We are drugs. Every activity and interaction elicits a chemical response triggering reward and suffering. Many things in moderation won’t kill you and those things will trigger different chemical signals in your body. People, to a varying degree, act out routines and ambitions to achieve a chemically driver goal. Sometimes we go awry and pursue chemical contentment despite the consequences - we become alcoholics, caffeine fiends, binge eaters, tweakers, etc. What’s even more common is the mild addiction that doesn’t ruin your life, but is burdensome like the overeating, over drinking, athletic training despite injury.

In this episode, I sit down with Will Strom. He’s an avid outdoorsman who wrestled with substance abuse. Will has climbed the mountains throughout the Cascades, including Mt Adams and St. Helens. We talk on his transition from substance abuse to pursuing the rugged peaks and valleys of the Northern Cascades. The archytypical relationship between purpose, suffering and bliss is fascinating.