Try This –Do You Need a Dopamine Detox? (If You Look At Your Phone First Thing in the Morning, the Answer Is Yes)

Alcohol, over-caffeinating, sugar consumption, shopping, and social media—what do these things all have in common? 

They can become full-blown addictions.

Most of us use social media. Many of us eat sugar or enjoy wine, coffee, and shopping. 

The question becomes, at what point do these become a problem, how do our brains become hijacked by these addictions, and how do we break free from them? 

If you find yourself struggling with unwanted behaviors that make you feel like crap, this newsletter is for you. 

I recently sat down with Dr. Alok Kanojia (a Harvard-trained psychiatrist also known as Dr. K) to talk about some of the most insidious addictions of our time, how many of us are depleting our dopamine stores causing unhappiness and lack of motivation, and what we can do about it.

Today I’m going to share three of the biggest takeaways from this interview so that you or anyone you know can overcome these behaviors that strip us of our dopamine (like too much scrolling on social media and too much sugar) and create a life of purpose and optimal health. 

This was SUCH a powerful episode. I got so many emails and calls about how useful it was, so I’m excited to share these big ideas with you. 

Let’s get into it… 

3 Big Ideas on Restoring Your Dopamine and Breaking Free of Bad Habits 

1. That 15 Minutes of Screen Time in the Morning Is Messing Up Your Brain

It might seem harmless to reach for your phone first thing in the morning while you’re in bed or going “number 2” on the toilet, but it’s actually pretty harmful. 

Dr. K explained that we start our day with a certain amount of dopamine (our motivation neurotransmitter). When we jump on our phones first thing in the morning and start scrolling, we actually deplete our dopamine stores, leaving us with no motivation for the rest of the day. Things that used to feel pleasurable lose their value—working out, eating well, and doing challenging but rewarding work. 

Think about how you feel after you’ve been scrolling on social media for long periods of time. Or, here’s another example: think about how you feel after you’ve eaten an entire box of cookies or bag of chips. Do you feel good about yourself? Do you feel more motivated…or less? Do you feel excited about life? Probably not. You feel depleted. That’s because these activities rob us of our dopamine. 

Since phone addiction is something I know so many of us can relate to, Dr. K and I really focused on one of the most powerful things we can do to keep our brains happy and motivated—cutting down on our social media use in the morning. 

Dr. K’s advice: Delay screen time as long as possible in the morning (ideally an hour) to make sure we don’t deplete our dopamine stores. 

This brings me to our next point… 

2. Most Unwanted Behavior Comes from Our Inability to Sit with Discomfort 

Why do we take our phones into the bathroom with us? Why do we reach for comfort food or alcohol? Why do we sit on the couch when we know we should be at the gym? 

It all comes down to this: any unwanted behavior we have comes from an inability to sit with discomfort. 

We know that we should be at the gym, but working out is hard and sitting on the couch is easy and comfortable. We have a lot on our plate and too much to deal with, but we numb ourselves with phone use to avoid feeling our feelings. We know that we should eat well, but cooking takes time and it’s easier to order out. These behaviors give our brains the reward of comfort, but in the long run they create even bigger problems. 

But when we become comfortable with discomfort, we can overcome negative behaviors and replenish our dopamine stores. 

Dr. K’s advice: Stretch out the time between impulse and action. Instead of taking our phone to the bathroom, leave it outside the door. Sit with your thoughts and acknowledge what is coming up. This is the first step to overcoming discomfort and facing our challenges head on. Another example would be to keep sugary snacks and junk food out of your home. If we are really craving them, we have to take extra time to get in the car and go get them. This stretch of time helps us sit with what we are feeling and ask ourselves what we really need in the moment. The more we can tolerate discomfort, the better off we will be. 

Awareness of what we are trying to change is the way to exert self-control. We don’t have to “will-power” our way through everything; sometimes we just have to watch, wait it out, and the impulse will go away on its own. 

And finally…

3. Replenish Your Dopamine by Working On Your Serotonin

Addressing addictive behaviors is not always about avoiding bad behaviors; it’s also about engaging in intentional and serotonin-boosting behaviors. Dr. K explained that serotonin and dopamine are inversely related. The more dopaminergic your brain, the less serotonin you have. Serotonin is important because it’s associated with peace and contentment. When we engage in addictive behaviors, we rob ourselves of peaceful feelings. 

So the question to ask yourself is: what makes you feel peaceful? Probably not scrolling, eating a bag of chips, binge-watching TV, or hours of online shopping. Dr. K shared that some of the most serotonin-inducing activities are those that are challenging yet rewarding—for example, doing hard yet satisfying work, helping others, and working out. 

Dr. K’s advice: Whatever activity you give into or spend time doing will be strengthened. So think about the activities you want to become a part of your daily life and do those as often as you can. 

Sometimes, you have to crowd out the bad with the good! 

I hope you enjoyed these big ideas, and if anyone in your life is struggling with any addictive behaviors, send them this email—these tips could go a long way! 

Here’s to your health, 

Dhru Purohit