Kratom: An Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy

Note: I do not sell (or benefit from the sale of) anything mentioned below. What follows is a sincere effort to report the facts as accurately as I can.

As I noted in my first post on harm reduction, not everyone with an alcohol problem can simply quit drinking. In such cases, one option to consider is kratom. Otherwise known as Mitragyna speciosa, a tree in the coffee family, kratom has long been part of traditional Southeast Asian medicine. Due mainly to social media, it’s becoming popular in the US and Europe, where it’s used recreationally and medicinally for chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and opioid withdrawal. Its mechanism of action involves opioid receptors, but it is not a conventional opioid. Its effects are far milder, and the risk of fatal overdose ranges from negligible to nonexistent. Unfortunately, as kratom’s profile rises, its legal status becomes more precarious despite health risks comparable to cannabis—that is to say, almost none. Very likely, the main danger posed by kratom is the danger to the bottom line of pharmaceutical companies if the general public were to learn how well it performs against many prescription medications.

One of its lesser-known effects is curbing both alcohol consumption and alcohol craving among people concerned about their drinking. As I just mentioned, kratom helps people struggling with opioid addiction. Some addicts use it briefly to ease withdrawal symptoms; some use it longer-term as a relatively benign legal replacement for narcotics. Because opioid receptors are involved in alcohol use disorders (AUDs), it’s reasonable to suppose that kratom might also help alcohol dependents, and some have indeed begun to use the plant for this purpose. Others discover accidentally that kratom radically alters their drinking habits. As these people share their experiences on social media, a consensus is emerging that kratom substitution is an excellent harm-reduction strategy for alcohol use disorders. And scientific research is beginning to back them up.

A few months ago, I used Reddit to find people who have used kratom to stop drinking or reduce their consumption. Thirteen people aged twenty-two to sixty-four took my survey, and, while that’s not a huge data set, their responses showed some interesting patterns. What follows is an analysis of these responses, supplemented by the slender published research relevant to kratom and alcohol use.[1]

 All thirteen survey respondents reported that kratom dramatically reduced their consumption of alcohol. Of them, nine also reported that kratom eliminated their desire for alcohol, whether experienced as inclination or craving.

I was able to stop thinking about alcohol all the time. It is like kratom helped remove that obsession.

Kratom kills my desire to drink. I didn’t anticipate that, and only after using it did I research to see if I was using it properly.

When I use kratom, any amount, I just don’t want to drink. I didn’t expect this result. I was drinking when I started taking kratom, and slowly I just stopped wanting to drink. I don’t like the way it feels any more.

Two respondents claimed that kratom reduced the desire to drink but did not eliminate it.

Kratom definitely helped with cravings. It helped me stay sober for extended periods of time, and I’m not sure I would have been able to do so without it. However, I don’t think it’s a magic bullet for alcoholism.

Two respondents did not mention any effects on their desire to drink, except indirectly. With one, the desire to drink was a casualty of having to choose between alcohol and kratom because the combination produced headaches. This is an extremely important observation because it’s not the first time I’ve heard of an “allergic reaction” to alcohol in the presence of kratom. On social media, I’ve seen about a dozen reports of a classic flush reaction, which is caused by a build-up of acetaldehyde (a byproduct of alcohol metabolism), which in turn can be caused by gene variants common in East Asians or by medications such as disulfiram (Antabuse). Can it be that kratom affects alcohol metabolism? Is that one reason it reduces the desire to drink?

Of the eleven subjects who reported that kratom reduced or diminished their desire to drink, only two had anticipated this result. Drawn to kratom for other purposes—mainly pain relief, but also anxiety, insomnia, opioid addiction, and curiosity—most were surprised to discover the plant’s effects on their desire to drink. This surprise diminishes the likely role of placebo effect in reducing alcohol cravings. It also underscores the importance of not inflating the benefits of kratom for people with alcohol use disorders. As important as it is to communicate the value of new therapeutic possibilities, it’s also important to manage expectations for optimal results.

Though only one respondent discussed using kratom for alcohol withdrawal, this use is well-attested on several blogs. Says our respondent:

I quit without any real withdrawal. Usually, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep, I would be very angry, and I would endure a mental nightmare.

This account indicates both the benefits and the limits of using kratom for alcohol withdrawal. For symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, and depression, it seems effective. But this respondent did not mention symptoms of acute physical withdrawal, which may be dangerous to treat with kratom. Below a popular blog post touting kratom for alcohol withdrawal, one comment says, “I had it trigger seizures on two occasions from booze detox.” Without knowing any details, we can’t tell whether kratom or the detox actually triggered the seizures,[2] but we certainly can tell that kratom failed to prevent seizures, a common danger in acute physical withdrawal. In other words, people should not take kratom for acute withdrawal symptoms, even if it does relieve them in mice.[3] For non-acute or post-acute withdrawal, however, kratom appears extremely valuable.

