James Clear

Drug addicts get a spike before they take a hit of cocaine, not after. Dopamine, I think probably the more accurate way to describe it in this context is is it's a teaching molecule. It's a learning molecule. And it helps you mark experiences that are favorable so that you'll remember them next time. And then when you come across a similar situation, it spikes in anticipation.

So after you see the cue, you get this craving. And it's actually that craving or anticipation or prediction that motivates you to act, drives the response, and then there's an outcome.

So after you see the cue, you get this craving. And it's actually that craving or anticipation or prediction that motivates you to act, drives the response, and then there's an outcome.

There are examples like that for alcohol and drugs and all kinds of things. And I'm not an expert on addiction, and I didn't write the book about addiction, so I don't want to speak out of turn or step out of my lane or anything. But I don't know that I have a good answer to it. But from what I understand and from what I've seen as I was researching the book,

There are examples like that for alcohol and drugs and all kinds of things. And I'm not an expert on addiction, and I didn't write the book about addiction, so I don't want to speak out of turn or step out of my lane or anything. But I don't know that I have a good answer to it. But from what I understand and from what I've seen as I was researching the book,

it does seem to have a strong, basically genetic or neurochemical component. It seems like, in a sense, drugs kind of hack the system. This is, I think, one way to define an addiction, which is The process of learning is actually broken.

it does seem to have a strong, basically genetic or neurochemical component. It seems like, in a sense, drugs kind of hack the system. This is, I think, one way to define an addiction, which is The process of learning is actually broken.

Addicts know that the behavior does not benefit their lives in a lot of ways, but they still can't get themselves to stop doing it, even though they know it doesn't benefit them. And I think part of the reason that happens, or perhaps the primary reason, is the drug kind of hacks the system. It gives you this spike of dopamine, even though you shouldn't be getting it.

Addicts know that the behavior does not benefit their lives in a lot of ways, but they still can't get themselves to stop doing it, even though they know it doesn't benefit them. And I think part of the reason that happens, or perhaps the primary reason, is the drug kind of hacks the system. It gives you this spike of dopamine, even though you shouldn't be getting it.

Usually your brain would not be doing that. It would not be trying to teach you to repeat that, but you're artificially spiking it by taking the substance, and so then the process of learning breaks.

Usually your brain would not be doing that. It would not be trying to teach you to repeat that, but you're artificially spiking it by taking the substance, and so then the process of learning breaks.

I do think there's a genetic component. Some people are more sensitive to certain substances than others, or at least it appears to be so. However, it does strike me as like very possible that a good chunk of it is learned and that now you have a story that junk food is the way that I cope or the way that I soothe myself when I need that.

I do think there's a genetic component. Some people are more sensitive to certain substances than others, or at least it appears to be so. However, it does strike me as like very possible that a good chunk of it is learned and that now you have a story that junk food is the way that I cope or the way that I soothe myself when I need that.

And in a sense, your habits are these solutions to like recurring problems that you face. So say you have somebody who comes home from work and they feel exhausted. And one person, that's a recurring problem that they feel often. And so one person comes home and they play video games for 30 minutes. And another person comes home and they go for a run. And a third person smokes a cigarette.

And in a sense, your habits are these solutions to like recurring problems that you face. So say you have somebody who comes home from work and they feel exhausted. And one person, that's a recurring problem that they feel often. And so one person comes home and they play video games for 30 minutes. And another person comes home and they go for a run. And a third person smokes a cigarette.

And all of them are solving the same underlying recurring problem, but they're choosing different methods through which to do that. And I wonder about how the grooves kind of get formed. Once we learn that a certain method is effective in solving that problem, we tend to default to it, even if it's not the only way to solve that.

And all of them are solving the same underlying recurring problem, but they're choosing different methods through which to do that. And I wonder about how the grooves kind of get formed. Once we learn that a certain method is effective in solving that problem, we tend to default to it, even if it's not the only way to solve that.

Even if, yeah, going for a run would make me feel better, but I'm just used to smoking cigarettes now. Then we start to develop a story around it. It starts to become a little bit of our identity. We start to use it as a crutch. I do think there's definitely a learned component to that as well.

Even if, yeah, going for a run would make me feel better, but I'm just used to smoking cigarettes now. Then we start to develop a story around it. It starts to become a little bit of our identity. We start to use it as a crutch. I do think there's definitely a learned component to that as well.

Yeah, yeah. Okay. So the four stages are cue, craving, response, and reward. The cue is something that you notice. So for example, you see a plate of cookies on the counter. That's a visual cue. Starts the habit of eating a cookie. The craving is the prediction or the meaning that you assign to that cue. Often happens relatively automatically or quickly.