Dopamine Detox: The Hidden Dangers Of Alcohol, Weed, Porn & Social Media | Dr. K (Healthy Gamer)

Dr.K is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing in modern mental health for the digital generation. He is the President and Cofounder of Healthy Gamer, a mental health platform that provides content, expert wellness coaching, and community to young people. He has inspired millions of people with online content while overseeing the mental health coaching of thousands of young people. He is widely regarded as the foremost expert on video game addiction and most prominent mental health authority for young people.
Today on the show we discuss: why are so many people struggling with emotional pain and addiction right now, how things like social media, porn and video games can be the ultimate connection trap, why you must learn to control your emotions so they don’t get the best of you, what is most misunderstood about men’s mental health and why we must do better moving forward, the remedy for freeing yourself from various addictions and the prison of your emotions, why success can be addictive and lead to more unhappiness and much more.
Follow Dr.K at / @healthygamergg
Check out Dr.K's Guides to Mental Health bit.ly/4a90rPX
Healthy Gamer Website www.healthygamer.gg/
⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠
Please be advised; the topics related to health and mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health or mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you’ve consumed.
If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help:
Emergency Medical Services-911
If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and www.samhsa.gov

[@HealthyGamerGG]

Awesome podcast 💚 Appreciate you for inviting us on!

[@dougbopst1]

Thank you and you’re welcome! Loved our convo 🙏🏼

[@trut6789]

Thanks ❤ just tuned in yesterday was just journaling about the same things😂.

[@cykes5124]

Alok showed me how to unlock the tony hawk pro skater map editor of my mind.

[@Fiox789]

I used to weed to blind myself to the world around me because it sucks out there and now that ive stopped i know why i was smoking weed because my internal world sucks and so does the outside world.

[@roblincoln10]

When you eliminate weed, you can start to work on the internal problems. You will do better to understand both worlds, and it will get better.

[@omg_wtf]

You should read some stoicism brother, I think it will help with the perspective you have right now

[@venems24]

I gotta ask, when you were in emotional pain did you use the weed to blind yourself to it? I smoke weed daily basically, but I find that if I'm in the throes of depression I actually don't want to smoke weed or even drink, sometimes I do still smoke weed anyway. I'm asking because for me I swear weed makes me think about things in a more positive way and it doesn't blind me to any of my feelings, it's more like it allows me to look at how I feel in higher resolution. Was it like that for you?

[@90percentzebra]

I actually listened to a podcast with Dr.K, thanks for the interview!

[@VladProkhorovDrums]

Dr. K is the best! Thank you Doug.

[@KingKBGames]

Hey Doug thanks for the podcast Id love to see more of you edited into the shots that are just Dr K talking it helps create the energy and vibe that im in a room with you and dr k and yall are chopping it up otherwise it feels like dr k talking to a wall

[@kostanikas3881]

Iv been smoking weed almost everyday since I was 21yo (13 years). The longest extended break I took was 7 months (last year). I literally moved to another country where it’s illegal so I couldn’t smoke it. Long story short, it was very hard. The first two months were agonizing. My symptoms were: stomach pain, vomiting, emptiness, depression, misery, rage, anger etc etc etc..I had the same mental symptoms for the whole 7 months, but they gradually got less intense (vomiting and stomach pain went away after 3 weeks). Smoking a J was the first thing I did when I returned home. To be honest, I spent everyday of those 7 months fantasizing about smoking up. I think I need somewhere around 1-2 years clean. Today is my 3rd day clean. I straight up have the jitters.

[@JashGoda]

Hey Doug! Chapters would be really helpful!

[@alenaadamkova7617]

26:40 and 27:20 Very well explained. "I am not passionate the same way so I am just mimicking the passionate people." 29:30 I agree with him that at this moment everybody is competing to get attention. But I would say some good channels actually compete in healthy way to also provide some real connection, like finding connection, creativity, and values. 34:00 "Get your psychological stuff met in real life." He probably means like 30-day detox from internet etc...It helps, but then you have to set another boundaries and write some plan. As other therapsist said 30-day detox will restart your dopamine "reward system" in the brain, which makes you more focused and happy, because of healthy amount of dopamine, and it seems exercising some sport and sleep, creates also serotonin and happy hormones. It seems like in real life we have all the solutions in front of us, we just shouldn´t listen wrong people who say nonsense, and make you depressed or discouraged but follow your own intuition and if you realize sport and meditation make you feel good, you should continue doing it.

[@AmrinderDhaliwal420]

👉 Please provide the time stamps in every podcast ❤.

[@jaredhead9503]

How does this dude get these guests with so little views/subs?

[@stickmandaninacan]

I like to listen to these long podcasts on my phone so I don't have access to adblock, and this podcast has an abusive number of ads every 5 minutes which really takes away from the experience of listening to this. Love Dr K though, on his channel there are usually less ads

[@schmidtleo_01]

Vanc3d

[@omg_wtf]

get premium

[@alenaadamkova7617]

Some therapist said good point why do men feel depressed from watching porn, because the body releases the hormone of love oxytocin and the bonding hormone, but he is alone in the room, so it makes him depressed. Plus also the part of the brain that contains objects is activated not the part of the brain that contains humans. His brain feels like he is looking at objects, not at humans. I guess maybe doing some sport or camping with family, would make men happy on many levels and bonding with people.

