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Reviews tagging 'Addiction'
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke
50 reviews
pvp_niki's review against another edition
This explains all the red flags I felt.
https://www.sluggish.xyz/p/the-myth-making-of-dopamine-nation
https://www.sluggish.xyz/p/the-myth-making-of-dopamine-nation
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, and Classism
kiwichill's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content
123aah456's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Fatphobia
erinmassey23's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
aebrossbooks's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
1.5
I never thought I'd be the type of person to rage-read a book, and yet, here I am.
CW/TW: Mention of fatphobia/anti-fatness and racial we well as socioeconomic privilege
"Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence" by Anne Lemke positions itself as a book about balancing pleasure and pain amidst a world forcing pleasure down our throats in a way that would make us numb to the true pain and feeling around us.
What it actually is is a frustrating journey through a mishmash of loose correlation and disjointed anecdotal evidence tinged with the familiar taste of individual responsibility propaganda. It paradoxically insisting both that we all have the power to control ourselves and that social media can be compared to illicit drugs (such as opioids) in the strength of its addictive pull, the latter of which both diminishes the reality of chemical addiction AND obfuscates the causes and possible cures for "addiction" to social media.
Not only this, but the message is also steeped in an amount of anti-fat bias that I found, quite frankly, shocking. There was more than one (i.e. there were many) mentions of how overweight and obese people are "suffering" from something they can "control." On top of that, the author does little to discuss the socioeconomic influences on individuals and their indulgence in dopamine seeking behaviors. There are one or two flippant mentions to, "yes, there could be other factors" but the majority of the book continues on, apparently blissfully oblivious to the different treatment of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled individuals, content deliver it's bootstraps-scented message.
And DO NOT get me started on the fear mongering and complete disregard and stigmatization of individuals who actually NEED things like antidepressants and the like. It's clear she is not a fan.
Are there good parts of this book? Absolutely. There are many instances where the author highlights important behaviors and treatments that can do some real good. There are even things I plan on keeping a closer eye on in my own life. All of that feels very much stymied by what I can only assume is the author's bias and an attempt to make the book more marketable by not giving the entirety of this important topic.
CW/TW: Mention of fatphobia/anti-fatness and racial we well as socioeconomic privilege
"Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence" by Anne Lemke positions itself as a book about balancing pleasure and pain amidst a world forcing pleasure down our throats in a way that would make us numb to the true pain and feeling around us.
What it actually is is a frustrating journey through a mishmash of loose correlation and disjointed anecdotal evidence tinged with the familiar taste of individual responsibility propaganda. It paradoxically insisting both that we all have the power to control ourselves and that social media can be compared to illicit drugs (such as opioids) in the strength of its addictive pull, the latter of which both diminishes the reality of chemical addiction AND obfuscates the causes and possible cures for "addiction" to social media.
Not only this, but the message is also steeped in an amount of anti-fat bias that I found, quite frankly, shocking. There was more than one (i.e. there were many) mentions of how overweight and obese people are "suffering" from something they can "control." On top of that, the author does little to discuss the socioeconomic influences on individuals and their indulgence in dopamine seeking behaviors. There are one or two flippant mentions to, "yes, there could be other factors" but the majority of the book continues on, apparently blissfully oblivious to the different treatment of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or disabled individuals, content deliver it's bootstraps-scented message.
And DO NOT get me started on the fear mongering and complete disregard and stigmatization of individuals who actually NEED things like antidepressants and the like. It's clear she is not a fan.
Are there good parts of this book? Absolutely. There are many instances where the author highlights important behaviors and treatments that can do some real good. There are even things I plan on keeping a closer eye on in my own life. All of that feels very much stymied by what I can only assume is the author's bias and an attempt to make the book more marketable by not giving the entirety of this important topic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Fatphobia
lizzymorang's review against another edition
Woof, this is not what I expected. The author is incredibly judgemental and unprofessional about her clients. This felt more like a salacious tell all than a psychology book with any wisdom to share.
Hey if you're struggling with addiction, have you tried just not? Fuck off.
Hey if you're struggling with addiction, have you tried just not? Fuck off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
agarocks's review against another edition
It started getting fear-mongery about the use of anti-depressants.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
mlwizenberg's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Incest, Rape, and Sexual assault
lalalauren_'s review against another edition
I think the author used disturbing initial examples of addiction to hook the audience, but it was too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Sexual content
lindsayvale's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Minor: Sexual content