Dopamine, Addiction and Hard-to-change Behaviours

Another highly recommended episode from the Huberman Lab on dopamine. This episode isn’t just about addiction—it’s about many of the hard-to-change behaviors we all experience in daily life. I’m sure everyone can relate to it on some level.

I’ve always considered myself pretty self-disciplined, but recently I had an experience where I’ve always considered myself pretty self-disciplined (well, most time), but often can have an experience where I “indulged myself,” and almost immediately wanted more. This podcast helped me understand why: when we get a burst of temporary pleasure, our brain naturally wants to repeat it. And when there’s no more of that stimulus, the brain swings to the painful side of the pleasure-pain balance. Or, if we keep chasing more, that’s when patterns of addiction can start to form.

Learning how our nervous system works has helped me see these reactions differently. Instead of slipping into self-blame or thinking I’m simply not strong enough to resist temptation, I can now see it as biology doing what it does. That understanding makes it easier to put simple barriers in place to prevent the cycle—and to restore balance in the brain’s dopamine system.

If you’re short on time or just not much of a podcast person, here’s a summary of the episode:

🎯 Video Overview

Guest: Dr. Anna Lembke, MD

• Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic

• Author of Dopamine Nation

Host: Dr. Andrew Huberman, PhD

• Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine

🧠 Key Concepts and Takeaways

🔹 What Addiction Is

• Addiction is defined as a compulsive, out-of-control behavior that persists despite negative consequences.

• It can involve substances (alcohol, drugs) or behaviors (social media, gambling, sex, food).

• Central to addiction is dopamine, the neurotransmitter that drives motivation and the pursuit of rewards.

🔹 The Role of Dopamine

• Dopamine helps us seek out experiences that are pleasurable or necessary for survival.

• Every time you engage in something rewarding, dopamine increases.

• Over time, repeated overstimulation shifts the brain’s “pleasure-pain balance” toward pain, driving cravings and withdrawal.

• This creates a cycle: seeking relief by using the substance or behavior again.

🔹 Modern Life & Overstimulation

• Modern society offers constant access to dopamine hits:

  • Smartphones

  • Streaming content

  • Processed foods

  • Pornography

• This overstimulation makes us more vulnerable to addiction.

• Even people without a genetic predisposition can develop addictive patterns due to the “dopamine overload.”

🔹 Signs of Addiction

Dr. Lembke emphasizes four critical features:

1. Control: Inability to stop or limit use.

2. Compulsion: Strong urges or cravings.

3. Consequences: Continued use despite harm.

4. Craving: Mental preoccupation or intrusive thoughts about the behavior.

🔹 The Pleasure-Pain See-Saw

• The brain maintains a homeostatic balance between pleasure and pain.

• When you experience a spike in pleasure, pain follows to bring you back to equilibrium.

• The more often you overstimulate dopamine, the deeper the pain afterwards.

• This can manifest as:

  • Irritability

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Anhedonia (loss of pleasure)

🔹 Strategies for Recovery

1. Abstinence Reset

• A period of 30 days of complete abstinence is often necessary to reset the dopamine system.

• The first 2 weeks are the hardest, with heightened cravings and discomfort.

2. Self-Binding

• Setting up barriers to make access harder (e.g., removing apps, not keeping alcohol in the house).

3. Managing Triggers

• Identifying and avoiding triggers that lead to relapse.

4. Radical Honesty

• Telling the truth about your usage reduces shame and helps restore relationships.

5. Community and Accountability

• Support groups and therapy are essential to prevent isolation.

🔹 The Role of Psychedelic Therapies

• There is emerging evidence for psychedelic-assisted therapy (e.g., psilocybin, MDMA) as adjunct treatments.

• These therapies can help people:

  • Gain insight

  • Reduce compulsions

  • Experience relief from depression and anxiety

🔹 The Importance of Meaning and Purpose

• Addiction often fills a void of meaning.

• Recovery isn’t just about abstaining—it’s about building a life that feels fulfilling.

• Connecting to community, values, and a sense of purpose is protective.

🔹 Social Media as an Addictive Behavior

• Social media platforms are engineered to exploit our dopamine systems.

• Strategies like setting time limits and intentional use can help reduce compulsive engagement.

🌟 Final Insights

Dr. Lembke stresses:

• Addiction is not a moral failing but a brain disease.

• Compassion, honesty, and structured support systems are essential to recovery.

• Everyone in modern society is vulnerable to some degree of compulsive overconsumption, and understanding how dopamine works can help us make healthier choices.