Forty years into a nicotine habit, I tried to quit cold turkey, and it nearly broke me.
Alyson 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
[2:36] Tuning into the land before arriving and hearing "come here as the new you"
[15:53] Why I tried to quit nicotine and coca leaf in Costa Rica
[22:43] The shock of going cold turkey off nicotine
[30:42] Habit-forming alkaloids that made overuse easy to justify
[36:34] Forty years addicted and Ian Mitchell's honest verdict
[47:54] The night Alyson’s stern clarity broke through my nicotine fog
[1:02:34] The golden orb weaver spider and shifting from fear to love
[1:10:14] A Horse Named Lonesome and what writing it without a ghostwriter demanded
[1:24:15] Lonesome Conversations and the root of most human suffering
[1:36:17] My latest picks from Melalight to QOVA
[1:46:17] This month's Field Reveal Energy Forecast
Resources Mentioned:
Coca Leaf | Wikipedia
Iboga | Wikipedia
Ketamine | Wikipedia
Kratom | Wikipedia
Nicotine | Wikipedia
Ayahuasca | Wikipedia
Primeadine | Website
NuCalm | Website
NeuroVIZR | Website
Full show notes at lukestorey.com/689
Related The Life Stylist Episodes:
Quantum Biology: The Consciousness Connection of Science & Spirit | Podcast
Find more from Alyson:
Alyson Charles Storey | Website | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube
Get the Animal Power book and deck, plus a free guided drumming shamanic journey to meet your power animal, at alysoncharles.com/animalpower
Find more from Luke:
Luke Storey | Website | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | LinkedIn
My new book, A Horse Named Lonesome, launches November 17, 2026. Pre-order now at 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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