Memoirs of an Addicted Brain

A Neuroscientist Examines his Former Life on Drugs

By: Marc Lewis PhD

Narrated by: Jeff Semple

Marc Lewis's relationship with drugs began in a New England boarding school where, as a bullied and homesick fifteen-year-old, he made brief escapes from reality by way of cough medicine, alcohol, and marijuana. In Berkeley, California, in its hippie heyday, he found methamphetamine and LSD and heroin. He sniffed nitrous oxide in Malaysia and frequented Calcutta's opium dens. Ultimately, though, his journey took him where it takes most addicts: into a life of addiction, desperation, deception, and crime.

But unlike most addicts, Lewis recovered and became a developmental psychologist and researcher in neuroscience. In Memoirs of an Addicted Brain, he applies his professional expertise to a study of his former self, using the story of his own journey through addiction to tell the universal story of addictions of every kind. He explains the neurological effects of a variety of powerful drugs, and shows how they speak to the brain—itself designed to seek rewards and soothe pain-in its own language. And he illuminates how craving overtakes the nervous system, sculpting a synaptic network dedicated to one goal—more—at the expense of everything else.

©2011 Marc Lewis (P)2024 Tantor

What I loved about this book:

It walks you through exactly what the brain is doing and how it’s doing it — not in dry textbook terms, but in a way that pulls you in and makes you "crave" more. The story unfolds with such clarity and tension that you don’t want to turn it off. And the narration? Great job, sir. Seriously engaging from start to finish.

Warning to drug users. This book maybe to hard to read.

Book is awesome. As drug user my self I have enjoyed very much wonderful explanation what is happening in side brain.
I never was an addict but I have tried most of the drugs.
So for me this was quite an experience and opportunity to better understand why did some stuff.
There's also a lot to learn how brain works without drugs.
which hormone is doing what, when and how.
I think it's really good for parents specially for those whom didn't try substance in case that their kids start using them.
Not all drug users are drug abuseers, some of them are just curious.

Insightful for Understanding Addiction

Whether you’re in recovery, know someone struggling with recovery or addiction, or just want to learn more about how the mind and addiction work this book is an insightful retelling of one addicts life. It can get pretty specific in scientific terminology at certain points but not so in-depth that it loses the story. Highly recommended.

Like the book, the reader drove me crazy.

Love Marc's books. This just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt, but had to quit listening to the audiable verson.

Why? The reader sounds like he's taking a shit half of the time. His gutteral, low voice sounds so contrived. "house" is "heeouse". Anything "ou" has this wierd accent. Drove me crazy and have bought the book to finish it.

I tried to not be judgemental, but if I hear one more gutteral, low voice, from this guy, going to barf.