Under the Surface: Chasing Dopamine Instead of Love

“Under the Surface: Chasing Dopamine Instead of Love”

That line didn’t come early. It didn’t come clean. It came after two hours of stories—of addiction, lies, escapes, manipulation, and moments of pure chaos.

And when it finally surfaced, it was quiet. But it was everything.

Because that one truth explained it all.

Why We Asked That Question

At one point in the episode, we asked Will: “What advice would you give your son if you saw him doing what you did?”

And what came next wasn’t advice. It was grief. Grief for a life he lived before he even knew he had a choice.

You could hear it in his voice—he wasn’t just looking back at who he was. He was looking into the eyes of his 8-year-old self. And in that reflection, all the masks dropped.

That’s the moment we live for on this podcast. The one where ego lets go… and truth steps in.

What That Moment Taught Us - Chasing Dopamine Instead of Love

Will didn’t wake up one day and decide to destroy his life .He just never felt truly seen. And in that void, he substituted anything he could—drugs, sex, adrenaline, control, chaos, even Magic cards—for the one thing he never learned to give himself: unconditional love.

Not the fake kind. Not the kind that needs praise, performance, or purpose. The real kind—the kind you give to a child when you tell them: "You’re okay. You’ve always been okay. I’ve got you now."

What This Means for You, the Listener

If you've ever found yourself running from silence…If you’ve ever needed noise to feel like you exist…If you've ever built a life out of distractions just to avoid being alone with yourself—

Ask this:

“Am I chasing dopamine because it’s the closest thing to love I’ve ever known?”

Because sometimes, healing doesn’t start with stopping. It starts with seeing. https://www.throughtherough.net/podcast/episode/29508ec6/fighting-back-from-rock-bottom-wills-redemption-story