Kratom Abstinence
Interviewing people in recovery from kratom abuse or addiction, or experts in the field.
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Episodes
Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
Nolan and Desiree talk about their personal timelines feeling better after quitting kratom. Mark is an expat from Europe living in Thailand as a digital nomad. He was surprised by how an unassuming kratom tea product he bought created a physical dependency and he had a hard time quitting during 2024. English is not his native language, but his story gives us insight how kratom is used by non-Americans in places outside of United States.
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Sunday Mar 09, 2025
Sunday Mar 09, 2025
Libby and Jacob talk about recognizing you have an addiction without or before bad things start to happen. Ian works for a well-known company that distributes kratom-kava drinks to some 30,000 stores in the U.S. Many people report this product to be starkly more addictive than plain leaf kratom, and Ian himself has developed a dependency he has had trouble stopping. He talks to Charlie about:
* The misleading promotion of the product as an energy drink.
* The measures the company uses to counter the concerns of cautious new retail outlets worried about the negative reports associated with the product.
* The typical store has a handful of the same customers drinking large volumes of the product, e.g. an average of 12 customers per every 100 units moved.
* The company's practice of giving six samples per store to the distributor allows Ian to afford his addiction.
* Severe cases of addiction among customers that Ian has encountered during his work, and that other people working for the company in his role are also experiencing difficult, hard-to-quit dependencies on the product they are helping to distribute.
* The company-wide denial about the addictive potential of the product.
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QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
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Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Nolan and Desiree talk about how nice it is not to have to hide your kratom use after you quit. Aaron discusses how his kratom addiction progressed over five years until he was able to stop in early December 2023. He "hugged the cactus", and quit with the help of the podcast, online kratom meetings and quitting support groups.
How would you describe your life now that you're freedom free?
"Oh, that's a good question. It's a complicated question. I'll try to keep it short. I think that it's more honest and I think it's more sincere, and I think that it's sometimes harder, but I think that overall it's easier and better and more fulfilling and more rewarding, and I've had to face uncomfortable truths about myself. My history and reflecting on my past. ...This whole feeling of I don't deserve to be here, I don't belong, whatever...Ridiculous thoughts are things that I press down with substances and now the journey is I can actually work through this. And that's been for me, this journey of, now that I'm off of it, I think it's like a car, like all my trauma was like a car...Like you gotta take the car in to get serviced. And I wasn't servicing the car and so the car was getting fucked up...So that was the process and that's been, but I've had to go through and work through now, but it's also very empowering and healing."
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QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
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CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
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Sunday Mar 02, 2025
Sunday Mar 02, 2025
Today's guest Anthony is a high school student. In the open, Jacob and Libby discuss how they felt at key milestone day marks during the first year. Initially consuming kratom around age 15, Anthony first bottomed out on powder and then on kava-kratom tonics, eventually going to rehab. Relapse is part of his story, but he experienced a lot in his journey for such a young man. Listen to hear what he has to say.
THANK YOU TO OUR GUESTS WHO SENT IN FEEDBACK ON LOW/HIGH DOSES:
Response 1 - J
"I guess when I was first getting started with kratom, 3 or so grams was more stimulating and then 6+ were sedating, but by the time I got heavy into my addiction I just felt like crap all the time anyway?" Also J found this scientific article:
Babu KM, McCurdy CR, Boyer EW (2008) Opioid receptors and legal highs: Salvia divinorum and Kratom. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 46(2):146–152. "The clinical effects of Kratom are dose-dependent; consistent descriptions exist of stimulant effects at lower doses, and opiate effects predominating at higher doses in humans (33,34). This effect has also been witnessed in animal models (47)."
Response 2 - A
I used once a day ranging from 5gpd to 15gpd in leaf form. I would say that range is exactly the difference between stimulating and sedative. I would start my use at 5gpd for a bit of a buzz and help cleaning the house. As my use increased due to tolerance it would get more and more sedative until the 15gpd point where it would be almost all sedative and not stimulating at all. Your podcast helps me tremendously along with the kratom quitters group. My story is very mundane, low usage, no crazy rock bottoms or interesting quit strategies, but it has been a struggle and a long one at that.
Response 3 - M
When I found kratom in the vape shops they told me that the white was stimulating, the red was sedating, and the green was somewhere In The middle. Additionally, I liked what Jacob said about mindset playing a bearing on the effectiveness of the substance. I love the podcast. I just got through my first day out of detox.
CONNECT WITH US
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QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
https://open.spotify.com/show/4GkQiYu6S8IBn8qswyVm00
Wednesday Feb 26, 2025
Wednesday Feb 26, 2025
International travel and kratom. Tony has battled kratom extract dependence over the years with multiple relapses and is determined to make this his final quit. With no prior history of addiction, a pivotal moment came during a trip abroad, where unplanned withdrawals caused a strain on his relationship with his wife and the moment became an important turning point.
CONNECT WITH US
https://www.instagram.com/kratomsobriety
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https://www.tiktok.com/@krat0ms0briety
https://www.youtube.com/@KratomSobriety
https://www.facebook.com/kratomsobriety
QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
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Sunday Feb 23, 2025
Sunday Feb 23, 2025
So listeners, tell us your experience, did you find kratom stimulating at low doses and sedating at higher doses? We will read audience responses on a future episode. And as an incentive, the podcast will donate $20 to the non-political charity of your choice, so think children, pets, nature, wildlife, addiction, etc. those types of nonprofits. This also serves as an experiment, meaning, DOES ANYONE READ THE SHOW NOTES? If yes, please send to kratomsobriety@gmail.com about your dose dependent experience with kratom being stimulating versus sedating.
