What is a Dopamine Detox?
“Nature has intermingled pleasure with necessary things — not in order that we should seek pleasure, but in order that the addition of pleasure may make the indispensable means of existence attractive to our eyes. Should it claim rights of its own, it is luxury. Let us therefore resist these faults when they are demanding entrance, because, as I have said, it is easier to deny them admittance than to make them depart.”
—Seneca
If your monkey brain is beating the shit out of your human brain, it’s time to wake up.
You need to start taking your brain seriously. Your brain is the most powerful weapon in the world, yet you’re not taught to use it properly.
Imagine handing a monkey an iPhone without any training. Do you think it would read the kindle? Or watch videos of monkeys throwing poop at each other all day?
If you’ve never been trained, you’re no more capable than a monkey… How do you expect to one second float around in a warm goo in your mother and the next to sit down, shut up and obey?
Without an instruction manual, you’re completely lost. All you know is you want some damn cake.
If there were one, page 1 through 100 would say in large letters: DON’T SCROLL THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA ALL DAY OR EAT SUGAR. Then page 101 would say don’t be a vegan. The end.
Like going to the dentist to clean plaque off your teeth, you need to clean the plaque off your brain. You need to rewire your brain, reset your habits, and put yourself back in the driver’s seat.
How do you do that? Through a dopamine detox.
How Do I Do a Dopamine Detox?
A dopamine fast requires that you abstain from activities that release dopamine. To do this, you pretty much have to do the exact opposite of what you’re used to. No phone. No internet. No clothes. (Kidding, you’re allowed to use the internet.)
If a behavior is problematic, you need to cut it out.
How do you know it’s problematic? If it’s causing you:
- Distress (you’re bothered by how much you do it)
- Impairment (interferes with your optimal social or school/work performance)
- Addictiveness (you want to cut down, but cannot consistently do so)
There are a number of ways to integrate this practice into your life. My favorite way: a monthly dopamine fast.
It is a day you mark on your calendar. If you don’t have a calendar, tally it on your wall like a prisoner. One day a month, you will fast from all dopamine.
Dr. Sepah’s “Dopamine Fasting 2.0” approach recommends the following schedule:
- 1-4 hours at the end of the day (depending on work & family demands)
- 1 weekend day (spent it outside on a Saturday or Sunday)
- 1 weekend per quarter (go on a local trip)
- 1 week per year (go on vacation!)
Activities to Cut Out During a Dopamine Detox
This isn’t going to be fun. In fact, it has to not be fun. This is why there’s no roller coasters in prison yards. You’re supposed to cut out anything that stimulates dopamine. That’s right, folks – it’s time to cut the strings of the monkey that are controlling your life.
There are two approaches.
- go cold turkey on ALL possible dopamine hits.
- just cut out the problematic behaviors.
If you cut out all dopamine hits for one day a month that means:
- No food.
- No caffeine.
- No phone.
- No internet.
- No computer.
- No substances.
- No making fun of vegans.
This sounds like a drag. You’re cutting off the monkey in your brain, like a parent cutting off their kid’s allowance. It will rebel.
However, Dr. Sepah’s modern version of Dopamine Fasting is a bit more practical. His “Dopamine Fasting 2.0” is based on the behavioral therapy technique of ‘stimulus control’ for addictions, and doesn’t require total abstinence. All it requires is abstaining from the problematic behaviors you identified above.
The choice is yours, but I like to mix in both.
What to Do During the Detox?
The only thing you’re allowed to do all day….Read my blog posts….
Alright, actually…so you’ve cut the fun stuff out and you’re ready for your hard reset. What should you do during a fast?
My day is usually centered around walking, light exercise and meditation.
But what are the benefits of a detox anyway?
Stay tuned.
