Latest podcast: Dopamine, addiction and recalibrating reward

In this compelling episode, Lisa Costa-Bir speaks with Stanford psychiatrist and author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, Dr Anna Lembke, about the neuroscience and clinical realities of addiction in today’s world of overabundance. 

With 1 in 20 Australians experiencing addiction and 1 in 3 Australians aged 14 years and over drinking at risky levels,^1,2 this discussion extends beyond substances to include recreational drugs, food addiction, vaping, over-exercising and social media. Dr Lembke explores the four Cs of addiction, the dopamine reward pathway and the neuroadaptation process that shifts the brain’s pleasure–pain balance. 

The episode also highlights relapse risk factors including stress and sleep disruption, and reinforces therapeutic pillars such as exercise, mindfulness meditation and adaptive coping strategies. For practitioners working across mental health, cardiometabolic and lifestyle medicine, this conversation offers practical insight grounded in compassion and realistic clinical expectations.