. As you listen to chapter after the other you start understanding the construct of the hormonal balancing tool in the brain, habits that may be helpful as well as some interesting real life stories that support the concept so it makes more sense than just reading theory.

Fascinating book !

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