Why does someone keep using despite losing everything? This episode explores addiction not as moral failure but as a desperate survival mechanism - an adaptive response to unbearable internal pain.

Drawing on the Unified Flux Model, we break down Mental Mike's concept of "borrowed energy" and reveal why that first hit isn't about pleasure, it's about relief. You'll discover the three stages of addiction (Enhancement, Maintenance, Necessity), how substances physically rewire the brain, and why simply demanding abstinence fails without addressing the underlying wounds.

Key Insights:

• Why addiction starts as relief from pain, not the pursuit of pleasure
• How "borrowed energy" creates an escalating debt that compounds suffering
• The three stages: Enhancement → Maintenance → Necessity
• Brain  ...