Of the thirteen respondents, all but three had been extremely heavy drinkers, whose maximum weekly consumption ranged from 42 units of alcohol to 240 units. Three reported consuming a metric fifth (750 ml) of whiskey or vodka every day before trying kratom, and four more were not far behind. Among these former drinkers, the average dose of kratom was surprisingly consistent, between 18 and 27 grams per day. Most took between 20 and 24 grams, split into three or four doses.

As to what specific effects accounted for kratom’s usefulness in curbing drinking, reports were mixed. Four respondents pointed to kratom’s anxiolytic effects.

I realized that I was not drinking “socially,” as I long believed, but instead self-medicating with alcohol for relief of anxiety. Kratom brought profound relief from that anxiety.

Eight did not refer in any way to anxiety, and one explicitly denied significant anxiolytic effects:

It primarily helps with cravings, but doesn’t really provide relief for anxiety in the same way alcohol does.

Five respondents linked mood elevation with kratom’s effects on their drinking.

Kratom blocks the chemical need for alcohol and eases the person off dependency with a mild euphoric glow.

Kratom’s antidepressant effects make drinking less likely.

Respondents were careful, however, to distinguish this mood elevation from the intoxication of alcohol, both in degree and in kind.

Kratom makes me feel in control of my body, unlike pain meds or alcohol that get me buzzed or high. I can work while taking kratom.

I felt “normal,” and stress-free, and FUNCTIONAL. Even more energetic and lucid.

In total, five mentioned that kratom gave them energy without linking the effect to their alcohol consumption.

In the final analysis, many found it difficult to account for the reduction in craving that kratom caused. Some respondents attributed kratom’s reduction of alcohol craving to its influence on opiate receptors, but others used figurative language to explain the phenomenon.

It’s like it rewired my brain to not have an addictive mentality towards alcohol anymore.

Six of the respondents volunteered comments on kratom dependence, with four acknowledging a habit and two acknowledging a possible habit. All six insisted, however, that their kratom habit is far less damaging than their previous alcohol habit.

Kratom saved my life.  I know I have a mild addiction to Kratom now, but it insignificant compared to what I lived with before.

For me, taking kratom boils down to trading one dependency for another, albeit a less harmful one.

If I’m dependent on it then at least it’s a much better dependence to have.

These opinions represent a harm reduction approach to AUDs, rather than the abstinence-only philosophy that has dominated addiction science for many decades. Though respondents were not surveyed about the reaction of other people to their use of kratom, online forums feature regular, vociferous debate about the legitimacy of such substitution, as well as accounts of being criticized for them in recovery communities. Survey responses demonstrate acute awareness of the controversy and a need to articulate a clear position in response.

Final comments affirmed kratom’s value to survey respondents. Many felt it had saved—or greatly improved—their lives, health, and general functioning. Several expressed outrage and alarm that US government agencies might, at any time, schedule and/or block the import of kratom. It seems only fair to give the last word to a respondent who sounded both themes:

Kratom saved my ass. Saved my career. My relationship with my fiance. Its a wonderful plant. Fuck the DEA and FDA for trying to ban this plant because it affects their pharma buddies’ bottom line.

Postscript: Though people who have swapped kratom use for alcohol abuse tend to take doses of four to six grams three or four times per day, as I reported, new users should start much smaller. Jumping in at the same dose as regular users won’t kill you, but it could be unpleasant and make it less likely that you’ll respond well to the herb. In addition, because habitual kratom use does build tolerance, starting (and staying) at the lowest effective dose just makes sense.


Footnotes to Article

[2] There are isolated reports that kratom in combination with other drugs has caused two seizures.

[3] See Kumarnsit, E., Keawpradub, N., Nuankaew, W. (2007). “Effect of Mitragyna speciosa aqueous extract on ethanol withdrawal symptoms in mice. Fitoterapia volume 78, issue 3, 182-85. This study is cited enthusiastically by several kratom vendors touting the plant’s value in alleviating alcohol withdrawal.

30 thoughts on “Kratom: An Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy

    • It’s available at many smoke shops and online. To ensure a decent price and quality control, I recommend purchasing online from a vendor that adheres to the standards of the American Kratom Association.

      On the list just mentioned, I have bought from Happy Hippo Herbals, Kraken Kratom, and PurKratom and can recommend all three.

