From Ketamine to Connection — My Journey from Escaping to Embracing Life

There was a time in my life when reality felt like something to endure — or better yet, avoid. The idea of being fully present, sober, and awake was terrifying. Why would anyone want to sit still in their own skin when you could slip into something a little less… real?

For years, I chased the exit sign. Alcohol, party drugs, ketamine — anything that offered a fast track out of my own thoughts. I wasn’t alone either. In parts of the queer community, this kind of escapism isn’t just common, it’s practically expected. If you’ve ever been at a Sunday session where nobody wants to be the first to leave, you know exactly what I mean.

But what starts as a shortcut to connection eventually takes you somewhere much darker — until you’re not really in your own life at all. You’re just floating above it, watching it pass you by.

Fast forward to now.

Over two years sober, training for ultra-marathons, launching a platform to combat loneliness, and — surprisingly — fascinated by the world of biohacking.

At first, it was curiosity. How do you undo years of damage to your body and brain? Can you really reverse aging? And what is it that makes some people thrive well into their 90s while others seem to burn out at 40?

The science is wild — cellular reprogramming, senolytics, even whisperings of reversing biological age. It’s like sci-fi with a gym membership. And I’ll admit, I’m intrigued.

But the more I learn, the more I realise that the ultimate biohack isn’t found in a lab. It’s found in something much simpler — showing up for your own life. Being present. Participating fully.

Escaping was easy — showing up is harder

I used to think the future would save me. The next party. The next pill. The next app update. Even now, I could trick myself into believing that the right supplement stack or longevity injection could fix everything.

But none of it matters if you’re not actually here.

The real hack — the one that changes everything — is connection. Not just connection to your body, or to some hyper-optimized wellness plan, but connection to your people, to your community, to those small, unremarkable moments that make life feel meaningful.

The philosopher who knew all along

It turns out, a dead German philosopher called Hegel might have cracked the code centuries ago.

He believed that true happiness wasn’t found in wild, euphoric highs or grand personal achievements — but in participating. In being part of your community, playing your role, and finding purpose in the ordinary.

And he’s right. The happiest moments of my life now aren’t the headline-grabbing ones. They’re the Sunday morning walks with a coffee. The check-in texts to a friend who’s having a tough week. The sweaty group workouts where everyone is struggling, but no one quits.

This is the anti-biohack biohack

It’s not glamorous. It won’t make the cover of a Silicon Valley wellness mag. But this shift — from escaping life to embracing it — is the real magic trick. It’s the thing that makes you feel young again. Not because you’ve reversed your cells, but because you’ve remembered what they’re for.

To live. To love. To participate.

And I’ll take that over a ketamine trip or a billionaire’s immortality plan any day.