To reset your brain’s reward pathways and regenerate dopamine transmission, abstain completely from a high-dopamine substance or behavior for 30 days.
When undertaking a dopamine fast, expect to feel worse for the first two weeks, but anticipate improvement by week three and significantly better by week four.
After experiencing pleasure, allow time for your dopamine levels to re-regulate back to baseline before indulging again to avoid resetting your brain into a dopamine deficit state.
Avoid overindulging in high-reward behaviors to prevent tipping your brain’s pleasure-pain balance permanently to the side of pain, which can lead to a dopamine deficit state.
Limit repeated exposure to substances or behaviors that release large amounts of dopamine to prevent your brain from lowering its tonic dopamine baseline over time.
Make truth-telling a core practice, even about minor details, as it strengthens prefrontal cortical circuits vital for recovery and fosters intimate connections that naturally generate dopamine.
Recognize social media as an engineered ‘drug’ and use it thoughtfully, with advance planning and clear intention, to connect with others rather than being passively consumed by it.
Intentionally create physical and mental barriers between yourself and your phone or other digital distractions to foster uninterrupted focus and prevent constant self-interruption.
Resist the urge to check your phone or internet during moments of mental difficulty to allow for sustained thought, which is essential for creative energy and original ideas.
Actively preserve and maintain offline ways to connect with others to counteract the tendency of social media to divert energy from real-life interactions.
Cultivate the ability to live with periods of boredom, as avoiding constant intensity, thrill-seeking, and escapism is crucial for overcoming addictive tendencies.
If you find yourself unhappy or prone to addiction because normal life feels boring, actively seek out challenges or ‘friction’ to meet your brain’s need for engagement.
Be aware that impulsivity can make one more vulnerable to addiction in a sensory-rich environment, requiring constant self-checking.
Recognize that positive life events or successes can be triggers for relapse by lowering vigilance or creating a desire to ‘celebrate’ with the addictive behavior, and put protective measures in place during these times.
If considering psychedelic-assisted therapy for addiction, understand that it’s effective only for highly selected individuals in controlled clinical settings, interwoven with psychotherapy, and not a quick fix or suitable for self-administration.
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Utilize online therapy services like BetterHelp for professional support, emotional guidance, and valuable insights, as regular therapy is considered crucial for overall mental health.
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