[@NicolasSchaII]

This video is pure gold. But sadly, the people who need to watch is the most, won't watch it. Nature long term weed users ;)

[@Benefacez]

❤ Dr K. He seems t be a great guy.

[@ChimeraConcepts]

I definitely hold off on weed if I'm trying to get work done

[@larrytate1657]

And life is full of work so…..

[@ayushp6148]

❤

[@alenaadamkova7617]

43:00 I think having success in jobs is healthy at some point, but then you are supposed to enjoy the fruits from it, finding the time also for your other needs like sport, conversation with colleague or friend, maybe they need your advice, or support, or the friend wants to promote your work, and you promote his work, which is voluntary but it´s enjoying, it´s bonding, it creates beautiful long-term memory. or for traveling, meditation, proper sleep, enjoying the process of bonding with family, going camping, the seemingly ordinary stuff, but they are actually extraordinary... they will give you feedback and they smile, they will say we enjoyed the trip in nature, we should do it often etc. Their nonverbal communication and smilling, actually give you also the feedback, that they feel happy, in the present moment. The job success will wait for you....but the brain and subcosncious mind is not trained to believe that the success will wait for you after comming from the trip with family, but you train your brain to learn it.

[@fembot521]

I don’t have time for negative emotion or acknowledging my feelings.

[@joacomaskaric2598]

5 to 15 minutes of meditation (even just “trying” to meditate, if you’ve never tried it before) can already help you a lot…. you sure you don’t have 15… 10… 5 minutes?

[@aimless_aimer7936]

cope

[@rsturbo4018]

Weed was worse than alcohol for me. Weed made me paranoid so I couldn’t go out so not sure how it cures anxiety. Plus I couldn’t get up for work as was stoned from the night before

[@stickmandaninacan]

Everyone can respond to drugs differently. I am the very opposite type to you as an example. Alcohol gives me the feeling of a loss of control and coherence which gives me self critical thoughts and anxiety about not controlling my actions so I just don't even like drinking it. I have instead been smoking weed very regularly for years as I have grown a tolerance and it doesn't give me the Paranoia effect it gives to other people. Instead it gives my brain a much more slowed down effect which somehow feels easier to focus and pay attention to things which helps me feel calmer and more connected to the world around me. It is still an addiction for me and for many of the reasons that were touched on in this video it isn't the greatest thing for me and I need to address it, but I wanted to share my perspective so you could see how it happens with any type of drug, depending on the person themselves

[@rsturbo4018]

@@stickmandaninacan It’s not a drug people socialise on. People I know who smoke it don’t go out

[@saberswordsmen1]

THC is biphasic - it can reduce anxiety in small doses, increases it in high doses. Also, long-term, heavy use sees more correlation with anxiety issues developing as well.

[@saberswordsmen1]

​@@rsturbo4018 that depends a lot on culture. In California, it's absolutely a very, very social drug. Here in illegal central Europe, same experience as you, nobody smokes socially.

[@larrytate1657]

Weed was my first addiction, and I tried alcohol first and had no issue with it.

[@theLoveRocketjr]

After pulling a 30 day sobriety run for 4/20, I think I’ll be smoking weed just twice a week, only at night. Numbing yourself all the time will leave you blind to a lot. It’s not good for you in the long run.

[@kjaran7164]

Yeah, twice a week will change to twice a day in no time. Either you quit, or you don't.

[@theLoveRocketjr]

@@kjaran7164 I’ll quit in due time. Things like this take time to do. But if you take baby steps towards that goal, you’ll get there eventually.

[@kjaran7164]

@@theLoveRocketjr Baby steps didn't work for me. I had to brutally remove weed from my life. Every day you smoke, is a day lost.

[@theLoveRocketjr]

@@kjaran7164 I understand, but not everyone will have the same experience as you when trying that way. Everyone has a different way of quitting, because everyone is different. I’m glad you pulled it off. I’m certain that I will too someday. I just gotta keep doing better than I did than yesterday. It’s not about the destination, but the journey it takes to get there. Godspeed to ya, and keep going up from there! 👍❤️

[@kjaran7164]

@@theLoveRocketjr Yeah, good luck man! I only wish you good, been through this struggle myself so I know how rough it can be. Stay strong 💪

[@ryanhatmaker1930]

Stop with the jump cuts. People like longform content

[@raginald7mars408]

GOD invented parkinson to STOP toxxic Dope Amine

[@roblincoln10]

In my experience, weed will screw your life up worse than alcohol. I hate to say it, but for me, it is true. Alcohol is more acute in its effects, but weed is subtle, and more impactful in the long run, especially for mental health. That is, if you are a hardcore smoker, which seems to be easier than to binge drink, for me personally.

[@alenaadamkova7617]

But if you stop and do sport instead, you may bond with people who have healthy lifestyle and maybe also the partner, because partners usually care about wellbeing of the partner. The healthy habits will distract you from unhealthy habits.

[@sonny6069]

I dont like your weed stuff i think its white poeple stuff . But i like the dopamine stuff this is a golden topic

[@gailresources3970]

Huh????

[@jax3636]

As a white dude who has smoked bud every day for the past 3 years I think you've got some assumptions you should change

[@zacharyholley9520]

Found the weed smoker 😂

[@vaquri]

​@@jax3636 I smoke too but you sound regarded as hell dude

[@Trahzy]

​@@jax36363 years lol, try 12. Definitely negative side effects eventually.