Finding Hope on the Other Side of Addiction w/ David Moore

21:19David:I have so many questions. Let's go. So I'm like, where do we get in this decade of starting and stopping, starting and stopping the whole time you really wanted to stop. so there's like what I call windows of willingness so like you get in this like pit like where you're really using a lot and stuff and it's like the pride cycle it's like this cycle like okay you're using and like okay it's kind of helping and then it's just like oh and then you hit like a bottom you hit like a rock bottom and it's like oh my gosh you realize everything oh I need to stop so bad I'm losing everything and like I want to stop then sometimes I would stop for a little bit then fall back in and then I'm like kind of feeling it again and so it's like but yeah within a month there'd be multiple cycles of like, I want to stop.

22:00And sometimes it'd be like daily, but usually it's like probably twice a month. It really hits. And I would throw substances away. I'd, you know, all that stuff.

22:10David:So going through all these years of counseling and health, or why do you think people become addicted? Yeah, there's a lot of different reasons. I mean, some is a genetic thing, a predisposition. I don't care what anyone says. That's real. If you look at my genetics, grandparents, uncles, aunts, I have an uncle that overdosed from cocaine when he was 36 or 35 or something. We found him on his bed with a bag of cocaine next to him. I have, you know, grandparents that are alcoholics, all that stuff. And so I tell my kids, like, all I needed to try it was one time and it got me. Other people, they can, you know, a little bit and then, and then it turns into self-medicating slowly.

22:43And then it's just a comfort, a crutch. And then, and then it just like builds dependency. I think a lot of times if it's not genetic, it can just be, it's kind of a bad habit at first, but then it, you know, turns into this like crutch. But I think there's numberless ways that people get addicted. Some people are more susceptible than others.

23:01David:Okay. So I believe the definition of health to me is being healthy emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually. You keep talking about praying. So I want to ask you, were you spiritual during this time? Super. And if you were, were you like, where's God in helping me to break this addiction? A hundred percent. On the things that you just said, what really being healthy is, I have a reminder on my phone I set probably 12 years ago. It hits me every day and it says, euphoria, harmony in all states. Natural euphoria is having harmony in all states. If you're healthy in all those states and you're keeping them up, you just have the zest for life.

23:38And so I'm such a believer. I was super spiritual and it blew my wife's mind. Like, what is going on? This guy cares more about the scriptures and praying and all the time. God, what is going on? And I don't know when it was, but there was a point where it was made known unto me that, Hey, this is your path. This is your path. And you need to go through this because you need to learn what you're going to learn and you need to experience what you're going to experience. And it's going to be for a very specific reason that was told to me. And that almost confused me more. Yeah. So it's like, okay, what finally did it?

24:09And I think it was God's time, a mix of everything, but yeah, all the time I would let God have it. Also, I'd tell someone who's struggling right now, if you do believe in prayer and stuff, wrestle with God, beg, plead, literally shake, pray to the shaking level and beg, give every ounce of your being. I've done that a handful, only a handful of times, even though I know it's so powerful, a few times with my wife and every time miracles came, like big miracles.

24:38David:Interesting. So he didn't really take the addiction away, but maybe you saw his hand involved in things. Yeah. Or at times it would, you know, it's like Miriam's like, I'm done, done. And then it would take it away for a period of time or yeah, there's just everything you do adds up. But yes, a lot of confusion with God. Okay. So then let's talk about the mental part of it. Yeah. How did it affect you mentally? Your lows, I'm sure were days of depression. Yeah. I use drugs and alcohol to not just hate myself all the time, even though that's what made me hit myself. So for me, it was like the coming off of drugs, but yeah, it was probably depression it's probably what depressed people feel like but to me there's always substances involved so yeah it was this roller oh if you ask my wife I was just a madman I was up and then down and then if I didn't have substances I was a wreck that was the hardest part it was like when I try to get sober I was the worst because if you take away my my self-medication oh man then I really become a wreck so then when I use it she like things are more peaceful and so they became really confusing But the ADHD stuff, so the last like few years of my journey was addiction to Adderall.

25:48I got done with the other stuff, but I have ADHD and I work in tech and I'm at a computer a lot and it's a mountain for me to like sit down and write an email. And so I would abuse Adderall. I would tell myself every time I'm not going to abuse it. Okay, I'm going to get a prescription this time. I'm going to take it as prescribed. I probably said that a thousand times, literally.

