The Craving Mind: Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits
About this audiobook
A leading neuroscientist’s internationally acclaimed account of how addiction works and can be overcome, now in a ten-year anniversary edition
In this landmark book, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Judson Brewer, M.D., Ph.D. (“Dr. Jud”) reveals how and why people become addicted―to cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, food, technology, and more―and how they might break free of cycles of addiction. Weaving together patient stories, personal stories, and scientific findings from his lab, he
- shows how the same learning processes that once helped our species survive have hardened over time into bad habits;
- examines how craving, addiction, and habit loops have intensified due to smartphones, social media, and algorithm-driven environments;
- expands our understanding of addiction and anxiety, revealing how substances, technology, outrage, and worry all follow identical habit-forming learning mechanisms―and why willpower isn’t the solution;
- emphasizes curiosity and awareness as tools for breaking habits and reclaiming choice in a world designed to keep us stuck.
Now updated with a new preface, Brewer’s revolutionary book shows us how to move from a craving mind to one that is capable of being present, curious, and kind.
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About the author
Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, is director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center and professor in behavioral and social sciences and psychiatry. He is the author of The Hunger Habit and the New York Times bestseller Unwinding Anxiety.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, founded the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
