#258 Why Your Bad Habits (and Addictions) May Be Getting Worse — and How Mindfulness Can Help | Dr. Jud Brewer

Do you find yourself overeating during this stressful time? Maybe drinking or smoking more than you would like? What about shopping or gambling? And how’s your relationship to your phone these days? Our guest this episode, Dr. Judson Brewer, is an addiction psychiatrist — with a special interest in how mindfulness can help. He says we all sit somewhere on the spectrum of addiction. And when you add stress into the system— in this time of pandemic, recession and racial strife— many of us move the wrong way along the spectrum, toward hardcore addiction. And of course, for people who already have full blown addictions, the current conditions can be an utter disaster. But again, Jud has good news. He’s used mindfulness and meditation to treat people with addictions to cigarettes, food, and opioids. He is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center at the School of Medicine at Brown University. He has written a book, called The Craving Mind, and founded three apps to help people with eating, smoking cessation, and anxiety. Before we dive in, I want to mention that we recorded this episode a few weeks ago -- right before the recent protests. As you will hear, though, this conversation is still fully relevant. With that said, here we go with Jud Brewer.

Where to find Jud Brewer online: 

Website: https://drjud.com/ 

Social Media:

• Twitter: Jud Brewer MD PhD (@judbrewer)
• Facebook: Judson Brewer
• YouTube: DrJud

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Borkovec’s Model of GAD 
• Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors: A Clinician's Guide 
• New Research Shows Results for Smartphone Intervention for Obesity
• Eat Right Now
• Craving to Quit
• Unwinding Anxiety 

Additional Resources:

• Ten Percent Happier Live: https://tenpercent.com/live
• Coronavirus Sanity Guide: https://www.tenpercent.com/coronavirussanityguide
• Free App access for Frontline Workers: https://tenpercent.com/care