Is Kratom addictive? | My personal experience

The most popular video to date on the Gonootropics YouTube channel is my Kratom review video. That one gained well over 70,000k views and received over 350 comments. The video sees steady traffic to this day. It served as my formal introduction to the Kratom community at large and also to the YouTube hater, whom I had only little experience with previously…LOL.

I received criticism for discussing particular views I had on Kratom. People took offense to the comparisons I made between Kratom and standard opiate drugs like Vicodin, Norcos, Oxycontin etc. In their defense I should have done a better job illustrating the safety profile of Kratom compared to these pharmaceutical alternatives, even though they work on similar neuro pathways. I believe Kratom is effective for treating pain on the same level as pharmaceutical options and also 1000% safer.

My opinion on Kratoms addictive potential still stands though. In my experience steadily using Kratom for 30 days I found Kratoms addictive potential was subtle yet definitely present. It’s on par with the addictiveness of coffee and caffeine – this makes sense considering Kratom is a plant within the coffee tree family.

You also don’t have to look far to discover Kratom users complaining about withdrawals and asking about tapering methods.

I know Kratom is addictive because I’ve gone through addiction on varying levels. I smoked for 5 years before quitting. I drank for a long time before getting sober. I’ve gone through periods where I drank lots of coffee. I know immediately upon experiencing a substance if it has addictive potential. I do not need a government study to tell me this. Kratom in my experience has addictive potential – but I don’t believe it’s serious. The withdrawals are honestly not that bad. For me, I kind of just craved it like I would a cup of coffee if I missed the morning routine. It’s a pesky kind of wanting and craving coupled with minor physical symptoms.

Kratoms addictive potential does not discredit its benefits however. When I conducted further research into this unique plant I was actually taken aback by the hundreds of people I found who managed to get off dangerous pain killers with Kratom. People were using Kratom to treat serious pain and other conditions. The Kratom community was tightly knit and extremely active about keeping the plant legal and organizing petitions to stop the ban.

Good stuff indeed.

Some commentors however refused to acknowledge Kratoms addictive potential and suggested that my video was painting Kratom in a negative light – and giving the FDA more ammo to outright ban the plant:

I replied back to the top rated comment with my own theory about the real root cause behind the ban and a guy below me rudely chimed in with how he thinks Kratom is one of the most addictive substances…LOL.

Getting back to Kratoms addictiveness I believe it’s crucial to view things in a risk/reward frame. The truth is, Kratom offers powerful pain relief with low risk of side effects. To date there have only been a few cases of Kratom overdose reported. Most of these cases are highly dubious and other drugs were involved. The upsides to using Kratom far outweigh the negatives, especially for individuals dealing with intense pain.

Is Kratom addictive? Yes but only mildly.

At the end of the day you as a person must exercise control over yourself. The mild addictive nature of Kratom is no excuse to ban the plant or to not take personal responsibility for your own actions.