Before: The Slow Boil of Executive Burnout and Alcohol Dependence

For Colin, the descent into heavy drinking didn’t happen overnight. As an entrepreneur managing the constant pressure of running his own business, the daily demands quietly accumulated until alcohol shifted from an occasional release into a mandatory coping mechanism.

“For me, it was more like a frog in a pot of water that’s slowly boiling. I own my own company, so it’s like executive burnout, I guess. I just got to the point where I was like just so overwhelmed that I started using alcohol to cope with it.”

What began as a way to unwind at the end of a grueling workday soon bled into every hour of his routine:

“I started drinking to go to sleep, and then I started drinking at lunch, drinking in the morning… but then it just wasn’t working. It was just like I was drinking to not feel anything… I was self-medicating and just got to the point where I was starting to get sick from it—just exhausted, and I just needed like a reset.”

The turning point came following a large gathering at his home. Waking up the morning after, the reality of his physical and emotional exhaustion finally sank in: “We threw a big party and everybody was partying, and then the next day I was like, ‘I think I’ve had enough. I need to stop.’ And then my family was kind of like, ‘Yeah, you do need to stop. You’re getting carried away.'”

Attempting to quit on his own proved nearly impossible. Unlike illicit drugs, alcohol was socially normalized and readily available at every corner. Moreover, being his own boss stripped away the external boundaries that might have otherwise forced an earlier intervention:

“It’s not like I have to call my drug dealer. I can just go to the liquor store beside my house and just pick it up… and it’s so culturally acceptable, right? No one’s going to yell at me, and I’m my own boss, too. If I’m late for work, no one’s going to yell at me. So it’s kind of like a blessing and a curse at the same time, cuz I’m like my own worst enemy.”

Colin began searching for alternative solutions, eventually discovering ibogaine through podcasts and online recovery communities. Still, making the leap felt daunting. Leaving his business and family in Canada for a ten-day clinic stay in Mexico carried real apprehension:

“Trying to find the time… but it just got to the point where I realized it’s that bad that if I don’t do this, it’s going to start affecting my health really negatively… I heard it’s really rough for a lot of people—getting sick, puking, and it takes you pretty deep… I’m from Canada, so to just be like, ‘I’m going to go to Mexico and I don’t know where I’m going, and I don’t really know anybody else who’s done it either.'”

During: The Ego-Shattering Mirror and the Dual Perspective

Upon arriving at the facility, the clinical intake and supportive medical environment helped calm Colin’s nervous system. After completing medical screenings with the nursing staff and getting settled, apprehension gave way to comfort.

When the treatment began, the medicine initiated an intense, deeply introspective life review, forcing him to confront years of accumulated emotional baggage:

“Processing a lot of the whole gauntlet—shame and guilt and remorse for myself, self-hatred, and all of that… I felt like I lost myself, like my spirit, and I let my body take over. It’s hard to describe, just like my carnal, hedonistic body desires was what was driving me.”

As the experience deepened, Colin encountered a profound visual and spiritual breakthrough that challenged his entire sense of self:

“My spirit was hovering over my body, and I could see my spirit incredibly photorealistic… I could see me, but it was like I looked great. My skin looked good, and my eyes were bright, and I was smiling and I was happy. But then I could simultaneously see from the perspective of my spirit of my body… I could literally see myself in the bed with the blindfold, and I looked like hell. I was like, ‘Oh my god, what did you do?’ An ego-shattering, mind-altering experience, because I could see from both perspectives at the same time.”

Unlike recreational psychedelics, Colin noted that the state was lucid, grounded, and deeply conscious:

“It’s almost not even psychedelic—it is, but it’s so real. It’s not weird and cartoonish or anything like that. It was like it was happening… and you’re very conscious while this is happening.”

Alongside the internal visionary work, comprehensive medical support—including IV therapies, vitamin supplementation, and bodywork—helped stabilize his physical system. To his surprise, the acute physical cravings and alcohol withdrawal sensations were effectively neutralized during the administration:

“When you’re on the flood dose, it kind of ceases your withdrawal symptoms. You just don’t really feel that. You’re so preoccupied in your mind that your body just kind of—it’s just there. It definitely helps, for sure.”

After: Reconnection, Practical Wisdom, and a Grounded Future

Coming out of the journey, Colin felt the physical and mental slate wiped clean. The cycle of morning drinking, chronic exhaustion, and daily numbness was replaced by genuine presence and relief.

Reflecting on the physical reality of the experience, Colin offered practical preparation advice for anyone considering the treatment:

“Bring a pair of slippers, because your feet can get cold… you’re almost half-paralyzed when you’re on it. You experience body paralysis or whatever, so you’re not moving for like 10 hours and your circulation slows down… Other than that, just have an open mind. Don’t fight it, accept it, and just kind of roll with it.”

Freed from the daily compulsion to drink and with his executive burnout addressed at the root, Colin left the facility ready to rebuild his life with clarity and intention. The transformation was so profound that his thoughts immediately turned toward sharing the restorative experience with those closest to him:

“I’m already trying to make plans to get my wife down here to do it.”