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Dopamine Nation

Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

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About this listen

 All around us people are looking at their phones too much, eating too much, drinking too much. Our world is addicted to fleeting distracting pleasures that get us nowhere. Dr Anna Lembke provides a clear way back to a balanced life.

This audiobook is about pleasure. It's also about pain. Most importantly, 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.

'Dr Anna Lembke is a whiz on why we get hooked on things - and how we can enjoy pleasurable things in healthier doses.' - The Guardian

(P) 2021 Penguin Random House Audio©2021 Anna Lembke Biological Sciences Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Physics Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Social Sciences Inspiring Thought-Provoking Health Mental Health

Critic reviews

Anna Lembke's stories of guiding people to find a healthy balance between pleasure and pain have the power to transform your life (Lori Gottlieb, bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone)
Brilliant . . . 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, bestselling author of Dopesick)
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, bestselling author of The Organized Mind and Successful Aging)
[An] eye-opening survey on pleasure-seeking and addiction . . . Readers looking for balance will return to Lembke's informative and fascinating guidance.
fascinating case histories, and a sensible formula for treatment.
Dr Anna Lembke is a whiz on why we get hooked on things - and how we can enjoy pleasurable things in healthier doses
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)
[An] eye- opening survey on pleasure - seeking and addiction . . . Readers looking for balance will return to Lembke's informative and fascinating guidance. (Publishers Weekly)
All stars
Most relevant
A book about addiction for a general audience, this is an well-paced and interesting listen. Using a range of examples, it sets out some broad principles that the author has found useful in tackling addiction and compulsive behaviour in herself and her patients. Most listeners will be able to glean something relevant to them. The author’s narration is good.

Worthwhile

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A great, very timely book that’s both inspiring and shocking in equal measure. Doesn’t stray into extreme, long-term asceticism as some would recommend as a solution, but a healthy pursuit of balance that’s both realistic and practical. Well read by the author.

Insightful

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My headline says it all, from someone who until listening to this, thought that didn’t have an addictive relationship with a number of behaviours.

Fascinating, enlightening, useful, inspiring and motivating.

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This should be taught in school. Everyone needs to listen to this and incorporate it into their lives.

Everyone needs this

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This is a compelling book. I listened to it in three sittings. Learned a lot about myself and the world around me

A Must Read for Everyone

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