Hacking the Hedonic Treadmill
Alcoholism and morbid digital experiences
My thoughts on a morbid National Geographic documentary about a guy named Ryan, who drinks himself to death. He has been drinking three pints of Vodka a day for three years. Why I watched it twice…
Watch the documentary
Thoughts on the documentary…
This is a National Geographic documentary on the most abused drug in the United States. I watched it twice, it’s so morbid. Morbid nonfiction content is actually an important part of my philosophical outlook…
- I consume a fair amount of morbid content.
- I’m not talking about watching movies like Saw.
- I enjoyed this podcast series on the Mongols, Wrath of the Khans
- Right now I’m listening to the audiobook, The Origins of War in Child Abuse.
Here’s why…
I live in the beautiful South American city of Medellin, Colombia — less than a stone’s throw away from my office where I’m writing this is the top modeling agency in the most cosmopolitan city in South America. My office has a beautiful view. I am surrounded by beauty…
So I like to consume morbid content like this from time to time to knock myself off the hedonic treadmill. Watching the documentary part of me says…
Fuck this guy. He deserves to be dead. It’s a good thing that he did not have the opportunity to pass his alcoholic genes on to the next generation. All he did was cause pain to those around him and now that he’s dead he cannot hurt anyone else.
But part of me believes that whenever a human being dies, a library burns. As someone who has faced the death of a loved one, it is a profoundly sad thing.
A difference between someone like me and Ryan is cognitive cross-training…
Doing intermittent sober trips — going completely off booze for 30, 60, or 90 days.
Mastering a second language.
Doing brain training and meditation.
Studying philosophy.
Other resources for addiction and alcoholism…
- 21 Biohacks and Uncommon Mindsets for Superhuman Will Power
- #24 Biohacking Boozing: a Guide to Drinking (Alcohol) Limitlessly
- Lifehacking Sobriety: 100 Days of Ethical Hedonism in South America’s #1 Vice City
- Brain training software for self-control: Dual N-Back
