Anna Lembke: Dopamine, Addiction and How to Get Your Joy Back

Dr Anna Lembke is a Stanford psychiatrist and addiction specialist. In her book Dopamine Nation, she explains why we can become hooked on things that make us feel good, from alcohol and drugs to food, shopping, gaming and social media.

Her message is simple: addiction isn’t just about having weak willpower. We use something because it gives us pleasure or helps us escape stress, sadness or boredom. But the more we repeat it, the more our brain adapts. We may need more to get the same feeling, while everyday life starts to feel less exciting.

This is where dopamine comes in. Dopamine helps our brain learn what feels rewarding and motivates us to repeat it. Too much intense stimulation can throw our pleasure-and-pain balance off. We keep chasing the next reward, but it doesn’t make us as happy as it used to. We can end up wanting something more while enjoying it less.

Today, stimulation is everywhere. Scroll. Click. Buy. Watch. Drink. Eat. Repeat. Whenever we feel bored, stressed or uncomfortable, we can escape within seconds. The problem isn’t dopamine itself. The problem is becoming dependent on constant stimulation. We need to relearn how to be comfortable with quiet, boredom and ordinary life.

Try a 7-day reset

Don’t try to change everything. Choose one habit. Maybe it’s scrolling, alcohol, online shopping, snacking or constantly checking your phone.

For seven days:

– Remove the trigger: Delete the app, hide the snacks or don’t keep alcohol at home.
– Create phone-free times: Start with meals, the first 30 minutes after waking and the last 30 minutes before bed.
– Use the 10-minute rule: When you get an urge, wait 10 minutes before acting on it.
– Replace the habit: Walk, exercise, read, pray, cook, garden or call someone.
– Practise boredom: Sit for 10 minutes without your phone, TV or music.
– Track your urges: Write down what you wanted, what triggered it and what you did instead.
– Ask one question: “Am I choosing this or am I doing it automatically?”

The goal isn’t to “detox” dopamine or stop enjoying life. It’s to create space between the urge and the action. And that space gives you something valuable back: choice.

When we stop chasing constant stimulation, simple things can start feeling good again, a walk, a good meal, a conversation, time with family, nature, prayer or simply sitting quietly.

You don’t need less joy. You may need less noise to notice it. Maybe being bored is a good thing!