EP 90: The Truth About “Dopamine Addiction”: Tech, Teens, and Taking Your Brain Back
Why We Feel Hooked… and Why Dopamine Isn’t the Villain
If you’ve ever looked up from your phone and wondered, “Where did my evening go?” or worried that your teen can’t function without a screen, you’re not alone. In this episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos, host Kerri Roberts sits down with returning guest Karen Brooks, MSW—speaker, mentor, and mental health advocate—to unpack what’s really going on with dopamine, overstimulation, and our tech-obsessed culture.
Karen explains why you can’t actually be addicted to dopamine, how technology has quietly rewired our brains and homes, and what you can do to build healthier rhythms without shame, fear, or impossible standards.
👉 Scroll, read, and then hit play on the episode to go deeper with the full conversation.
What We Get Wrong About “Dopamine Addiction”
Karen starts by clearing up one of the biggest myths in mental health right now.
You’re Not Addicted to Dopamine – You’re Addicted to the Hit
Dopamine is a natural chemical your body produces. You need it to survive. It helps you:
Enjoy food so you remember to eat again
Feel motivated to repeat helpful behaviors
Regulate your emotional responses and threat system
So when we say, “I’m addicted to dopamine,” that’s not actually what’s happening.
“You don’t get addicted to your own chemical being released. You’re addicted to the thing that follows the dopamine rush.” – Karen Brooks
What we become hooked on is:
The substance or activity (alcohol, gambling, social media, productivity, etc.)
The anticipation of a reward or “hit” that will release dopamine
That anticipation piece is huge—and it’s where a lot of our tech habits quietly cross into unhealthy territory.
How Tech and Overstimulation Hijack Our Brains
We live in a world where overstimulation is the baseline, not the exception.
Between phones, laptops, constant notifications, and infinite scrolling, our brains are constantly being nudged, pinged, and pulled.
Subtle Signs You’re Stuck in a Dopamine Loop
From Karen’s work with teens, adults, and families, some of the early warning signs of overstimulation and unhealthy dopamine-seeking include:
Disrupted sleep patterns
Increased anxiety (often without a clear trigger)
Depressive symptoms or emotional flatness
Poor focus & concentration, especially in kids and teens
Emotional dysregulation – big reactions, overreactions, or almost no emotional sensitivity at all
Pull Quote:
“My biggest red flag is when someone can’t regulate their emotions. That’s where I see the bulk of the behavior.” – Karen Brooks
And then there’s the quiet one we don’t always talk about: the sense that time is just disappearing while screen time keeps going up.
Kerri shares about looking at her phone data and realizing she’d spent four hours on screens in a day—without really remembering where those hours went. For many of us, that’s the norm.
Tech Isn’t Going Away – So What Do We Do?
Here’s the reality: we’re not going back. Technology is not being put “back in the bag.” Our kids need it for school, we use it to work, connect, and function in everyday life.
So the goal isn’t to demonize tech. It’s to understand our relationship with it.
Karen encourages us to ask better questions:
What am I using this for?
How do I feel when I’m done? Energized or emptied?
Am I using this to escape, numb, or avoid something?
Sometimes scrolling is connection—texting a friend, FaceTiming family, or learning something new. The issue is when anticipation of the next hit quietly becomes the main driver.
Doomscrolling, Teens, and a Brain That Never Gets to Rest
One of the biggest culprits Karen is seeing in her work is doomscrolling—constantly consuming negative, emotionally charged content.
This might look like:
Scrolling through disturbing news clips
Seeking out polarizing opinions and arguments
Watching violent or traumatic videos on repeat
Even if you don’t think it’s affecting you, your body does.
Kerri shares a powerful example: after watching two real-life violent events on social media, she noticed her resting heart rate stayed higher at night, even though nothing else in her routine had changed. Her body was still in threat mode.
“Your body doesn’t know that the threat on your screen isn’t right in front of you. It just knows there was a threat.” – Karen Brooks
For teens, the impact is even more intense:
Their brains are still developing
They’re forming patterns around how to cope, self-soothe, and problem-solve
When they’re upset or bored, they’re often trained to reach for a phone instead of learning how to sit with and work through emotions
Over time, constant doomscrolling and quick dopamine hits can lead to:
Lower contentment
Higher anxiety and depression
Weak problem-solving and resilience
A constant chase for the next “hit” of stimulation
Why Dopamine Detoxes Don’t “Reset” Your Brain
You’ve probably heard of dopamine detoxes or tech fasts—taking a weekend or a few days completely offline.
Karen’s take?
They can be helpful for awareness, but they don’t reset your brain.
Here’s what they do:
Break up your habits temporarily
Force you to notice how often you reach for your phone
Create space to feel your emotions and boredom again
Here’s what they don’t do:
Erase your brain’s associations with certain apps or activities
Permanently “reset” your dopamine system
The moment you reintroduce the thing that gave you the quick hit (social media, games, etc.), your brain remembers—and the dopamine spikes again.
