Dopamine Nation
Lessons of the balance
The relentless pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain and leads to pain.
Recovery begins with abstinence
Abstinence resets the brain’s reward pathway and with it our capacity to take joy and simpler pleasures.
Self-binding creates literal and metacognitive space between desire and consumption, a modern necessity in our dopamine overloaded world.
Medications can restore homeostasis, but consider what we lose by medicating away our pain.
Pressing on the pain side resets our balance to the side of pleasure.
Beware of getting addicted to pain.
Radical honesty promotes awareness, enhances intimacy, and fosters a plenty mindset.
Prosocial shame affirms that we belong to the human tribe.
Instead of running away from the world, we can find escape by immersing ourselves in it.”