Dr. Jud on the Dr. Drew Podcast

Overview

On Episode 388 of The Dr. Drew Podcast, Dr. Jud joins addiction medicine specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky for a conversation about the art and science of behavioral change. As two clinicians who have spent their careers working with addiction, they explore why traditional willpower-based approaches to habit change so often fail — and what the neuroscience points to instead.

Dr. Jud discusses his book The Craving Mind and the research behind his clinically tested apps for smoking cessation, emotional eating, and anxiety. He explains how the brain’s reward-based learning system creates the habit loop that drives both substance addiction and everyday compulsive behaviors, and how mindfulness-based techniques can help people see through the illusion that their habits are actually rewarding — allowing the brain to naturally let go.

Key Takeaways

• Behavioral change is grounded in neuroscience: Dr. Jud explains that habit change is not about moral strength or discipline. The brain forms habits through reward-based learning, and effective change works with this system rather than against it.
• Awareness outperforms willpower: Dr. Jud’s clinical research demonstrates that when people pay close attention to the actual experience of their habits — rather than trying to suppress them — the brain updates its reward calculations and the compulsive pull decreases.
• Everyday habits and clinical addiction share the same mechanism: Whether it is checking your phone compulsively or struggling with substance use, the underlying habit loop is the same. This means the same awareness-based tools can help across the full spectrum of habitual behavior.

Listen to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or online here.

Related Resources

• What Is the Habit Loop?
• The Craving Mind — Dr. Jud’s Book
• Smoking Cessation Strategies
• Habit Change Strategies Reviewed