Are Some Drugs More Expensive Than Others?

You would think that for someone who is a minimalist in life – someone who is not into cars, expensive clothes, vacations, and other major expenditures – fulfilling one’s needs is easy. Well, in some ways it is, and in some ways, it isn’t.

I recently spent some time thinking about what I wanted from life. I came to the conclusion that in fact, I am addicted to one horribly expensive drug.

Namely, I am addicted to interesting conversations. According to Tamir and Mitchell (2012), talking about ourselves activates the same dopamine reward circuits as food or money. And when you think about it, it is more expensive and unhealthy than alcohol, cigarettes, and cocaine together.

Why? Because it makes you invest all your time, health, and money, and completely forget about yourself. To the point when you don’t recognize yourself in a mirror.

How To Say “No” To THIS?

Firstly, you cannot say “no” to this. Between taking a good sleep or simply disconnecting from reality and relaxing, or simply eating. And having an interesting discussion, you always choose the latter – no matter how tired you already are.

As a result, you are permanently sleep-deprived and function unwell. And yet, you still cannot say “no.”

Secondly, once you stay alone for a period of time, then instead of feeling happy that you can finally focus on your work, you feel isolated and depressed. It feels like withdrawal syndrome! According to Holt-Lunstad and colleagues (2015), loneliness raises mortality risk about as much as obesity does.

Thirdly, you can’t really negotiate and fight for your rights, as relations are more important for you than money. In the end, you often end up working for free. Especially when your work concerns chatting with people, many people will ruthlessly make use of your kindness and take your time.

And lastly, it isn’t entirely true that a good conversation is free of charge. Where can you meet the most interesting people to talk to. And those who went through the most in their lives?

Well, they are usually leaders of sorts, so you can’t access them easily. You need to get to all the expensive places.

The ticketed events or the places expensive to live in like California. And regardless of how interesting the person you are talking to is, you always get the sense of void after a while and want more.

What Did I Decide to Do About It?

I recently took the decision to go on a very expensive journey, namely a travel to California. For a few months, I am going to exchange my comfortable studio with one bed in a corner of a 3-person bedroom somewhere in a shady quarter of Palo Alto.

As this is the exchange rate between the Netherlands and the Bay Area. Why?

To get better access to the Drug. And this can only be explained by a helpless addiction.

In recent times, the costs of living in California went over the roof. According to Forbes, the Case-Shiller home price index for San Francisco alone skyrocketed by 140% between October 2012 and October 2021. The St.

Louis Fed publishes the index monthly. Now in the fall of 2021, the median house price in the San Francisco Bay Area is at its all-time high, namely at $1,331,868 (17.8% higher than last year) According to Forbes, costs like these drove a net outmigration of roughly 1.2 million Californians over the 2010s, disproportionately squeezing out lower- and middle-income residents.

As a result, even though my needs are to a large extent non-material, there is a lavish price tag. If I wish to have constant access to people who have a similar mindset to me, it would literally cost me millions – millions which I don’t have.

What Happens When The Price of Your Dreams Is Too High?

I recently asked a simple question on social media: what is a worse scenario? Is it a situation when you don’t want to know what to do with your life?

Or, when you know what to do. But it requires so many funds that you cannot by any means afford it?

67% of people were of the opinion that expensive dreams are still a better situation than having no dreams at all, as it gives you a stimulus to make your efforts. I am not sure if to agree with this statement…

I sometimes wish I was addicted to cocaine. So much cheaper.