The good news? Your brain is neuroplastic. That means it can change, rewire, and form new pathways at any age. But that happens through consistent, repeated new behaviors, not a one-time detox.
Practical Ways to Break Unhealthy Dopamine Cycles
This doesn’t have to be dramatic or complicated. Karen shares several grounded, realistic practices that any family can start using right away.
1. Name the Behavior in Real Time
This is Karen’s favorite tool.
When you feel anxious or restless and reach for your phone, say (out loud if you can):
“I’m reaching for my phone right now.”When you tap open an app, say:
“I’m opening Instagram/Facebook/TikTok right now.”
It sounds almost too simple. But naming the behavior:
Interrupts the automatic loop
Brings your brain back into mindfulness
Creates a micro-moment where you can choose something different
“When you name a behavior, you’re forced to acknowledge it, sit with it, and own it.” – Karen Brooks
2. Move Your Phone at Night
Instead of keeping your phone:
On your nightstand
Under your pillow
Within arm’s reach
Try putting it:
Across the room
On a dresser
In the bathroom
Why it matters:
You break the habit of half-waking and instantly scrolling
You introduce a tiny bit of friction, which forces mindfulness
You give your brain a better chance to actually rest
3. Turn Off Notifications
Every ding and buzz is a tiny dopamine cue. Turning off non-essential notifications:
Reduces the urge to constantly check
Keeps you from being pulled into apps “just to see”
Helps you stay present in real life, not just your digital one
4. Notice What You Reach for When You’re Unsettled
At some point in your day, when you feel:
Tense
Restless
Bored
Overwhelmed
Pause and ask:
“What am I about to do next?”
Are you:
Reaching for your phone?
Pouring a drink?
Opening your laptop to “just check one thing”?
That “next move” is often the front door to your coping patterns—and your dopamine habits.
Addiction, Anticipation, and Identity
Karen makes a powerful point: most of what we call “addiction” actually starts with anticipation.
The lights and sounds of a casino for a gambler
The buzz of a notification for a teen
The thought of “just one drink” after a long day
The thrill of productivity and getting more done
Your heart rate rises, your body tenses, your mind starts to lean forward.
If you can learn to catch yourself at the anticipation stage, you have a much better chance of choosing differently before you slide into the full behavior and the crash that follows.
And when anticipation and quick hits define our patterns—especially in teens—they can also quietly shape identity:
“I’m just an anxious person.”
“I can’t focus unless I’m multitasking.”
“I’m only valuable when I’m productive or performing.”
That’s why naming, noticing, and gently interrupting these loops matters so much—for our kids and for us.
Hope for Parents, Leaders, and Anyone Feeling “Too Far Gone”
If you’re a parent, caregiver, or leader thinking, “I’ve already lost this battle,” Karen offers a grounded hope:
“Unless you’re dead, you can rewire your brain.” – Karen Brooks
As long as you can:
Learn a new skill
Pick up a new habit
Change a pattern over time
…your brain is still capable of new connections and new rhythms.
For families, that might look like:
Naming behaviors out loud with your kids
Starting honest conversations about how certain apps make them feel
Helping them connect their moods, anxiety, or sleep with their digital habits
Modeling your own changes instead of just setting rules
For adults, it often begins with a simple, honest question:
“Do I actually want something different enough to start moving?”
Wanting change is step one. Moving—even in tiny, consistent ways—is where the wiring starts to shift.
Listen, Reflect, and Take One Next Step
Chaos, as Kerri often reminds us, is part of life. But how we engage with that chaos—how we respond to overstimulation, tech, and our own brains—changes everything.
This episode is an invitation to:
Understand dopamine without fear or shame
See your patterns more clearly
Take one small, intentional step toward healthier rhythms
🎧 Listen to the full episode: The Truth About Dopamine Addiction
Connect with Karen & Kerri
Connect with Karen Brooks & Guided Growth Teen Coaching:
Website: guidedgrowthcoaching.net
LinkedIn: Search “Karen Brooks Guided Growth”
Stay connected with Kerri:
Newsletter: Deeper dives, tools, and behind-the-scenes rhythms
Instagram: Daily encouragement and real-talk wellness
@kerrimroberts
@saltandlightadvisors
Don’t Just Scroll Past This – Try One Change Today
Before you close this tab:
Move your phone off your nightstand
Turn off one set of notifications
Or simply say out loud the next time you reach for your phone:
“I’m reaching for my phone right now.”
Then, listen to the episode and share it with a friend, spouse, or teen who’s wrestling with tech, anxiety, or emotional overload.
👉 Subscribe to the podcast, join the newsletter, and keep walking with us as you learn not to waste the chaos—but to grow through it.
