Battling an addiction to alcohol can be amongst the toughest things to do. Many who struggle to kick the habit attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and follow the scriptures to try and stay clean, but the fight often still continues. Keeping the cravings and urges at bay can seem next to impossible, and for many of those who manage to do it, the withdrawal symptoms can manifest in seizures, depression, insomnia, random mood swings. And often the fall off the wagon can be a long and cruel one.
However, many former alcoholics have found that using kratom, especially during the initial stages of sobriety can really help to temper the symptoms and keep you off the liquid poison. Kratom has been used in the past to treat the various symptoms of withdrawal individually, such as depression and insomnia. This is because kratom spurs the release of chemicals in our brain that creates a sense of happiness and euphoria in us. Let’s take a deeper look into how kratom can help treat alcoholism.
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Using Kratom For Alcoholism
Alcoholism can be passed down genetically, through a hereditary predisposition for addiction, from fathers, mothers and even great-grandparents. Alcohol and substance abuse, in general, increase the dopamine levels of the body to unparalleled amounts and can affect the communication of neurotransmitters between neurons. This change in the very manner in which the brain sends messages to the body can also create an addiction to the substance. In many cases, alcoholism can be triggered and spurred on by habit, drinking on a daily basis without thinking about it, until one day, it seems impossible not to drink that day.
What separates kratom from opiates, the very substance the effects of kratom mimic, is that kratom is a largely non-addictive botanic. While there are chances you can get emotionally addicted to kratom or simply the habit of taking it, like with coffee and video games, the biochemical constitution of kratom does not lend itself to being an addictive substance. It can provide relief from the more harrowing of withdrawal symptoms and even increase your energy levels.
How To Use Kratom to Manage Alcoholism
From your first use of kratom, you will notice the effects. Your mood will be lifted and any feelings of pain or discomfort will also be relieved. If you dig a little deeper, you will find multiple reviews from people who got through the worst stages of withdrawal with the help of kratom and stayed off of alcohol for good after that. However, the effects of kratom can sometimes mimic the effects of alcohol, easing your stress and making you feel light. And also much like with alcohol, repeated and increasing use of kratom can also build up your tolerance, rendering the effects of kratom useless. That is why it is very important to remember that minimal doses can have the effect you want. If you don’t use kratom is a controlled and careful manner, you could end up relapsing and even mixing the two, which lands you in a veritable quagmire of addictions. Track your dependency levels carefully, and monitor changes in your mood. It only takes a small amount of kratom to relieve you of your withdrawal symptoms, and anything more than that is just gluttony.
Types of Kratom You Can Try
When you start using kratom to treat your withdrawal, there are a number of different effects that it can cause. These can range from mimicking the euphoria of alcohol to feeling excessively calm and sedated and even increases of energy in the middle. You will also definitely feel a drastic reduction in panic attacks, and even physical pains caused by the alcohol withdrawal. But, as you can see, most of these effects are on different ends of the physical and emotional scale. This is because different strains and types of kratom perform different functions. The major differences in performance can be seen in the 3 major types of kratom, differentiated by the color of the veins in the leaves:
White Kratom
The first of these is white kratom, which is ideal for bringing you out of depression by lifting your spirits and giving you more energy. White Indo is the strain that is most suited for these effects. However, the euphoria of white kratom, which is quite excessive in high doses, can be almost uncontrollable with this particular strain, if doses are not carefully contained.
Red Kratom
The next type of kratom is Red vein kratom. It takes on a different direction that white vein kratom and creates more of sedated and calm sensation in you. This particular type of kratom also has strong analgesic properties, which can ease any physical pain caused by cravings and withdrawal. Red kratom can also lessen feelings of stress and anxiety. Red Maeng Da is amongst the strongest of the red vein kratoms with the high level of alkaloids. The initial effects of this particular red kratom strain are an increase in energy and focus. However, as the dose increases, the effects of this strain shift, and as energy and focus decrease, pain relief and sedation become greater.
Green Kratom
This type of kratom is something of a middle ground between white kratom and red kratom, offering a more balanced set of results. If taken in particularly large or increasing doses, it can resemble the more extreme effects of either red kratom or white kratom, either producing excessive bursts of energy or extreme sedation. If you are just starting out with using kratom for withdrawal, Green Malay might be a good option for you. It creates a harmonious effect of improving your mood while simultaneously mellowing you out and relieving you of stress. But as mentioned early, users of this strain and type of kratom, especially ones battling alcoholism, should ensure not to take this kratom in high doses.
How Much Kratom Do I Take?
When it comes to treating alcoholism, and even depression and anxiety, there is no clear absolute dosage. The effects can differ not only depending on the strain, but also from person to person. Tolerance builds at a different pace in different people and the effects can even vary based on body type or a history of other substance abuse. Also, depending on the particular symptom you’re looking to treat, the type of kratom you will use, the strain and the dosage will all differ to best suit the result you’re looking for.
Nonetheless, as a rule of thumb when trying to kick a nasty habit, and particularly an addiction like alcohol, less is always better. Kratom can be quite effective even in small doses, and with larger doses, you run the risk of replacing one addiction with another. The best way to take kratom to alleviate alcohol withdrawal symptoms is to begin by taking low doses for an extended period of time. A low dose of normal strength kratom is approximately 1 to 3g. Only after you have taken that particular type of kratom for a while and developed a better understanding of the effect it has on your body, should you even consider increasing the dosage. It is also important to keep in mind that doses should only be increased if you find the effects of the alcohol withdrawal are continuing to hamper your everyday life, and the kratom is no longer having the desired effect. Even then, a moderate dose will suffice, estimated at around 3 to 5g. Between 5 and 7 grams is a high dose and could lead to an over-amplified sense of euphoria, or sedation. Anything above 7 grams is an extremely high dose and could hamper your recovery progress. Do not mix strains until your body has become accustomed to the effects of kratom, and even then, do so in low doses.
Where can I Buy Kratom?
The truth is the use of kratom in treating depression and alcohol addiction is still relatively new, so there aren’t many kratom products out there specifically marketed to alcoholics. The best way for you to get a better idea of what type of kratom works for you is to get a variety pack of some kind, so you can be introduced to a few of the main different kinds of kratom out there. Purkratom offers a Beginner’s Pack with 25grams each of Red Maeng Da, Green Malay and White Bali. It’s important to be wary of the vendors you purchase kratom from as many are unreliable and you don’t want to end up taking anything less than good quality kratom. A few trusted vendors, alongside the one mentioned above, that you can use are Kay Botanicals, Best Kratom and Phytoextracum.
If you hadn’t considered using kratom to helping manage alcohol withdrawal before but are starting to now, you can check out more information on these vendors and their products, before making any purchase or decision. If you do decide to proceed with this new and effective form of treatment, keep your doses low and controlled, allow your body and mind to acclimate to the new sensations. And buy a variety pack so that you can really understand what effect you’re looking for.
