Forty years into a nicotine habit, I tried to quit cold turkey, and it nearly broke me.
Alyson (@alysonstorey) was on the beach communing with grasshoppers and golden orb weavers while I was under the covers in a dark hole, trying to white-knuckle my way off nicotine, mambé, and Ambil after finishing my book.
Same place, drastically different trips.
We get into what happens when a habit doesn’t wreck your life but still runs it, and why "biohacker-friendly" substances can be harder to walk away from than anyone tells you. Alyson shares how she attunes to a land before arriving, the message she received before Costa Rica, and the animal encounters that shaped her three weeks there.
I open up about the emotional hangover of writing A Horse Named Lonesome, why microdosing iboga didn’t help me the way I hoped, and the conversation with Ian Mitchell that changed my plan.
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You’ll learn:
[0:00] Introduction
[3:22] Tuning into the land before arriving and hearing "come here as the new you"
[16:39] Why I tried to quit nicotine and coca leaf in Costa Rica
[23:29] The shock of going cold turkey off nicotine
[31:28] Habit-forming alkaloids that made overuse easy to justify
[37:20] Forty years addicted and Ian Mitchell’s honest verdict
[48:40] The night Alyson’s stern clarity broke through my nicotine fog
[1:03:20] The golden orb weaver spider and shifting from fear to love
[1:11:00] A Horse Named Lonesome and what writing it without a ghostwriter demanded
[1:25:01] Lonesome Conversations and the root of most human suffering
[1:37:03] My latest picks from Melalight to QOVA
[1:47:03] This month’s Field Reveal Energy Forecast
Resources Mentioned:
Coca Leaf | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca
Iboga | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabernanthe_iboga
Ketamine | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketamine
Kratom | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitragyna_speciosa
Nicotine | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine
Ayahuasca | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca
Primeadine | https://www.lukestorey.com/lukestore/primeadine-premium-spermidine-supplement
NuCalm | https://www.lukestorey.com/lukestore/nucalm-performance-package
NeuroVIZR | https://www.lukestorey.com/lukestore/neuroplasticity-device-neurovizr
Full show notes at https://lukestorey.com/689
Related The Life Stylist Episodes:
Quantum Biology: The Consciousness Connection of Science & Spirit | https://www.lukestorey.com/lifestylistpodcast/quantum-biology-the-consciousness-connection-of-science-spirit-555
Find more from Alyson:
Alyson Charles Storey | https://www.alysoncharles.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/iamalysoncharles | https://x.com/alysoncharles | https://www.tiktok.com/@alysonoracle | https://www.youtube.com/@alysonstorey
Get the Animal Power book and deck, plus a free guided drumming shamanic journey to meet your power animal, at https://alysoncharles.com/animalpower
Find more from Luke:
Luke Storey | https://www.instagram.com/lukestorey/ | https://www.facebook.com/lukecstorey/ | https://x.com/MrLukeStorey | https://www.youtube.com/lukestorey | https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrlukestorey
My new book, A Horse Named Lonesome, launches November 17, 2026. Pre-order now at https://ahorsenamedlonesome.com and get bonuses: access to my Inner Circle Book Club, an exclusive Lonesome Conversations six-part miniseries, and an ebook transcript of the series.
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