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 My Personal Philosophy of Addiction

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Addiction is a complex human struggle — it does not discriminate by race, class, gender, or socioeconomic status. For many, addiction exists on a spectrum, shifting between pain and temporary relief. Most people who self-medicate are coping with unresolved wounds from the past.

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Recovery is not just abstinence — it is rebuilding identity, purpose, and connection. It is a daily practice. It requires changing the story you tell yourself about who you are and what you’re capable of.

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Addiction hijacks the brain’s reward and survival systems, driving self-deception and self-destructive behavior. But those same systems can be rewired through deliberate training of the mind and body. By integrating psychology and neuroscience with Eastern and Western philosophies and practices, we can build a foundation for deep, lasting transformation.

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I am passionate about sharing research, tools, and practices that support recovery. My ongoing education, and my work in addiction counselling and coaching, continue to strengthen my own sobriety. Recovery means learning to grow through discomfort — and discovering the courage that comes from doing hard things.

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Transformation requires commitment, honesty, and self-compassion — and it must start from within. My role is to guide and support, not only through explanation but through practice. Underneath addiction, your inner pilot light remains lit. With the right process, it can shine forward again.

 Resources

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Throughout more than a decade of academic study and during my lived experience in recovery, I’ve learned from leading thinkers in neuroscience, psychology, trauma, philosophy, and behavioral change. Their work has deeply shaped my understanding of addiction and continues to influence both my personal recovery and the methods I use with clients.

I don’t consider myself an “expert” — I consider myself a student for life. The recovery principle “to keep what you have, you must give it away” has always resonated with me. Sharing what I’ve learned strengthens my sobriety, sharpens my skills, and helps others discover their own path forward.

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Below are some of the contemporary scholars and timeless wisdom traditions that inform my approach to recovery.

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  • Dr. Robb Kelly – Neuroscience-based recovery, resilience, lived expertise (The Robb Kelly Recovery Group) Mentor

  • Dr. John Vervaeke – Cognitive science, wisdom traditions, meaning-making (Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, After Socrates) Student

  • Dr. Jordan Peterson – Personality & Transformations, Maps of Meaning, Self- Authoring (12 Rules for Life) Student

  • Gabor Maté – Addiction, trauma, mind-body connection (In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts)

  • Dr. Bessel van der Kolk – Trauma, neuroscience, and body-based healing (The Body Keeps the Score)

  • Dr. Anna Lembke – Pleasure/Pain principle., Equilibrium Dopamine Nation, Psychiatrist, Stanford University

  • Dr. Marc Lewis - Neuroscientist & Professor of Developmental Psychology (Memoirs of an Addicted Brain)

  • Dr. Carl Hart- Neuroscientist and Psychologist, (Drug Use for Grown-Ups).

  • Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Flow states, optimal human functioning (Flow)

  • Andrew Huberman- Neurobiologist, Podcast Influencer 

  • David Goggins – Radical accountability, resilience, and mental toughness (Can’t Hurt Me)

  • Anthony Robbins – Motivation, personal transformation, and behavioral change strategies
     

Historical Philosophers, Thinkers & "real" Influencers (Classical & Modern)
 

  • Socrates – Self-examination, dialectic method, pursuit of wisdom 

  • Plato – Theory of forms, philosophy of the soul, allegory of the cave 

  • Buddha – Four Noble truths, Eight-fold path, suffering, (equanimity)

  • Aristotle – Virtue ethics, habit formation, flourishing (eudaimonia)

  • Marcus Aurelius – Stoicism, equanimity, self-mastery (Meditations)

  • Friedrich Nietzsche – Will to power, self-overcoming, meaning-making

  • Carl Jung – Shadow work, archetypes, individuation

  • Carl Rogers – Person-centred therapy, unconditional positive regard

  • Albert Ellis – Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

  • Aaron Beck – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

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Future Areas of Interest 

  • Psychedelic Assisted Therapy

  • Problem Gambling & Gaming

  • Trauma-Informed ​​​​

  • Neuropsychopharmacology 

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