Brian Pennie : The neuroscience of addiction
About this episode
Dr. Brian Pennie discusses the neuroscience of addiction and his personal journey to recovery.
Topics covered : Addiction, shame, awareness, compassion, recovery. In this week’s episode of Ready to Be Real, I speak to Dr. Brian Pennie - neuroscientist, podcast host and former heroin addict. I first met Brian back in 2020 when his memoir Bonus Time was released, and I remember being completely blown away by his honesty and insight. Since then, life has continued to evolve for Brian. He’s now living a very fulfilled life with his partner Natalie, continuing his work in neuroscience, delivering talks, hosting his own podcast and helping people better understand addiction, behaviour and recovery. Brian spent 15 years addicted to heroin before getting clean in October 2013. In this conversation, we explore addiction from both a neuroscience point of view and through Brian’s lived experience - what happens in the brain when addiction takes hold, why recovery can be so difficult, and what can genuinely help somebody who is struggling. Following on from last week’s conversation with Tony O’Reilly about gambling addiction, this feels like a really important companion episode. You can find Brian online BrianPennie.com – Change is Possible and through his podcast Change is Possible…
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