Addiction beyond substances

The holidays are when drinking quietly ramps up for a lot of people. More parties, more stress, more excuses, and habits that feel temporary but often aren’t. This episode is for anyone reflecting on their relationship with alcohol, substances, or compulsive habits and questioning whether those patterns are actually supporting the life and health they want going forward. 

This episode features host Dave Asprey joined by Luke Storey, a motivational speaker, spiritual teacher, and host of the top-rated podcast The Life Stylist, which has surpassed 10 million downloads. Luke is widely regarded as a pioneer in health and wellness, known for articulating transformative principles around spirituality, addiction recovery, and mental, emotional, and physical health optimization. 

Together, Dave and Luke explore why getting sober and staying sober rarely comes down to willpower alone. They unpack how addiction often shows up as biology, trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and learned coping patterns, not just substance use. The conversation expands the definition of addiction to include socially accepted behaviors like alcohol, nicotine, work, scrolling, and distraction. 

The discussion moves through long term sobriety, discernment around substances, the role of spirituality in recovery, and how people break free from compulsive loops by addressing root causes instead of chasing short term fixes. Nuanced topics like abstinence, nicotine, psychedelics, and altered states are explored with clear boundaries around safety, intention, and stability. 

You’ll learn: 

• Why willpower alone fails to sustain sobriety 

• How addiction is driven by nervous system wiring and trauma 

• Why socially accepted habits can still be addictive 

• How to tell the difference between craving and intuition 

• What supports long term recovery beyond abstinence 

• Why identity and environment matter more than discipline 

• How sobriety creates clarity, resilience, and freedom over time 

Thank you to our sponsors! 

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Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. 

New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. 

Keywords: sobriety biohacking, addiction recovery science, how to get sober, how to stay sober, long term sobriety, addiction and trauma, nervous system regulation addiction, biology of addiction, habit loops and addiction, compulsive behavior recovery, holiday drinking habits, alcohol and nervous system, dopamine addiction cycles, stress response and addiction, emotional regulation recovery, identity and sobriety, spirituality and addiction recovery, abstinence based recovery, craving vs intuition, addiction and loneliness, socially acceptable addictions, nicotine and addiction debate, psychedelics and addiction recovery, forgiveness and trauma healing, nervous system healing tools, Dave Asprey sobriety, Luke Storey sobriety, The Human Upgrade addiction episode 

Resources:   

• Luke’s website: https://www.lukestorey.com/ 

• Dave's Biohacking Holiday Gift Guide | Go to https://daveasprey.com/giftguide/ to explore the full guide. 

• Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today  

• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15   

• My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off)   

• Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off)   

• Dave Asprey’s BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com   

• Dave Asprey’s New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated  

• Upgrade Collective: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com   

• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com   

• 40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.com  

Timestamps: 

0:00 - Trailer 

0:45 - Introduction 

1:18 - Crack, Heroin, and Early Addiction 

5:14 - Pandemic and Addiction 

8:34 - Addicted to Negative Thinking 

10:22 - Getting Sober at 26 

15:12 - Why People Become Addicted 

16:34 - Heroin and Cocaine Neurochemistry 

18:15 - Nicotine Benefits 

26:22 - 12 Step vs Ibogaine 

27:36 - Complete Abstinence 

33:03 - First Ayahuasca Experience 

35:28 - Origins of AA 

38:34 - Psychedelics and Trauma 

42:36 - Choosing the Right Shaman 

48:38 - Dark Forces and Protection 

58:09 - Intuition vs Craving 

1:05:23 - Healing Order of Operations 

1:08:16 - Brain Health Risks 

1:09:40 - Hyperbaric Therapy 

1:12:21 - Closing and Wrap Up 

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