workaholism

Can you get addicted to anything? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore the science of addiction, dopamine pathways, and what social media is doing to our brains with psychiatrist, Anna Lembke.

For more information about the new book: https://startalkmedia.com/books

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/this-is-your-brain-on-social-media-with-anna-lembke-md

Thanks to our Patrons christoffer olsen, Miguel Mata, Christina Hansen, Steven Johnston, Holly MIller, and Kelley VosBurgh for supporting us this week.

Photo Credit: Vincent Croset, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

"Addiction doesn't have to be a bummer!," quoth addictionologist Erin Parisi, who has some uplifting and hopeful tales from her professional life. But content warning: it's definitely not a day in the park. Tune in for some info on alcohol dependence, smoking, opiates, behavioral addictions, how addiction can futz with your reward systems, some sobering statistics, what we can learn from rat parties, how childhood experiences can set the stage for substance dependence later, how many people are in recovery, what to do if a friend or loved one seems to have a problem, how to tell if you might have a problem, enjoying your grandpa's casserole, cuddling babies and more.

Erin Parisi's website: www.erincanhelp.com

To find publicly-funded treatment centers in your state, call 1-800-622-HELP or go to www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

For sliding scale therapy, look into openpathcollective.org

Donations were made to: DrugAbuse.gov and EndtheBacklog.org

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More links at alieward.com/ologies/addictionology

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Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media & Steven Ray Morris

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

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