26:08David:Well, I was going to say a lot of people take Adderall. It can be amazing. There might be parents listening saying like, well, shoot, my kid's on Adderall. I just say be careful. It can change people's lives for the better. I know a lot of people, it's a game changer and it's a miracle substance. So I'm not against Adderall. I just say be very careful, be very cautious, take the absolute minimum. I think whatever even a doctor prescribed, cut it in half, cut it in force and try that and see and, you know, and I would probably say try other things before it, in my opinion. But I also know a lot of people that it's helped a lot.

26:39David:Okay. So you abused it, meaning you just overdosed it. Yeah. I would take 300 milligrams a day. Like that would kill most people. Like you'd have a heart attack if you just took that. I'd take a whole bottle in, you know, less than a week. So I'm curious what you do today though, because people with ADHD don't just mysteriously get rid of it. Anytime someone goes from addiction to sobriety, the stars align. It's a miracle every time because most of the time it doesn't happen. Most people die or most people live their whole life miserable. That's the fact. Which is so sad. And that's why I'm going to later in my life really get into this space because there needs to be change.

27:12But so the stars aligned. So one of the stars that aligned was, have you heard of modafinil or armadafinil?

27:18David:I've heard of it, but I don't really know much about it. Yeah. So it is an alert agent, they call it. It was originally prescribed for insomnia, people with insomnia or people with like work shift disorder, like work all night. And it's an alert agent. It's not an amphetamine. you don't get any euphoria but it like you just kind of like okay i'm just like more present okay no euphoria i'm addicted to euphoria i don't want to take anything that's going to give me euphoria because then i just want more of that so this it helps my hd maybe like 50 so not enough with you as my wife i have so many neurotropics and you know herbal remedies and and supplements and fish oil and I've gone through it all.

27:59And there's some I like and I think help and I have my regimen. Like I love that world. So fascinating to me.

28:06David:Let's talk about that because we've talked sort about the mental piece, spiritual piece. So let's talk about the physical piece. Do you think some of your addiction was due to nutrient deficiencies? That's really interesting. No one's ever told you that i bet you nutrient slash hormonal you know like when you're a guy living at 200 testosterone in this like but like trying to be a provider and like because people don't realize people think that stuff is all physical and muscles no it is here it's drive it's you know it's yeah it's taking care of your family and like stepping up like those hormones are so important and so i bet you there was a big role in that type of stuff, especially because of how poorly it's this cycle, you know, like I treat my body so poorly.

28:52And so of course it wasn't producing the neurotransmitters it should. And obviously I wasn't eating healthy at those times. So for instance, when I went to treatment, they give you all, you know, you're eating well and all that stuff. And of course you start feeling way better. Absolutely.

29:06David:Yeah. It's interesting. Cause I was talking to someone, oh, this was a few months ago, six months ago, someone that had dealt with addiction and they were saying like those addicted a lot of times you're wanting that dopamine needing that dopamine and sometimes they're not getting that dopamine it's not being created because of the lack of nutrients if you have low b vitamins that can really contribute to depression and he was saying it's the same in addiction also those nutrients aren't there to help create the neurotransmitters all the precursors hormones are off balance if nutrients are off balance totally so again hormones can play a role and he's like there's not enough research out there about nutrient deficiencies and addictions he's like we're getting there with nutrient deficiencies and depression and how those are correlated but he's like there's not much and i don't know i haven't researched it because i always go research the depression route but he's like there's not much research showing this yeah yeah for instance i even think you could say all that with adhd I think there's some research I've even read about nutrient deficiencies and ADHD and stuff or sugar or like the impact on certain people of certain substances that just really bring out these ADHD symptoms.

30:16So I would say absolutely. Do I know what they were? No, but I'm fascinated with that for sure.

30:22David:Yeah, and that's true. I've had doctors on the show talk about ADHD and nutrient deficiencies and how they correlate together. So I watch those episodes. So that makes sense that then you're wanting something to help the ADHD because maybe you're lacking in those nutrients. Well, they say ADHD is this dopamine disorder. Let's take a quick break to hear from our show sponsor. You guys know I'm really intentional about ingredients, not just in food, but in skin care, too, because what you put on your skin matters. That's why I've been loving 100 % pure makeup and beauty products. Their formulations follow strict purity standards and avoid harsh, toxic ingredients.

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31:45David:Okay, so I know you work out at the gym. So do you do other things to stay physically fit, like food, sleep, stress? These days I try to dial all of it in. You know, I sleep less than I should, but I got a Garmin and like even just that alone makes me like think about it. And so I'm trying to like sleep more. All the superstar athletes, they prioritize sleep. Yeah, they do. Everyone these days, all the experts sleep, you know. And so if I didn't try, it'd be really bad. So I tried, I'm still not great. I do very basic stuff with food. I just try to eat a lot of protein, try to do light carbs. I drink a lot of water.

