Bramcast welcomes Dr. Anna Lembke, MD to the show for our first episode of the new semester!

Dr. Lembke is a professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford School of Medicine and is chief of the Stanford addiction medicine dual diagnosis clinic. In addition to her academic appointments, Dr. Lembke is also a practicing clinician and a New York Times bestselling author. In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors were duped, patients got hooked, and why its so hard to stop. More recently, she released Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence:

Today, we discuss addiction. Dr. Lembke explains why, in today’s world, we are all vulnerable to addiction. and how the unprecedented amount of free time in the modern age offers a new risk factor for addiction. We discuss the link between pleasure and pain, how dopamine can dictate the two, the role of abstinence in treating addiction, and Dr. Lembke tells us that it’s normal not to feel great all the time, it’s normal, to feel bad sometimes. 

We then pivot to a college-oriented discussion. Dr. Lembke speaks to the usage of unprescribed amphetamines for study enhancement, the dangers that brings, and how it may undermine the neurological process of learning. Dr. Lembke talks about the viability of raising ones baseline levels of dopamine, how one can foster mental resilience for hard study tasks. Finally, Dr. Lembke offers a word of caution and skepticism about hallucinogenic drugs, amid recent hype around their potential use in treating addiction. 

You can learn more about Dr. Lembke on her website, here.

Thank you to EY for their sponsorship and support. 

Introduction Music Credit: Eastern Blokhedz Live at Barbes for WFMU's Transpacific Sound Paradise

with Rob W

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