PIT OF VICEPIT OF VICE
STRENGTH CULT
Hero Bishop shares a brutally honest account of childhood trauma, addiction, and swapping one vice for another, from drugs and alcohol to sex, food and hate. He explains how straight-edge living, self-love, discipline and purpose help him stay out of what he calls the "pit of vice."
25:39•25 Jan 2021
PIT OF VICE: From Hardcore Addiction to Straight-Edge Strength
Episode Overview
- Addiction is presented as deeply tied to unresolved mental health issues and early-life trauma.
- Quitting substances without addressing mindset can lead to new vices such as food, sex, pornography or hate.
- Letting go of resentment is framed as crucial, as carrying it "rots you from the inside".
- For an addictive personality, abstinence is argued to be safer than trying to moderate harmful behaviours.
- Consistent physical training, structure and a sense of purpose are described as natural ways to improve mood and support sobriety.
“"Everyone and everything in this world is not a vessel for my pleasure. I have to remember that."”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This raw episode of STRENGTH CULT drops you straight into the "pit of vice" with Hero Bishop as he talks honestly about addiction, mental health, and the long haul to sobriety. Speaking in his usual no-filter style, he traces how a violent, chaotic childhood and early exposure to alcohol and drugs pushed him into years of chasing any high he could get: "I would do anything, man.
That's all my life was about, was getting fucked up, trying to escape the person who I was." From beer at age 11, to pills, crack, meth and every quick fix in between, he paints a picture many people in addiction will recognise. You’ll hear how quitting drugs and alcohol didn’t magically solve everything. Instead, the focus just shifted to food, sex, pornography, hate and even love itself.
He calls out the trap of swapping one obsession for another, and explains why, for someone with an addictive mind, abstinence often beats moderation. Alongside this, he talks about being divorced three times, using relationships as a way to plug the hole left by a lack of self-love, and how learning to respect people instead of seeing them as "vessels for pleasure" changed his approach to sex and connection.
Hero also shares his strong views on mental health labels and medication, arguing for natural, consistent habits like physical training, structure and purpose: "You get high off working out. You get high off taking care of yourself. And you earn that shit." Throughout, he keeps circling back to one central point – if someone who "ran the gamut" of vice can step away from drugs, alcohol and toxic patterns, there’s hope for anyone.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in your own pit of vice, this episode might leave you asking: what purpose could you put before pleasure today?
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