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serafaeryDopamine fasting.
D - Data: collecting data points on usage - is this something that has to be done first thing in the morning or all day long or that keeps going late into the night?
O - Objectives: what does this behavior do for you? how does it help? validating that it is doing something positive - even irrational behavior is rooted in some personal logic - to have fun, fit in, relieve boredom, depression, the list goes on.
P - Problems: Downsides, unintended consequences? Health? Relationship? Work? Moral problems? Often hard to see the downsides. Most of us are unable to see the consequences while we're still using. They cloud our ability to assess cause and effect. As we age, consequences multiply. Stopping, even for a period of time, can allow one to see cause and effect more clearly.
A - Abstinence: necessary to reinstate homeostasis and see true cause and effect from what we're doing. 1 month is a good starting point. 2 weeks is not enough (according to brain scan research). 4 weeks often is sufficient. Reset the reward pathway. The longer the addiction the more time might be required. Withdrawals can be minor for some drugs like video games, or severe with higher potency drugs where medical monitoring is needed. (Replacing with another reward usually doesn't work.)
A minority of patients (20%) don't feel better after the dopamine fast. These issues might require its own treatment.
M - Mindfulness: Be prepared for feeling worse before you feel better. The first two weeks is not how it will feel forever. The longer you can tolerate it, the faster you'll get to the point where you'll feel better. Tolerate the pain. A chance to observe the discomfort as separate from thoughts. Be the observer, without judgement. Especially important in the early days of Abstinence. The trick it to stop running away from painful emotions and let ourselves tolerate them.
I - Insight: (Now that I stopped I see what it was doing to me.) Simply not possible while we continue to use.
N - Next steps: The vast majority want to go back to their drugs but "use less." The dominant wisdom has been that abstinence is the only path for an addict (such as the views in AA). But newer research shows that some people, especially those who had less severe addictions, can return to using in a controlled way.
E - Experiment: Going back into the world with a new dopamine setpoint and ways to maintain it. Through trial and error figure out what works and what doesn't. The goal of moderation can backfire. Even when moderation is achievable, it can be exhausting and choose abstinence altogether. But what about food and smartphones that can't be abstained from altogether?
Self-binding strategies.
(Will get to this later.)
(I cracked and ate two tortillas and a slice of bread with butter slathered all over it. And also sardines which I desperately needed actually since I haven't been able to make myself take any supplements for several weeks. And banana chips. Like 600 extra calories. Which is about what I burned on my bike ride today. It's a setback but not a terrible one. It's been a difficult day emotionally, this book is really painful to read.)
D - Data: collecting data points on usage - is this something that has to be done first thing in the morning or all day long or that keeps going late into the night?
O - Objectives: what does this behavior do for you? how does it help? validating that it is doing something positive - even irrational behavior is rooted in some personal logic - to have fun, fit in, relieve boredom, depression, the list goes on.
P - Problems: Downsides, unintended consequences? Health? Relationship? Work? Moral problems? Often hard to see the downsides. Most of us are unable to see the consequences while we're still using. They cloud our ability to assess cause and effect. As we age, consequences multiply. Stopping, even for a period of time, can allow one to see cause and effect more clearly.
A - Abstinence: necessary to reinstate homeostasis and see true cause and effect from what we're doing. 1 month is a good starting point. 2 weeks is not enough (according to brain scan research). 4 weeks often is sufficient. Reset the reward pathway. The longer the addiction the more time might be required. Withdrawals can be minor for some drugs like video games, or severe with higher potency drugs where medical monitoring is needed. (Replacing with another reward usually doesn't work.)
A minority of patients (20%) don't feel better after the dopamine fast. These issues might require its own treatment.
M - Mindfulness: Be prepared for feeling worse before you feel better. The first two weeks is not how it will feel forever. The longer you can tolerate it, the faster you'll get to the point where you'll feel better. Tolerate the pain. A chance to observe the discomfort as separate from thoughts. Be the observer, without judgement. Especially important in the early days of Abstinence. The trick it to stop running away from painful emotions and let ourselves tolerate them.
I - Insight: (Now that I stopped I see what it was doing to me.) Simply not possible while we continue to use.
N - Next steps: The vast majority want to go back to their drugs but "use less." The dominant wisdom has been that abstinence is the only path for an addict (such as the views in AA). But newer research shows that some people, especially those who had less severe addictions, can return to using in a controlled way.
E - Experiment: Going back into the world with a new dopamine setpoint and ways to maintain it. Through trial and error figure out what works and what doesn't. The goal of moderation can backfire. Even when moderation is achievable, it can be exhausting and choose abstinence altogether. But what about food and smartphones that can't be abstained from altogether?
Self-binding strategies.
(Will get to this later.)
(I cracked and ate two tortillas and a slice of bread with butter slathered all over it. And also sardines which I desperately needed actually since I haven't been able to make myself take any supplements for several weeks. And banana chips. Like 600 extra calories. Which is about what I burned on my bike ride today. It's a setback but not a terrible one. It's been a difficult day emotionally, this book is really painful to read.)
