Episode
Dr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
1:59:49
Published: Mon Aug 16 2021
Description
This episode I interview Dr. Anna Lembke, MD, Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Lembke is a psychiatrist expert in treating addictions of all kinds: drugs, alcohol, food, sex, video games, gambling, food, medication, etc. Dr. Lembke is also an expert in the opioid crisis, and the author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. We discuss the biology and psychology of why people become addicted to certain substances and behaviors and the key role that our "dopamine balance" plays in creating addiction. We also discuss the science and practice of how to conquer addictions, why people relapse and how to avoid relapsing. Dr. Lembke also shares her expertise on topics closely related to addiction such as community, shame and lying and she explains why telling the truth—even about the most basic things in daily life, adjusts dopamine levels in our brain. This episode is an important one for anyone struggling with addictions of any kind, for their friends and families and for health care professionals. It is also for anyone who has defeated addiction and is determined to stay clean. Last but not least, it helps explain why all humans do what we do, and how we can all maintain a healthy sense of pleasure seeking in life. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Anna Lembke, Addiction Expert (00:02:42) Disclaimer & Sponsors: AG1, LMNT, Thesis, Momentous (00:07:00) Dopamine, Happiness & Impulsivity (00:15:56) What Is Pleasure? (00:18:20) Addiction, Boredom & Passion for Life (00:24:00) Pain-Pleasure Balance Controls Addiction (00:29:10) Dopamine Deficits, Anhedonia (00:30:47) Are All Addictions the Same? (00:35:38) Boredom & Anxiety Lead to Creativity (00:40:35) Finding Your Passion Starts with Boredom & Action Steps (00:50:05) How to Break an Addiction (00:55:25) Relapse, Craving & Triggers (01:07:40) Can People Get Addicted To “Sobriety”? (01:11:45) Are We All Wired for Addiction? (01:15:57) Bizarre Addiction (01:18:14) Recovered Addicts Are Heroes (01:20:10) Lying, Truth Telling, Guilt & Shame (01:30:40) Clinical Applications of: Ibogaine, Ayahuasca, Psilocybin & MDMA (01:40:20) Social Media Addiction (01:51:25) Narcissism (01:53:30) Goal Seeking, Success & Surprise (01:58:10) Reciprocity (02:01:15) Closing Comments, Resources Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer
Chapters
In this podcast episode, Dr. Samantha Lemke discusses the concepts and methods for treating different types of addiction, ranging from drug addiction to behavioral addictions like gambling and sex addiction.
00:00 - 02:25 (02:25)
Summary
In this podcast episode, Dr. Samantha Lemke discusses the concepts and methods for treating different types of addiction, ranging from drug addiction to behavioral addictions like gambling and sex addiction. Her new book, to be released on August 24th, offers insight into the struggles and heroic battles that those dealing with addiction face.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
Chronic exposure to substances that release high levels of dopamine can lower our brain's tonic baseline and affect our levels of happiness or depression.
02:25 - 09:42 (07:17)
Summary
Chronic exposure to substances that release high levels of dopamine can lower our brain's tonic baseline and affect our levels of happiness or depression. Despite the common use of the term "dopamine hits," our brains are consistently releasing dopamine at a tonic baseline rate.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
The world is hard, and we're all making it up, which can make people susceptible to addiction.
09:42 - 19:50 (10:07)
Summary
The world is hard, and we're all making it up, which can make people susceptible to addiction. Dr. Judson Brewer discusses the range of things people can become addicted to, and how some individuals need more friction in their lives to stay grounded.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
In neuroscience, pleasure and pain are co-located meaning that the same parts of the brain that process pleasure also process pain.
19:50 - 30:18 (10:28)
Summary
In neuroscience, pleasure and pain are co-located meaning that the same parts of the brain that process pleasure also process pain. This relationship is significant because indulging in high reward behaviors or substances may lead to a dopamine deficit state, similar to clinical depression.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
Addiction narrows one's capacity to experience pleasure.
30:18 - 36:56 (06:38)
Summary
Addiction narrows one's capacity to experience pleasure. People in recovery from addiction often hold hard-won wisdom that can benefit all of us in experiencing pleasure in small and big things life offers.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
The immediate environment can play a significant role in fostering a relationship to the circuits in our brain that link action and reward, ultimately leading to a greater sense of passion and fulfillment.
