Myth: Dopamine is the pleasure chemical
Describing Dopamine as "the pleasure chemical" is simplistic and misleading.
Dopmaine orients the brain to what feels important rather than feels good.
Human brains evolved to repeat the things that keep us alive and connected: eating, drinking, forming relationships, caring for children, exploring, learning, resting and playing. When something reliably pays off, dopamine helps strengthen the pathways behind it, so you are more likely to do it again.
Scientists link dopamine with wanting, motivation, anticipation and learning, not just enjoyment.
It is a highly effective system: it gets you out for a walk with a friend or back to a hobby you love. The trouble starts when something delivers a far bigger, faster hit than everyday life can. Alcohol, nicotine, opioids, stimulants, gambling, some gaming and some social media use can all do this.
We call these Highly Reinforcing Rewards, as opposed to Natural Rewards. Dr Anna Lembke, a Stanford addiction psychiatrist, points out that we now live with unprecedented access to this kind of high-reward stimulation.
That is why dopamine plays an important role in both addiction and everyday mental health.
Myth: All rewards are the same to your brain
Natural Rewards build a life. Highly Reinforcing Rewards can start to run it. The reward system is the same in both cases. What differs is the size, speed and predictability of the hit.
Natural Rewards
- What they are: everyday experiences that support survival, connection, learning and wellbeing.
- Examples: a meal with friends, a walk, music, exercise, time in nature, learning something new, a creative project, a good laugh, a hug.
- How fast they pay off: slowly.
- What they ask of you: time, effort, practice (e.g. learning a skill) and often other people.
- Over time: they tend to stay satisfying.
- What they often meet: connection, belonging, achievement and meaning.
Highly Reinforcing Rewards
- What they are: substances or behaviours that switch on the reward system far more intensely and predictably.
- Examples: alcohol, nicotine, opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine, gambling, some gaming, some social media use, compulsive shopping.
- How fast they pay off: quickly, and the change in mood is predictable.
- What they ask of you: very little.
- Over time: the brain adapts, with tolerance, craving, withdrawal and a flatter everyday life.
- What they often meet: relief from stress, anxiety, loneliness or shame.
The same need can be met either way:
- Lonely: a coffee with a friend vs hours of scrolling.
- Stressed after work: a walk or a kick of the footy vs a few drinks every night.
- Flat and bored: learning something new vs chasing the excitement of a bet.
This is not about good versus bad. A Highly Reinforcing Reward is the same system pushed harder, and the quick route is exactly why it appeals when life is hard. That is why recovery from addiction is rarely only about stopping. It is also about rebuilding Natural Rewards, so life has something to offer back.
Myth: More dopamine means more happiness
Lembke compares pleasure and pain to a seesaw. A big hit of reward tips you towards pleasure, and the brain pushes back the other way to level things out (as a living organism your body is always working to keep itself in a state of equilibrium - this is called homestasis, and is essential to survive). That push-back is the comedown, the body's natural way of keeping the seesaw level. Some comedown is unavoidable.
But if you keep getting big hits of reward, particularly from a Highly Reinforcing Reward, the brain resets its dopamine baseline to compensate. This is called neuroadaptation, and it explains a pattern many people recognise:
- Tolerance: the same hit does less than it used to.
- Withdrawal: stopping feels uncomfortable.
- Craving: the pull back towards relief gets stronger.
Use slowly shifts from chasing a high to trying to feel normal. Everyday life can start to feel flat, too. Friends, music, food and exercise lose some of their spark. That is not because you have stopped caring. It is because your brain has adapted.
That is biology doing what it is built to do, not a weakness of character.
Myth: Highly Reinforcing Rewards are all about chasing pleasure
The brain learns "when I feel this way, this helps." Alcohol may quiet anxiety, opioids may soften emotional pain, and stimulants may lift low mood or emptiness.
Psychiatrist Edward Khantzian noticed that people were not choosing substances and behaviours at random but suggested that choices are informed by what a person cope is trying to cope with.
However, over time the costs build, in shame, strained relationships, money worries and health problems. Those add more stress, and the cycle tightens.
Understanding what a substance or behaviour has been doing for you does not excuse the harm. But it can show you what underlying need is looking to be met.
Myth: "Low dopamine" explains your mood, and a detox will fix it
- Low mood: loss of interest and motivation is common in depression. Dopamine is thought to be one of several systems involved.
- Attention: ADHD involves systems that regulate focus and motivation, and dopamine is part of them.
- Stress: late-night scrolling, online shopping or a drink to "switch off" all work in the moment, which is exactly why the brain repeats them.
Because dopamine is tied to motivation, attention and anticipation, it gets blamed for a lot!
But no single chemical explains a mental health condition, and "low dopamine" is not a diagnosis. Claims that you can fix your mood by topping up or hacking your dopamine are oversimplified.
The same goes for the dopamine detox. You cannot detox from dopamine, because your brain needs it to function. What Lembke describes is a planned break from one problem habit, so your reward system can recalibrate.
What really helps
Here is where to start.
- Get curious. Ask what the habit helps you feel, or avoid feeling. Stress, loneliness, boredom and shame are common answers. If stress, anxiety, low mood or painful experiences are driving the habit, counselling can work on those directly.
- Consider a planned break. Lembke suggests that around 30 days away from the problem substance or behaviour often gives the brain time to recalibrate. The early days can feel flat and uncomfortable, and that is usually temporary. Long-standing or severe addiction can take longer and need more support.
- SAFETY FIRST: Stopping alcohol or benzodiazepines suddenly can be life-threatening, and stopping opioids brings severe withdrawal. Tolerance also drops during a break, so going back to your old amount carries a higher overdose risk. ALWAYS speak to your GP or an alcohol and other drug service before you stop.
- Add barriers. Delete the app, set a time limit, keep alcohol out of the house.
- Rebuild your Natural Rewards. People, movement, music, the outdoors, making things. They pay off more slowly than a Highly Reinforcing Reward and can feel flat at first. Give them time.
- Be honest and get support. Shame feeds on secrecy. Telling someone you trust is often a turning point.
If a habit is taking more from your life than it gives, or you are worried about someone else's, you do not have to work it out alone.
- DirectLine (Victoria): 1800 888 236. Free, confidential alcohol and drug information, counselling and referral, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline: 1800 250 015.
- In an emergency, call 000.
Counselling can also help you understand what your habit has been doing for you and build other ways of meeting those needs. If you would like to talk, get in touch with Haven Therapy.
Further reading and watching
- Lembke, A. (2021). Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. Dutton.
- Essentials: Understanding & Treating Addiction, Dr Anna Lembke (Huberman Lab, 2025)
- Dopamine Nation and the Neuroscience of Addiction with Anna Lembke (Science and Cocktails Foundation, 2023)
This post is general information and is not a substitute for personal, medical or professional advice.