While studying to become a peer recovery specialist substance abuse, Justin K. started to use kratom. His use progressed over time, and he started to consume 7ohm tablets. Eventually, he starts spending $200 or more a day. He decided to go to the hospital to detox and worked with his doctor to be treated with Medications for Opioid Use Discord (MOUD). Alongside support groups and therapy, Justin has been off kratom since November 13, 2024.
CONNECT WITH US
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https://www.tiktok.com/@krat0ms0briety
https://www.youtube.com/@KratomSobriety
https://www.facebook.com/kratomsobriety
QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
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Wednesday Feb 19, 2025
Wednesday Feb 19, 2025
A powder user, Misty quit kratom twice. First five years ago cold turkey, with horrible acute withdrawals for a month and then hard protracted withdrawals for half a year. Formerly addicted to heroin, she felt the withdrawals were just as bad if not worse. This second quit in May 2023, she got the SUBLOCADE® shot (buprenorphine injection). This resulted in no withdrawals and allowed her to take care of her four children without taking any time off.
Initially taking kratom for a boost in energy starting in 2016ish, Misty's side effects from kratom including severe constipation, extreme weight loss, hair loss, fits of rage, wobbles/pre seizures and a scary choking incident with a clump of powder stuck (and not easily dislodged) in her windpipe. She was consuming a kilo and half at her top usage, which was up to 50 grams a day. Good news, a year and half off kratom - she is back to normal, and her hair went from 75% gone to only 25% missing, and no more losing her cool either!
CONNECT WITH US
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https://www.facebook.com/kratomsobriety
QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
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Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Sunday Feb 16, 2025
Make a plan to quit. Cassidy was 16 when she first tried kratom, buying from a gas station near her home. Her use escalated to street drugs and a stint in rehab, and her recovery includes addressing mental health issues and getting ready to go to college.
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https://www.facebook.com/kratomsobriety
QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
https://open.spotify.com/show/4GkQiYu6S8IBn8qswyVm00
Wednesday Feb 12, 2025
Wednesday Feb 12, 2025
A study co-authored by Dr. Christopher McCurdy concludes "...the public needs to be warned about this public health problem and heed the Food and Drug Administration’s warning on kratom being a drug of concern." Link study: https://tinyurl.com/bdrewda6
The academic article provides evidence that kratom alone can cause death, though such cases are relatively rare compared to polysubstance kratom fatalities. It is possible that these numbers could represent an undercount as kratom is not universally tested for in all fatalities. It is possible that some but definitely not all of these cases may represent deaths where other substances, adulterated kratom, or health conditions may not have been detected.
Key findings supporting kratom causing death:
1) Sole Substance Deaths Analyzed:
* Among 551 mitragynine-positive cases, 36 (6.5%) had no other substances present at the time of death.
* In these cases, mitragynine was determined to be the sole cause of death through autopsy and toxicology.
2) Other Research Cited:
* Previous studies, such as Olsen et al. (2019), documented a few cases where mitragynine was the only substance detected in fatal intoxications.
* Additional case reports (e.g., Behonick et al. 2022) confirmed fatalities where kratom alone led to outcomes like cardiac arrest, seizures, or respiratory failure.
Journal of Addiction Medicine https://journals.lww.com/journaladdictionmedicine/abstract/9900/the_associations_of_kratom__mitragynine_,_opioids,.408.aspx
Links from this week's guests:
Kratom Danger Awareness: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DU1RfAvdd/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Documentary A Beautiful Life Stolen: https://abeautifullifestolen.com/documentary-1
Documentary Tampa Bay Times, Deadly Dose: https://youtu.be/ys01SU2BpWE
Sue's TikTok @krat0mdangers: https://www.tiktok.com/@krat0mdangers?_t=ZT-8ta2H2Dngwo&_r=1
Press conference of Sue with her lawyers: https://youtu.be/mUHECdNFIkc
Testimony in Tinley Park, Kratom banned: https://www.youtube.com/live/fJx1JzBRfJw?si=sj486Q982UvvvxnY
CONNECT WITH US
https://www.instagram.com/kratomsobriety
https://twitter.com/kratomsobriety
https://www.tiktok.com/@krat0ms0briety
https://www.youtube.com/@KratomSobriety
https://www.facebook.com/kratomsobriety
QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
https://open.spotify.com/show/4GkQiYu6S8IBn8qswyVm00
Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Sunday Feb 09, 2025
Imagining kratom Superbowl commercials. Focusing on the impact on his family and remembering an earlier time in his life when he abused opioids, in Nolan's first pod interview, Brandon found that a little tonic he bought at the gas station (and endorsed by some collegiate sports teams) tuned into a heavy addiction he found hard to quit.
Nolan's quitting kratom YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Nolanwrites
CONNECT WITH US
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https://www.tiktok.com/@krat0ms0briety
https://www.youtube.com/@KratomSobriety
https://www.facebook.com/kratomsobriety
QUITTING KRATOM SUPPORT MEETINGS
https://www.kratommeetings.com
CONTACT THE SHOW
Voice: 313-437-7720
Email: kratomsobriety@gmail.com
https://kratomsobriety.com
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kratom-addiction/id1685569424
https://www.audible.com/podcast/Kratom-Addiction/B0C3YHDLV5
https://open.spotify.com/show/4GkQiYu6S8IBn8qswyVm00