Sublime

The “flow” of deep concentration is a drug in itself, releasing dopamine and creating its own high.

Our dopamine economy, or what historian David Courtwright has called “limbic capitalism,” is driving this change, aided by transformational technology that has increased not just access but also drug numbers, variety, and potency.

This type of radical honesty without shaming is also important to teach children their strengths and weaknesses.

“Do you still want to be using cannabis like this ten years from now?”

A Stands for Abstinence

Binding ourselves is a way to be free.

I sometimes wonder if our modern predilection for becoming addicted is fueled in part by the way drugs remind us that we still have bodies.

including dopamine researcher Dr. Anna Lembke, hormone expert Dr. Aviva Romm, neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart Bieber, and metabolic health specialist Dr. Casey Means (an impressive fan club, if I’ve ever seen one).

The key to creating effective self-binding is first to acknowledge the loss of voluntariness we experience when under the spell of a powerful compulsion, and to bind ourselves while we still possess the capacity for voluntary choice.