Dr. Anna Lembke

Maybe we aren't even really sure, but we think it might be. Give it up for 30 days. Why 30 days? Well, we know that two weeks is not enough, right? We know that from this imaging study, right, that people are still in that dopamine deficit state two weeks after stopping. But 30 days based on clinical experience, not just mine, but that of many other people who do this work, right?

Maybe we aren't even really sure, but we think it might be. Give it up for 30 days. Why 30 days? Well, we know that two weeks is not enough, right? We know that from this imaging study, right, that people are still in that dopamine deficit state two weeks after stopping. But 30 days based on clinical experience, not just mine, but that of many other people who do this work, right?

For most people, no matter the drug and no matter sort of the severity and chronicity, once they get to about 30 days, they begin to feel better. They begin to come out of that tunnel of constant craving. They begin to be able to imagine a life in which they would not necessarily have to rely on this substance or on this behavior.

For most people, no matter the drug and no matter sort of the severity and chronicity, once they get to about 30 days, they begin to feel better. They begin to come out of that tunnel of constant craving. They begin to be able to imagine a life in which they would not necessarily have to rely on this substance or on this behavior.

What I always tell folks when they're preparing for the dopamine fast is just remember you will feel worse before you feel better. But that is withdrawal-mediated suffering. Once you get through those first 14 days, you'll begin to feel better. And potentially, by 30 days, you'll feel much better than you have in a really long time.

What I always tell folks when they're preparing for the dopamine fast is just remember you will feel worse before you feel better. But that is withdrawal-mediated suffering. Once you get through those first 14 days, you'll begin to feel better. And potentially, by 30 days, you'll feel much better than you have in a really long time.

Now, this is not to say that 30 days of fasting is going to cure your addiction. Not at all. But it's the beginning. It's the beginning of being able to see causality, getting some insight. It's an experiment, right? Our lives are one big experiment. What better way to understand the variables in our lives than to change one thing, one variable, and see what happens?

Now, this is not to say that 30 days of fasting is going to cure your addiction. Not at all. But it's the beginning. It's the beginning of being able to see causality, getting some insight. It's an experiment, right? Our lives are one big experiment. What better way to understand the variables in our lives than to change one thing, one variable, and see what happens?

Yes.

Yes.

Self-binding is a way of acknowledging that if we rely on willpower alone, we will not be successful, especially living in this drugified world. And what we need to do is anticipate desire before we're in the throes of desire. by creating both literal and metacognitive or thought, you know, good Duncan experiment, like barriers between ourselves and our drug of choice.

Self-binding is a way of acknowledging that if we rely on willpower alone, we will not be successful, especially living in this drugified world. And what we need to do is anticipate desire before we're in the throes of desire. by creating both literal and metacognitive or thought, you know, good Duncan experiment, like barriers between ourselves and our drug of choice.

So these barriers can be actual physical barriers like putting our device into a kitchen safe and locking it up over the night or leaving it outside of our bedroom or getting the potato chips, the alcohol, the cannabis out of the house, deleting our contact drug dealer's information and telling our drug dealer, don't call me and I won't call you.

So these barriers can be actual physical barriers like putting our device into a kitchen safe and locking it up over the night or leaving it outside of our bedroom or getting the potato chips, the alcohol, the cannabis out of the house, deleting our contact drug dealer's information and telling our drug dealer, don't call me and I won't call you.

These are all cues. That's right.

These are all cues. That's right.

Yeah, it's so fascinating. And I think this is sort of a universal experience. So first of all, sugar is addictive. It lights up the same reward pathway as drugs and alcohol. Clear dopamine release in the nucleus, accumbens, part of the reward pathway in response to sugar. And when we quit sugar, we have a come down, right?

Yeah, it's so fascinating. And I think this is sort of a universal experience. So first of all, sugar is addictive. It lights up the same reward pathway as drugs and alcohol. Clear dopamine release in the nucleus, accumbens, part of the reward pathway in response to sugar. And when we quit sugar, we have a come down, right?

We go into withdrawal and it's manifested in all the different ways that we've talked about. And it lasts for about two weeks. And one of the most salient symptoms is intense craving for sugar. And it's so amazing how intense it is. But if we can get through that period and get out of that vortex of addictive craving, the craving gradually gets better.

We go into withdrawal and it's manifested in all the different ways that we've talked about. And it lasts for about two weeks. And one of the most salient symptoms is intense craving for sugar. And it's so amazing how intense it is. But if we can get through that period and get out of that vortex of addictive craving, the craving gradually gets better.