Dopamine Nation: Why our Addiction to Pleasure is Causing us Pain

Anna Lembke’s stories of guiding people to find a healthy balance between pleasure and pain have the power to transform your life – Lori Gottlieb, bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneBrilliant … No matter what you might find yourself over-indulging in-from the internet to food to work to sex-you’ll find this book riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued. Lembke weaves patient stories with research, in a voice that’s as empathetic as it is clear-eyed – Beth Macy, bestselling author of DopesickRadically changes the way we think about mental illness, pleasure, pain, reward, and stress. Turn toward it. You’ll be happy you did – Daniel Levitin, bestselling author of The Organized Mind and Successful Aging[An] eye-opening survey on pleasure-seeking and addiction … Readers looking for balance will return to Lembke’s informative and fascinating guidance. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *fascinating case histories, and a sensible formula for treatment. * Kirkus Reviews *Dr Anna Lembke is a whiz on why we get hooked on things - and how we can enjoy pleasurable things in healthier doses * Guardian *Explore[s] the dichotomy between seeking a readily accessible hit of dopamine - from our phones, gambling, or a bag of Fritos - and maintaining healthy, productive, stable lives. – The New York Times[An] eye- opening survey on pleasure - seeking and addiction … Readers looking for balance will return to Lembke’s informative and fascinating guidance. – Publishers Weekly

Anna Lembke is the medical director of Stanford Addiction Medicine, program director for the Stanford Addiction Medicine Fellowship, and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is the recipient of numerous awards for outstanding research in mental illness, for excellence in teaching, and for clinical innovation in treatment. A clinician scholar, she has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries in prestigious outlets such as The New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. She sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organizations, has testified before various committees in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, keeps an active speaking calendar, and maintains a thriving clinical practice.