Normally I like to only read one chapter of a book per day, but I broke that rule with Dr. Anna Lembke's fantastic book 'Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance In the Age of Indulgence.' It is so engaging, easy to read, and relevant to today's world that I had a hard time putting it down.
I am no reviewer, so I'll just put the little Amazon snippet here:
This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.
In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain . . . and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.
Yep. From 'masturbation machines' to 'prosocial shame' the author does a masterful job dealing with difficult subjects in a vulnerable grace-filled way, while also offering non-judgmental challenge that not only makes sense, but the hope of recovery seems possible.
I highly recommend this book whether you're trying to deal with life yourself, or you know someone else who is. The paperback is even affordable.
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