The Substitute for Self-Love

“I was chasing dopamine because I didn’t know how to love myself.”

This line didn’t land like a confession. It landed like a mirror.

Listeners wrote in with raw, gut-level honesty. Not just about drugs or addiction—but about the need to escape.

You told us:

“I never thought of my scrolling, my spending, my porn habit… as a lack of love. But it is.” “When Will said he never learned to give himself what he gave others, I stopped breathing for a minute.” “This wasn’t about addiction—it was about emptiness.”

Will didn’t share a story of recovery wrapped in a bow. He told the truth: That he used everything available to feel something—anything—other than unworthy.

And yet, in the process of telling it, he gave others permission to finally feel what they’ve been avoiding too.

We Ask You Now:

What are you using to numb the absence of love?

What habits feel like coping… but underneath, are actually keeping you from facing the mirror?

This echo isn’t about shame. It’s about recognition. It’s about seeing yourself—not for who you’ve been trying to be—but for who you already are underneath the noise.