How to Overcome Addiction to Substances or Behaviors | Dr. Keith Humphreys

Dr. Keith Humphreys is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine and a leading expert on treating addictions, drug laws and policy. We discuss all the major addictive substances and behaviors, including alcohol, opioids, gambling, stimulants, nicotine, cannabis and more, focusing on how genetics and certain use patterns shape addiction susceptibility. We discuss the best evidence-based tools for recovery, from 12-step programs to emerging treatments such as psychedelics and ibogaine. Anyone interested in making better choices for their health and/or seeking to avoid or overcome addictions ought to benefit from this episode.

Articles

• Positive reinforcement produced by electrical stimulation of septal area and other regions of rat brain (Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology)
• Ethanol-induced changes in body sway in men at high alcoholism risk (Archives of General Psychiatry)
• Cannabis and schizophrenia: A longitudinal study of Swedish conscripts (The Lancet)
• Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews)
• Pressure to Reduce Drinking and Reasons for Seeking Treatment (Contemporary Drug Problems)
• Association of Neural Responses to Drug Cues With Subsequent Relapse to Stimulant Use (JAMA Network Open)
• Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT): A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial (American Journal of Psychiatry)
• Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression (American Journal of Psychiatry)
• Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Navigating High Hopes, Strong Claims, Weak Evidence, and Big Money (Annual Review of Psychology)
• Magnesium-ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries (Nature Medicine)
• Responding to the opioid crisis in North America and beyond: recommendations of the Stanford-Lancet Commission (The Lancet)

Books

• Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas
• The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Other Resources

• Keith Humphreys, PhD & Patrick J. Kennedy Fireside Chat | Mental Healthcare Innovations Summit 2023
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• What to Know About Australia’s Social Media Ban (The New York Times)
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• SMART Recovery
• Women for Sobriety
• Oxford House
• SAINT (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy) protocol
• Brain Stimulation Lab (Stanford)
• Addiction Treatment Had Failed. Could Brain Surgery Save Him? (The Washington Post)

Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned

• What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health
• Dr. Matthew Hill: How Cannabis Impacts Health & the Potential Risks
• Tools for Overcoming Substance & Behavioral Addictions | Ryan Soave
• How to Grow From Doing Hard Things | Michael Easter
• Dr. Michael Eisenberg: Improving Male Sexual Health, Function & Fertility
• Dr. Nolan Williams: Psychedelics & Neurostimulation for Brain Rewiring
• Improve Focus with Behavioral Tools & Medication for ADHD | Dr. John Kruse

People Mentioned

• Anna Lembke: professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford University
• Ezra Klein: journalist, podcaster
• Nolan Williams: professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford University
• David Huble: neurophysiologist, Nobel laureate
• Torston Weisel: neurophysiologist, Nobel laureate
• Richard Axel: professor of pathology and biochemistry, Columbia University, Nobel laureate
• Jelly Roll: rapper, singer
• Gregory Sahlem: professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Duke University
• Bill Wilson and Bob Smith: founders of AA