Anyone feel addicted to something other than alcohol/drugs?

Obviously alcohol and drug addictions are more physiologically intensive than others. But after listening to a Huberman podcast episode with Anna Lembke, the reality is that people have a propensity for becoming addicted to almost anything. Work. Sex. Food. Social media.

She even discussed a former patient who was addicted to water. The patient would overdose on water until they became disoriented and couldn’t stop herself from doing it.

Lembke claims that because all of our basic survival needs are met, we’ve had to invent new purposes for living, which easily become ways to seek dopamine hits. Once these dopamine hits become too much, we begin to identify harmless things like boredom as pain. Like our minds physically attach boredom (or turning down sugar or not getting on social media) as physical pain. So we become addicted to whatever it is that provides that steady drip of dopamine.

I’ve realized that I am addicted - as in legitimately addicted - to my phone and sweets. It’s absolutely terrible how pathetic I am when trying to resist looking at my phone or grabbing something sweet to eat anytime I’m in the kitchen.

What’s your addiction? How do you manage to overcome it?