36:56 - 44:34 (07:37)
Summary
The immediate environment can play a significant role in fostering a relationship to the circuits in our brain that link action and reward, ultimately leading to a greater sense of passion and fulfillment.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
It takes around 30 days for the brain to reset reward pathways and for dopamine transmission to regenerate itself, which can aid in breaking addictive patterns.
44:36 - 52:12 (07:36)
Summary
It takes around 30 days for the brain to reset reward pathways and for dopamine transmission to regenerate itself, which can aid in breaking addictive patterns. However, the 30 day abstinence period can be challenging due to the lack of pleasure.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
The physiologic changes that happen to the brain with sustained heavy drug use make it reasonable to consider addiction a brain disease.
52:13 - 58:51 (06:37)
Summary
The physiologic changes that happen to the brain with sustained heavy drug use make it reasonable to consider addiction a brain disease. The loss of resilience and ability to restore homeostasis after prolonged drug use calls for interventions to help individuals recover from addiction.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
Host Andrew Huberman discusses how people with drug or alcohol addiction have a propensity for extremes and are wired for a specific intensity due to their temperament.
58:51 - 1:09:27 (10:35)
Summary
Host Andrew Huberman discusses how people with drug or alcohol addiction have a propensity for extremes and are wired for a specific intensity due to their temperament. He also touches on the oxytocin hormone's connection to human bonding and relationships.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
The podcast host shares how he came to understand why some people seek intense experiences and how dopamine impacts our perception.
1:09:27 - 1:15:01 (05:33)
Summary
The podcast host shares how he came to understand why some people seek intense experiences and how dopamine impacts our perception.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
Recovery from addiction takes immense courage, fortitude, and discipline in order to stop lying to themselves and loved ones about their addiction.
1:15:01 - 1:21:50 (06:49)
Summary
Recovery from addiction takes immense courage, fortitude, and discipline in order to stop lying to themselves and loved ones about their addiction. Despite the constant urge to use even after abstinence, those in recovery exhibit amazing strength and resilience.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
This podcast episode discusses the importance of truth telling in mental health treatment and the potential benefits of non-traditional treatments such as Ibogaine, ayahuasca, and MDMA.
1:21:50 - 1:30:15 (08:25)
Summary
This podcast episode discusses the importance of truth telling in mental health treatment and the potential benefits of non-traditional treatments such as Ibogaine, ayahuasca, and MDMA. It also touches on the steps of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous that are related to truth telling about past wrongdoings.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
Microdosing can be a transformative experience for some, but it comes with unintended consequences like the pursuit of spiritual awakening without proper therapeutic psychological work.
1:30:18 - 1:37:38 (07:20)
Summary
Microdosing can be a transformative experience for some, but it comes with unintended consequences like the pursuit of spiritual awakening without proper therapeutic psychological work. It's important to understand that it's not a one-size-fits-all solution, despite its potential benefits.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
We need to be conscious of the amount of time we spend on social media, and consider allocating a specific amount of time daily for unrestricted usage to avoid addiction and negative consequences.
1:37:38 - 1:46:32 (08:53)
Summary
We need to be conscious of the amount of time we spend on social media, and consider allocating a specific amount of time daily for unrestricted usage to avoid addiction and negative consequences. Being thoughtful about the way we use social media is important, just like being thoughtful about the way we use drugs or any other substance.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
Dr. John Ioannidis discusses our loss of attention span and how it affects personal achievement and imposter syndrome.
1:46:32 - 1:57:02 (10:29)
Summary
Dr. John Ioannidis discusses our loss of attention span and how it affects personal achievement and imposter syndrome.
EpisodeDr. Anna Lembke: Understanding & Treating Addiction
PodcastHuberman Lab
The Huberman Lab Podcast has partnered with Momentus Supplements, which offers high-quality, single-ingredient formulations that can be shipped internationally.
1:57:02 - 2:00:11 (03:09)
Summary
The Huberman Lab Podcast has partnered with Momentus Supplements, which offers high-quality, single-ingredient formulations that can be shipped internationally. Listeners can visit livemomentus.com/huberman to find supplements and related protocols discussed on the show.