Dr. Anna Lembke

Right. Coming to a website near you. Yes. I guess I would qualify that a little bit by saying we're wired for survival in a world of scarcity. That's not the world we live in now. We live in a world of overwhelming overabundance. And so there is a mismatch between this ancient wiring that has us relentlessly pursuing pleasure in order to survive and

Right. Coming to a website near you. Yes. I guess I would qualify that a little bit by saying we're wired for survival in a world of scarcity. That's not the world we live in now. We live in a world of overwhelming overabundance. And so there is a mismatch between this ancient wiring that has us relentlessly pursuing pleasure in order to survive and

And a world that's so infused with pleasure and so many rewarding stimuli that now we're overwhelming our reward system and our brains are reeling in response to try to compensate.

And a world that's so infused with pleasure and so many rewarding stimuli that now we're overwhelming our reward system and our brains are reeling in response to try to compensate.

Okay, great. So let me get there. Let me first say, though, that remember, after we do something that's highly pleasurable, our brain compensates with neuroadaptation, tilting an equal and opposite amount to the side of pain, and then restoring our balance back to the level position, right, or what we call homeostasis. So this doesn't last forever, right?

Okay, great. So let me get there. Let me first say, though, that remember, after we do something that's highly pleasurable, our brain compensates with neuroadaptation, tilting an equal and opposite amount to the side of pain, and then restoring our balance back to the level position, right, or what we call homeostasis. So this doesn't last forever, right?

It's to pleasure, then it's to pain, then it's back to the level position. But if we continue to consume our drug of choice over days to weeks to months to years, and we add in a whole bunch of other drugs, and now we're consuming, you know, pornography and smoking pot and eating—

It's to pleasure, then it's to pain, then it's back to the level position. But if we continue to consume our drug of choice over days to weeks to months to years, and we add in a whole bunch of other drugs, and now we're consuming, you know, pornography and smoking pot and eating—

donuts and, you know, you name it, all at the same time, then essentially what happens is those gremlins on the pain side of the balance end up camped out there.

donuts and, you know, you name it, all at the same time, then essentially what happens is those gremlins on the pain side of the balance end up camped out there.

Right. And now we've entered addicted brain, by which I mean that we've changed our hedonic or joy set point to the side of pain. Now we need more and more of our drug in more potent forms, not to get high and feel good, but just... to level the balance and feel normal. And this is not going to be enough.

Right. And now we've entered addicted brain, by which I mean that we've changed our hedonic or joy set point to the side of pain. Now we need more and more of our drug in more potent forms, not to get high and feel good, but just... to level the balance and feel normal. And this is not going to be enough.

To level the balance, I would have to like keep filling this much more than this container can hold. And that would be in pursuit really of just trying to level that balance so that we can feel normal. And when we're not using...

To level the balance, I would have to like keep filling this much more than this container can hold. And that would be in pursuit really of just trying to level that balance so that we can feel normal. And when we're not using...

We're walking around with a balance tilted toward the side of pain, experiencing the universal symptoms of withdrawal from any addictive substance or behavior, which are anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression, and craving.

We're walking around with a balance tilted toward the side of pain, experiencing the universal symptoms of withdrawal from any addictive substance or behavior, which are anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression, and craving.

More rocks.

More rocks.

Oh, gosh. I'm so glad you said that because I think that is the key to empathy for the disease of addiction, as well as for people with the disease. Having empathy for themselves is recognizing that on some level, it it's out of their control, right?

Oh, gosh. I'm so glad you said that because I think that is the key to empathy for the disease of addiction, as well as for people with the disease. Having empathy for themselves is recognizing that on some level, it it's out of their control, right?