32:23I have this like paranoia against being dehydrated. I think everyone's dehydrated. Like my daughter's like drink water, drink water, drink water. I try to stay active, you know, little stuff, silly stuff, take the stairs. Like, you know, just like stuff like that because I just feel better. In an ideal world, like my wife and I love to play tennis, snowboarding, golfing. I don't do as much of that stuff as I'd like to just because of work and family. But these days I try to just live a healthier life. Once again, in any way I can, like maybe I can't do that, but I could do that. I could take stairs into the elevator.

32:56Like today I was like going to buy a snack. I'm like, I'll get the protein drink instead and like stuff like that. Yeah.

33:01David:Well, I'm curious about your supplements. Yeah. What are you loving? It's a long conversation. So baseline, like magnesium for sure. I do like magnesium glycinate at night if I'm going to do it at night. and then magnesium was it malate or malate during the day right kind of more like help with energy what's interesting is for some reason i was just drawn to magnesium during my whole journey and then come to find out i guess it like helps combat seizures and stuff like stuff i was doing i could so that was interesting fish oil is kind of a baseline one i believe in especially i think i've heard adhd and stuff like do i need more dha or epa or like mixed or it sort of depends what You're looking for it?

33:40David:Yeah. Cognitive, like. It's hard for me to say on camera which way because every person is different depending on what brain issue they're focusing on. Gotcha. It makes sense. B vitamins, B complex, methylated, that methylation stuff. I'm very curious all about that. I want to do the methylation test. You should. I want to. Really. Yeah, you really should. Because right now I'm acting like I have whatever it is. The MPHFR gene. Yeah. So I'll just throw out a name brand because it's interesting. It helped me. So True Hope. Do you know about them? It was Q Sciences. Do you know what Q Sciences is?

34:16I do. Yeah. So Q96.

34:18David:Oh, I know what that is. Okay. I take it every day. Okay. And it's crazy. If I look back, times I'm doing well, I was taking it. But I can say that about a lot of stuff. Times I was doing well, I was praying. Times I wasn't, I wasn't praying. But it's just interesting. I learned about it a long time ago. And they have really helped me. It helped me. It just helped. What's in that? Do you know what's in it? So the story is interesting. The guy had a pig farm and his wife also, like his family really struggled with like mental illness stuff. His pigs had ear and tail biting disease. They're crazy.

34:46So he's like, I can nutrate this away for some reason. So he gave them better nutrients and they chilled out.

34:52David:Interesting. And so then he formulated this. It's a multi. So it's just got a big old mix of stuff. So that's kind of the story behind it. Interesting. It's interesting. They say, and I agree, it just kind of helps you cope. and I feel it like nothing drastic and I just know the quality is so important right like people buy things at like whatever grocery store I'm like that's probably worse for you than taking it yeah you know believe me after manufacturing supplements I know all about the supplement your your cognitive one of the cognitive brain ones recently support yes yes I like because it's cool when like I'm like oh my gosh I got to take this and that and that and then I'm at Harman's and I see yours, and I'm like, oh, it's got like, you know.

35:31David:All the stuff you're looking for. Totally. So like I could go a list for a long time. Okay, I'm curious if you have gotten into ketones. I'm actually just researching them and learning that I want to make a drink with ketones. But ketones I know can help with energy and feeling good and lowering inflammation and helping the mind. So have you tried those? A healthy energy. Like anything that gives me energy I'm always interested in. but quite often it's the caffeine and it's the stuff and there is kind of a you know ketones i feel like give this sustained i feel like it's a it's a it's a healthy energy it's a brain energy it's not this like oh your heart and but yeah so ketone ketone iq is one i saw and got all these ads about it i'm like what the heck am i gonna try it and i have one with no caffeine and one with a little has like 100 milligrams of caffeine so i have both options so like the one no caffeine is great for like an evening.

36:24And I'm like, Hey, I need a little, and it's awesome. You don't even really notice it, but you just feel better. And just like I, I right in my car, right before I came in and just drank a little ketone thing. And so yeah, I'm a big believer.

36:37David:So maybe people that are dealing with addiction should try supplements, nootropics, ketones, things like that, and really try to get their overall health in shape so that they can maybe deal with addictions better. Maybe the addictions will be less. A hundred percent. And I think we need to work on something for that, for people with addiction. That would be cool. Yeah. Because there's so much there. Absolutely. Okay. Let's talk about nootropics. Like, are you using those? Do you like those? Yes. And just to get direct to a few, like I say, name brands or whatever. Yeah. The Onnit one, Alpha Brain, I like that.

