Addiction as an intuitive attempt for homeostasis[edit]
Addiction is an organism's attempt in metabolic distress to return to homeostasis using substances or activities that provide temporary relief. Mainstream views blame lack of discipline, ignoring biological motivations.
A strong metabolism reduces susceptibility to addiction. People with slower metabolism tend to smoke more deeply not for nicotine but to compensate for low CO₂ production and poor glucose oxidation, briefly improving oxygenation and cellular stability. This “dirty” metabolic support comes with toxins, worsening long-term health and making heavy smoking appear more dangerous than it inherently is. Supporting metabolic health makes recreational vices less harmful and prevents them from becoming physiological crutches, since better tools exist for functions like alertness, digestion, and anxiety regulation.[1]
Misconception of addiction[edit]
Cravings and addictions stem from physiological distress, not moral failure. Euphoria from addictive substances reflects correction of underlying imbalances.
Anecdotes[edit]
A 61-year-old man with hallucinations, paranoia, dementia, and pain used high doses of caffeine (325-1300 mg daily) and aspirin (4-17 g daily) since childhood to manage pain and stress.[2]
A 90-year-old man consumed 20-30 cups of coffee daily with cream and sugar, maintaining function and deep sleep.[3]
These cases show caffeine and aspirin staved off degeneration symptoms, possibly from hypothyroidism.
Mechanisms[edit]
- Caffeine at 25 mg/kg increases brain pregnenolone by 109% and progesterone by 183%.[4]
- Coffee withdrawal headaches relate to elevated nitric oxide in low thyroid states; caffeine lowers nitric oxide by 10-20%.
- Masturbation significantly increases protective neurosteroids.[5]
- Coca leaf chewing raises salivary progesterone by 700%.[6]
- THC administration increases tissue pregnenolone 30-fold.[7]
- Nicotine inhibits aromatase, lowering estrogen.[8]
- Substances like cocaine, marijuana, nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine temporarily raise metabolic rate but have downsides (serotonergic, estrogenic, or nutrient-depleting effects).
- Cravings cease when glycogen is full, youth hormones are high, and stimulation is adequate.
- In nutrient-scarce Peruvian regions, coca chewing is common; it stops when nutrition improves.[9]
- Estrogen dominance enables cocaine addiction; progesterone treats it.
- Pregnenolone and progesterone lower cortisol, reduce cravings, and restore euthyroidism.[10][11]
- Cyproheptadine terminates morphine withdrawal symptoms.[12]
- Sweets blunt cortisol and cravings during stress.[13]
Blaming laziness ignores biology; "bootstrap" discipline advice fails to grasp human desire motivations.
References[edit]
- ↑ https://x.com/RayPeatHeadShop/status/2002327362395050095
- ↑ Golden et al., 2015
- ↑ newspaper excerpt from 1965
- ↑ Concas et al., 2000
- ↑ Purvis et al., 1976
- ↑ Vitzthum et al., 1993
- ↑ Vallée et al., 2014
- ↑ Barbieri et al., 1986
- ↑ Zapata-Ortiz, 1970
- ↑ Milivojevic et al., 2023
- ↑ Peltier et al., 2018
- ↑ Opitz et al., 1973
- ↑ Willner et al., 1998
