Are Wrong Sex Hormones The Next Opioids?

Aristotle once said the ultimate purpose of life is to be happy. One of the founding principles of our country is the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Seeking happiness is one of the primary drivers of behavior. Regardless of culture, age, or income status most of us all hope to find and keep happiness. Unfortunately for some, especially in our overcommercialized, decadent, and narcissistic society, happiness and overall life satisfaction are increasingly difficult to obtain. Anti-depressant use is on the rise with over 13% of Americans as of 2018 on some type of antidepressant. And as mental health continues to decline, drug use and alcohol use are also on the rise.

Deaths from drug overdoses are at an all-time high as nearly one million deaths have been reported since 1999. Many of these deaths can be directly or indirectly tied to the opioid crisis. Drug manufacturers are finally being held accountable for knowingly pushing doctors to prescribe medications they knew were highly addictive. The Sackler family who owned the now-defunct Purdue Pharma, the creator of Oxycontin are being sued by families and expected to pay $6 billion to obtain immunity from future lawsuits. Overdose deaths are still occurring daily and yet pharmaceutical companies have seemingly moved on to a new series of drugs and a new cohort of victims.

Transgender medicine is quickly turning into a highly profitable venture for not just Big Pharma but the entire medical industrial complex. From primary care doctors, counselors, surgeons, and drug makers-everyone is getting a cut. A cut that is expected to exceed $1.5 billion in the next 4 years. We have seen historically from the opioid crisis and COVID-19 to the various horrific atrocities doctors have committed over centuries (unintentionally or not) they are fallible. But there is something especially sinister about this so-called ‘gender-affirming care’.

These healthcare providers are focusing on children, young adults, and even older adults by mutilating them and drugging them with powerful substances in an effort to make them appear as the opposite sex. It is impossible to change sex so this is a futile effort just to look like something they are not. This cohort of patients all have at least one issue in common, mental illness. Regardless of your stance on gender ideology, many trans patients undeniably have some type of mental illness other than dysphoria, with autism, depression, and anxiety being some of the most common. So these medical professionals are performing irreversible surgery and providing powerful drugs to confused and vulnerable people all in the name of making them happy. We are told even though trans people may lose their sexual function, ability to have children, and suffer innumerable side effects all of this is done in the name of happiness and is thus worth it.

Whenever I hear trans people talk about how much better they feel after taking puberty blockers, hormones, and/or getting extreme body modification surgeries I can’t help but think how similar they sound to drug addicts. When we hear people talk about the “euphoria“ they feel when taking testosterone (if they are female) or estrogen (if they are male) they remind me of how it feels to take drugs and alcohol. Many people abuse these substances for the same reason; to feel euphoria.

Once you take those first few drinks and begin to feel your body loosening up and the warm feeling in your stomach, you know comforting euphoria is on its way. And even if only temporarily, your problems melt away. No matter what is going on in your life. No matter how bad things get, when you have bliss in a bottle you can escape your suffering, or so it seems.

For many life is hard. Some will look for other ways of dealing with the pain, misery, depression, and anxiety they feel in their everyday lives. So they turn to drugs. When we hear trans people say they feel better after taking these drugs, they fail to recognize this is the same mindset of many addicts. For many people who use drugs and alcohol, their sole reason for living is to chase that high. That high, that amazing feeling of pure heaven from that first hit. You may never feel that same way again. But for some, it was so incredible they’ll base their entire existence around chasing it.

When you look at homeless people it’s easy to ask how could anyone want to live like that. Who would be happy living in complete squalor, especially in the richest country in the world? But it’s a much easier lifestyle to accept when you are constantly under the influence of drugs and or alcohol. Many simply cannot live without drugs. They would die by suicide if not by withdrawals if they were to stop. And sadly many people do die as a result of simply using drugs.

For some sobriety is unbearable. It's boring, depressing, and anxiety-causing. But when you put a substance in your body that's not supposed to be there you can achieve the most amazing feelings! Imagine if we could all be high on something all the time. Maybe we could be a happier, calmer, and less anxious society. Maybe there’d be less violence and hate because we’d all feel good. Our problems wouldn't matter because we’d be in a constant state of drug-induced euphoria. But for some reason, it's frowned upon to be an alcoholic. Doctors don't want you to be high, drunk, or even smoke. Why? If it makes us feel happy, why not?

Substances may feel great. They may seem to alleviate depression, anxiety, or loneliness but all they do is mask the problem. The uncomfortable feelings are still there under the surface. And once the effects fade, the problems and feelings will resurface only this time, they will come back with a vengeance. They will come back with not just the problems that already existed, but also with many new ones. Those with drug or alcohol problems not only still have the same problems they’ve always had, but now they have social problems, financial problems, and more health problems which may eventually lead to early death.

Trans medicine is not that different. Many trans people not only often lose sexual function and fertility, but they can also experience a whole host of serious side effects. If they undergo irreversible surgeries, they likely will have to take hormones for life because sex hormones are vital for our existence. But even without the surgeries the hormones alone cause a whole host of side effects.

Puberty blockers can cause osteopenia (brittle bones), brain swelling, and blindness. Some studies even suggest puberty blockers lower IQ. There are few studies that prove the efficacy and safety of these drugs because they only have been approved for precocious puberty not gender dysphoria. So when we hear blockers are fully reversible they are basing that on those who took them to pause abnormally early puberty only to resume it a few years later. They were not tested on those who plan to never go through puberty. We don't have enough research to ensure these are safe to help people avoid puberty for life.

Effects from cross-sex hormones can include increased risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events, blood clots, diabetes, weight gain, and of course infertility. And after all the hormones and surgeries the only long-term study of trans people conducted over 30 years shows that they still have a high suicide risk of 20% higher than the general population 10 years after transition.

It's time to admit happiness cannot come from surgeries, pills (legal or not), alcohol, or illicit drugs. Whatever relief these things provide is fleeting and will only cause even more unintentional side effects. Now obviously there are many who report lifelong happiness after transition. As there are people who consume drugs and/or alcohol and are still able to lead successful lives. But happiness is a state of mind that one must find without outside interference. If you were to suddenly find yourself on a deserted island with nothing how would you fare? If you didn't have medicines, alcohol, or drugs could you survive?

We need to move back to a place of acceptance as we are. There will always be something we hate about ourselves. We will always have uncomfortable anxious feelings. We will always feel jealousy, envy, and lust for what we can't have. But even if we could have everything we wanted we likely still wouldn't be happy. One only needs to look at those who really do have everything to understand. True happiness, true satisfaction, and true meaning come from within. It can only be granted by you. There is no human or substance on this earth that can make you happy, you must make yourself happy.