37:08But that kind of led me more to like, oh, I think it's Alpha GPC is the one that's, so I've just gotten just Alpha GPC.

37:15David:Okay. Actually, I went back to Onnit, the Onnit Black Label one, And I've noticed it helps. Well, I love that you're doing like supplements, nootropics, and you're taking care of your physical world. But then you're also still taking care of your spiritual health, you know, and your mental health. So I love that you're using aspects in each realm to stay healthy. Took a long time to realize the importance of that. I used to think, OK, it's all this or it's all that. It is absolutely a mix of it. Even if one is missing, it'll be enough to just things will be off. And so I really focus on, it's really cool you say all that because that's exactly what it is.

37:51David:I'm curious, in those 10 years of off and on, off and on, going to counseling, going to rehab, all these things, did they ever do blood work? Probably not. I don't think so. It's not part of the... It's insane. I know. It's not part of the rehab. And a lot of times, even with depression, still it's not. It's crazy. I think it should be. 100%. Back to the nutrient deficiency part. So I was just curious if they ever did. I want to say the top places are starting to do stuff like that. I'm pretty sure. But I went to treatment, yeah, 14 years ago. And so now I'm close. And then it wasn't until I went to hormones.

38:27So once I heard about TRT and stuff, and then I went and that was probably the first time I had like blood work done to check stuff. And that really started a path. The TRT alone was a big change. And now I do blood work often.

38:39David:Okay, so I have two questions for you. What would you say to those that are struggling right now with addiction? Yeah, if you can, ask for help. The truth will set you free. It's the truest statement in the world. And your brain is going to tell you that asking for help is going to take away all the stuff that's saving you. But that's probably the biggest thing I could say is ask for help. Just meaning in the quietness, the darkness, and the secrecy, that's where it just goes down. once you open up it might get a little crazy but at least it's gonna kind of like stop like going down like so asking for help and then doing the thing that you can do sounds simple but and then that thing you can do gets bigger so it's like okay yeah i can pray all right i can pray i can't stop doing this i can't stop doing that but yeah i can say my prayers but i haven't because like what the heck do it it's everything or okay i could drink more water okay drink more water you know and then asking for help then if you're like a little bit further down the path yeah get into recovery whether it's aa whether it's an lds 12 step meeting whether it's there's a lot of options out there to go to counseling like whatever you feel like okay i'll do that yeah make a step what would you say to those that are helping those go through recovery oof i'd say really look for these windows with like if the person's still really struggling look for these windows of willingness I call them.

40:02They're not willing. They're not willing. They're just doing horrible, doing horrible. And then like, and you know what I'm talking about? There's these moments where a little bit of like sanity comes in and like, like they admit, they recognize they whatever, and then act like get them in something in that window of willingness, take advantage of that window of willingness. It is, it's everything. And they come, they might come once a year. They might come once a month. And then just know that you're dealing with an insane individual that's hijacked separate the addiction from the person so if your husband or wife is struggling they are not their addiction because their addiction is the ugliest thing it lies it cheats it steals it is the most selfish gaslighting thing in the world but that's not them separate them it's a mutual enemy it's an enemy of the individual that's struggling and it's also so separate it it's hard to have empathy when the person's lying to you and everything but they're different and they're hijacked.

40:57Literally, you know, they're overtaken. And I'm just knowing that helps.

41:02David:Okay. What would you say to people that are in your stage of being sober? Yeah. I'd say be open about your story. It is an asset. I don't know. Maybe I'm just crazy, but people look at you in a better light when you tell them. I think that's almost a gift I have is like, maybe I'm delusional and like, I'm like not proud of it, but no, I am. I am. I'm grateful that I went through it and I'm grateful where I'm at now. And I think the more open people can be people, you know, it's like in church, I'll share not gory details, but I'll share. And then people come up to me after every single time. Oh, my gosh.

41:37Thank you so much. My so-and-so or whatever. So I would just say if you can actually like help people, great, but at least be open about your story is a big thing I'd say.

41:48David:I love that. I always say, what is life if we don't learn the lessons from it? Totally. And so you've learned lessons from it and now you want to help others, which I love. Absolutely. And so what do you wish was different out there in the recovery world? Everything. Okay, so the Team Broccoli, I work for an AI company. I think AI can really help in part of it. In what aspects? Just a little idea that, but I'm excited about this type of stuff is like, so many people are like, they're struggling, but they're not ready to get help. And so if they saw something on their Facebook or whatever, that's like, oh, private AI sponsor.

