From dopamine junkie to disciplined

The dopamine junkie doesn’t have a will of his own. He’s completely led by cheap dopamine sources and whatever makes him feel good. While he may have a good time in the moment, it’s always followed by regret.

On the other end you have the high-achiever that uses dopamine as a tool for improvement. He is not a slave to dopamine but it’s master. He uses dopamine to train his body, become wealthier and fulfilled in his relations.

Are you a dopamine junkie?

I know I was (and still am to some degree). Sometimes I have those days where I want to do whatever feels good and follow my monkey brain.

Eat the bullshit foods because it makes me feel good. Watch 6 hours of shows because I want to feel relaxed and unwind. Not do any work and chill because it feels easier.

This is dangerous behavior. We can ruin years of our lives by chasing pleasure. It puts us at a serious disadvantage for the future.

To understand why our monkey brain does this to us we need to understand what ‘dopamine’ is.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in pleasure, motivation and learning. It’s crucial for our reward system and can make or break you.

These days there are a lot of sources that ‘hack’ this neurotransmitter to make you feel good. It makes your brain feel rewarded and feel good without the real life achievement.

Main sources are:

• Alcohol and drugs

• Video games

• Ultra processed junk foods

• Porn

Anyone has those days where they are being controlled by their monkey brain and dopamine. It’s hard to fight against it in this modern day world.

There are a few handful weapons you can use to become in control over dopamine:

• Hard reset aka dopamine detox

  This one is for the people that have fried their dopamine receptors for a longer time. These people will get the most from a hard detox. They will regain their dopamine balance and reap the rewards.

  It’s a day without screens, games, unhealthy foods or anything else that can give you a dopamine spike. The specific rules are up to you.

• Turn your phone screen to black and white

  One of the biggest contributors to being a dopamine slave is that magical tool in your pocket. Once we turn the addictive colors to black and white our phone loses its power over us.

• Delete notifications and social media

  Every time we get a notification it’s a small spike in dopamine again. It’s a distraction. If it happens enough, we reach for our phones without thinking. Turn off all the notifications on you phone so you don’t end up like Pavlov’s dog.

Being aware of dopamine signals is the first step to becoming free of them.

Keep improving 👊

Ivan