Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Lembke outlines the book’s purpose, acknowledging the idea that people live in an age of abundance that would have been scarcely imaginable even just a few generations ago. A by-product of living in this age is exposure to ever-increasing opportunities to develop substance use disorders or engage in compulsive behavior.

Lembke recounts an anecdote from her clinical practice. She describes the circumstances of a man named Jacob, whom Lembke mentions is from a nation in Eastern Europe. He seeks Lembke’s assistance with a compulsive masturbation condition and provides the doctor with an extensive background into its development, even delving into his childhood. Jacob describes how he developed a fixation on a device that he manufactured for masturbation. Lembke then transitions into describing a personal circumstance in which she, at one time, became “addicted” to romance novels. The compulsion began harmlessly but eventually started to affect her life. She spent inordinate time reading these novels, to the point that it affected her sleep and her social interactions. She experienced a kind of retreat.

Lembke transitions back to the story of her patient, Jacob, and continues to chronicle the evolution of his problem. Like many with an