42:25And so you put your name and number in and all of a sudden it calls you. And AI voice is unbelievable now. If they train it, it could be a perfect recovery companion. Hey, my name is so-and-so. How are you doing? Just want to, you know, I'm going to be here for you. It texts them and asks them how they're doing. And then based off how they're doing, it responds and gives them advice. Hey, maybe go for, like, do you think you'd go for a walk right now? You know, no, I'm not feeling like, and just builds that relationship. And then it loops people in. hey, do you think you're ready to maybe like kind of share with someone that we're working together?

42:53Can we loop in a friend? Can we, and just kind of walks them down the path, like opening it anyway. So that's one thing. And then I don't know, the addiction recovery space is so tough. There's amazing work being done. AA is amazing in my opinion. The most powerful meetings that I've ever been in my life are addiction recovery meetings, raw, real. I think churches should be more like that where people are just, it's life or death. and they're sharing from their heart and they're sharing where they were and where they are now. And it's God always that helped them get there, their higher power. So not to say, I don't mean everything.

43:27Like there's beautiful stuff going on.

43:29David:I love that. We didn't even get to connections, meaning like family connections and how that helped you through. But I'm assuming connection. I mean, we talked about your wife a little bit, but connections have got to be huge in getting somebody through. I'm almost, yeah, it's kind of ridiculous. I didn't talk about that so much. I think I took it for granted and probably still do. I was so blessed the whole time. I had so much support, but it is interesting. No one knows how to navigate it. Right. So it's like, anytime I turned to someone, they, I had, I had parents, I had siblings, I had my spouse, they were always there.

44:01So that was huge blessing. First half of my life, my parents didn't know how to handle it at all. And so when they found something, it was like the end of the world. But then the first person I went to when I thought I was going to die because of my substance use was my dad. and he was open and like receptive. And so, yeah, just being there for that individual. When you ask them what they can do, just be there for when they come because they'll come to you at some point. And if you can just be there in that moment, you know.

44:30David:Be there and show them love. Yeah. Because that's what they need. 100 % connection. The whole thing about a connection being the opposite of addiction, there's a lot of truth there. Well, thank you so much for being here and sharing your story and being so vulnerable. I know others will be more vulnerable because of hearing you or will go get the help because of hearing you. So thank you for being out there and trying to spread the word of, you know, there's hope and healing out there. Because you and I are both, I do it on the depression side. You're doing it on the addiction side of don't give up.

45:00David:Because that's when I attempted to take my life is when I gave up, when there was no more hope out there. And I know it's the same with people dealing with addictions. That's my life motto is don't give up. If you don't give up, you'll succeed. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. It's healing out there. It's not a magic pill, unfortunately, but it will come. Absolutely. Well, thank you. I love that. Well, I end my podcast with asking five quick questions. So you answer them really quick. So here is question number one. Yes. What emerging health topic excites you the most? Peptides. That is true. I probably dabble with like 10 and cycle and recovery stuff, you know, growth hormone promoting stuff, cognitive stuff.

45:40David:Do you find that they're helping your mind besides the terzepatide? Changing my life. So do you wish you had these 14, 15, 20 years? I would have gotten sober way earlier. That big of an impact. So that's what you can say is if you're dealing with addictions, go look at peptides. We stopped at terzepatide, but absolutely. When your body is firing and functioning the way it should, like the physical reflects the mental and you just feel better. I always did drugs because I just wanted to feel better. But when you actually do, you know, like I wake up in the morning feeling good now. I wake up in the morning hating life, even when I was sober for a while.

46:19Like, so yeah, peptides are game changer.

46:23David:All right. That's good to hear. Yeah. What is a piece of advice you give to your younger self? Oh, man. Don't open the doors, even though it might look fun. Just keep the door shut. That's good advice. Yeah. What's one health practice you'll never compromise on no matter how busy life gets? Drinking a lot of water. What's your favorite just ingredients product and why? The brain one. Oh, the brain support. What is it? It's called brain support. And the last question, what have you found to be the best ingredient to life? It's right between love and spirituality, connection with God or your higher power.

46:58And I think that's the same as love.

47:00David:I love it. Well, thanks you guys for being here and thank you again for being here.

47:08David:Thank you for being here and being part of this community. Don't forget to subscribe to the Just Ingredients podcast. We've got so much more to share with you. And if you're not already, come join us daily on all social media platforms at just.ingredients. Until next time, keep choosing what nourishes you.

47:31Thank you.