After 21 Years of Traditional Sobriety, I Lost 40 Pounds Through Plant Medicine || Joe V
Artem SmirnovJoe Valenzuela is a 61-year-old lifestyle and wellness advocate who grew up in Los Angeles. His life story includes multiple chapters of addiction and recovery, having been in 12-step programs five different times totaling over 21 years of sobriety. Despite these periods of sobriety, he never felt he achieved the complete peace and freedom promised by the programs.
Watch: Five Attempts at Sobriety: What Finally Worked for Me
I got to see myself in a whole different way, and it shifted my consciousness about everything I either put into my body. I’ve been able to lose 40 pounds, transform my body, be in some of the best shape I’ve been in my life, and that’s at 61 years old.
-Joe V
Read: After 21 Years of Traditional Sobriety, I Lost 40 Pounds Through Plant Medicine
After reading Michael Pollan’s work and exploring alternative healing methods including breathwork and plant medicine, Joe began a personal transformation. Using a combination of breathwork, psilocybin microdosing, and cannabis, he lost 40 pounds and achieved what he considers his best physical condition at age 61.
An avid skier with 45 years of experience, Joe also enjoys mountain biking and beach volleyball. He’s found that microdosing certain substances helps him ski pain-free and recapture the feeling of his younger years. While embracing these alternative approaches to wellness, he remains mindful of his addictive personality and maintains a disciplined approach, ensuring that roughly 95% of what he puts in his body serves his health and well-being.
Through his experiences, Joe has developed a lifestyle brand focused on adventure, health, and well-being called Santa Cruz Fun Guy
“My body tells me what to do intuitively. So I feel really lucky that I’m connected”
Q&A with Joe
What is your history with 12-step recovery programs?
Joe: I have a very sort of unusual story for people in 12-step recovery in that I’ve been in it 5 different times for a total of over 21 years being completely clean and sober. The longest period was 10 years and 3 months, which ended in 2018. While I remain an open-minded person, it never felt like the end all for me – I never got to what they call happy, joyous and free.”
What sparked your willingness to try plant medicine in a conscious way?
Joe: I read a book by Michael Pollan. It resonated with me because anytime I had done psychedelics in college, it was always a love connection with nature, with humans, with animals.
Through breathwork and seeing a psychedelic therapist, I came to see myself where I am today. From that point, with microdosing as support, specifically psilocybin and cannabis, I’ve been able to lose 40 pounds, transform my body, and be in some of the best shape I’ve been in my life at 61 years old.
How do you balance your current wellness practices with your history of addiction?
I always keep in mind that I have an addictive personality, so that never leaves my forefront, whether I’m at Burning Man, a festival, a barbecue.
I’m not putting things in my body that aren’t going to serve me about 95 percent of the time. I’ve still got 5 percent to work on, but I’m okay with that for today.”
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Normalize Psychedelics is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) working to transform public perception of psychedelic medicine through real stories of healing. Our mission is to collect 1,000 powerful testimonials from individuals whose lives have been transformed by psychedelic experiences. By sharing these authentic voices, we aim to reduce stigma, advance the conversation around mental health, and expand our understanding of wellness.
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