#6 From drug addict to professor and neuroscientist – a story about change with Judy Grisel

“It’s not really hard. You just have to change your whole life”. We can all imagine how hard that must be. Nevertheless, that was the reality Judy Grisel faced, when she took the incredible journey from substance abuse to rehab to becoming an internationally recognized behavioural neuroscientist and a professor in psychology. She has authored the book, ‘Never Enough’ and given one of the best Tedx Talks, I have seen. In this episode we look at addiction. What it is. How it affects our brain. And how we break free from it. Why? Because breaking an addition is a major change. One we can learn a lot from. Addiction can be many things. It can be an addiction to your phone. Your coffee. Or your daily glass of wine. I have invited Judy to tell us about her personal story and to find out, how we can break addiction and make a change. JUDY WILL TALK ABOUTWhat is addiction and what does it do to our brainHow she broke her addiction and her criteria of success Why it is critical not to start taking abusive measures before the age of 18How finding new (healthy) ways to release dopamine can help you change ARE YOU TOO BUSY? HERE ARE THE KEY TAKEAWAYSAre you too busy? Don’t worry, I have collected three key takeaways from the podcast. I hope it inspires you to go listen. #1 Find new ways to release dopamineFinding new rewards is critical to breaking addiction. You need healthier ways to get your dopamine. Find new passions; it could be sport, entrepreneurship or an exciting project.  #2 Denial is the first major barrierAs Judy says: “I thought my drug was the solution to my problems. Not the cause”.  Denial is the biggest barrier to breaking addiction. Until you become aware of the need for change, chances are, you will never change.  #3 Early is bad Our brains are plastic and amazing. But if we start drinking - or taking any other abusive measure – too early, it will impact our brains forever. By example, if you start drinking by the age of 14, you have 7x the chance of developing an alcohol problem than if you had waited until you were 21 or longer. 

Om Podcasten

Change is hard. You know that. For some reason, you don't always do what you set out to do. In 'What Monkeys Do', we talk with experts to find out what it takes to make a change - and make it stick. Why? Because success leaves clues, and we have more knowledge and experience than ever about what is required to change well. Let's find out what that is. So, if you are looking for insights, tools, and ideas to help you change yourself or the person standing next to you, you have come to the right place. In each episode, we will bring in a new guest and give you something you can use in your everyday - both at home and in the office.  The show is hosted by Morten Kamp Andersen (@mortenkamp), part psychologist, part finance guy and part just someone who struggles to change himself.