      I strongly recommend buying kratom powder, rather than extracts. I also recommend asking questions on the subreddit r/kratom if you’re confused about how to use the plant.

    • The price varies depending on where you shop–more if you buy pre-filled capsules at a smoke shop, less if you buy powder online, especially in bulk. At the moment, the price for high-quality powder from a reputable online vendor (see my last reply) is running about $9 to $14 per ounce. An ounce is 28 grams, and most people switching from alcohol to kratom should start with a dose of no more than 2 grams, so buying an ounce will give you a good trial of whether kratom works for you.

  1. Hello. I am _____ from Reddit. I was referred here to see help. This was definitely an interesting read. I appreciate the time you put in to go about asking questions and getting responses scientifically. Thank you.

    • I did not, partly because there’s so much debate over whether strains show predictable pharmacological variation or are mostly a marketing gimmick. I can tell you, however, that I had additional email correspondence with about half of the survey respondents, and most of them mentioned strains and vendors they preferred. When I saw your comment, I went back and re-read those emails to see if I could coax out any patterns, and here’s what I found:

      Most people used multiple strains and rotated them. Some rotated a few strains from a single vendor; some had the kratom equivalent of a wine cellar. Of the specific strains mentioned, only two came up more than once: Red Maeng Da (2x) and Green Maeng Da (3x). I would second Green Maeng Da (and strain rotation).

      The one thing I would add is to be careful of vendors selling “enhanced” strains, which are batches of lousy powdered kratom to which kratom extract has been added. Anyone with an alcohol dependency should stay away from extracts, which produce skyrocketing tolerance.

      • In your opinion is there a specific strain you would recommend for reducing alcohol cravings? I’ve never tried kratom before but i know a lot of people that swear by it. Especially to help with opiate withdrawal. I was online searching for something that might help me get off suboxone, which I’ve been prescribed almost 9 years. I came across this article and it gave me some hope! If kratom could possibly help with alcohol dependence AND suboxone withdrawal i could kill 2 birds with one stone. I’m very excited to try this. Again any recommendation on strains would be greatly appreciated . Thanks!

        • A red maeng da, red Sumatra, or red Thai would be a good choice, as most people find these reds soothing. Conversely, it’s best to stay away from whites, at least in the beginning, as some people find them agitating.

          It would indeed be wonderful if kratom helped with both your alcohol dependence and suboxone withdrawal! If kratom doesn’t help with the alcohol problem, however, please think hard before swapping a suboxone habit for a kratom habit. Trading a dangerous dependency such as alcohol or heroin for kratom is clearly health-enhancing, but the benefits of trading suboxone alone for kratom are less clear, depending on where you’re getting the drug and how you’re using it. But let’s hope this is a moot point, and kratom helps with both problems!

  2. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this bit of research and exploration. I study herbs and have used herbs as alternative medicine for a long time. I have found myself in the unfortunate position of medicating my anxiety with alcohol to the point of dependence, and a dangerous one. I have been trying anything I can, but I return to drinking. I actually found kratom when looking for solutions to chronic pain, which I also suffer from. I am so glad to know there are others who have had some benefit. Well written.

    • Thank you and good luck overcoming your alcohol dependence. Between Reddit, YouTube, web sites, and blogs, I’ve seen hundreds of testimonials to kratom’s effectiveness for this purpose, so I’m glad to see the word getting out. As an herbalist, you may know this already, but some people also find kudzu helpful in treating alcohol use disorders, particularly if they’re trying to cut down their drinking, rather than stop completely. I have a little information on kudzu (with links) at the end of this post.

  3. Kratom does something to your brain or body that makes alcohol completely INEFFECTIVE, even after you stop using the kratom. You will no longer be able to get a nice warm feeling from a glass of wine or a beer. I used to get a “buzz” off one beer or glass of wine, now I can drink a whole bottle of wine or hard liquor and it does NOTHING but make me slightly “groggy”……..Kratom somehow destroyed my bodies ability to process and feel alcohol. This is not really what I signed up for. I don’t need to drink excessively of course, but I hate not being able to enjoy a glass of wine or a craft beer anymore. Also after using kratom for 5 and half years at around 7-10 grams per day, it turned on me. I began to get “hyperalgesia” which is sharp stabbing pains in my left flank that had me in the ER twice and doctors visits multiple times. They couldn’t find anything wrong yet I thought I was DYING!! The pain was HORRIFIC. And it didn’t stop until I jumped off the kratom and had to endure the withdrawals which are also awful but not as bad as the stabbing pains I was getting. This stuff needs to be respected and if used, needs to be used at an extreme minimum, under 5 grams per day. Also I wouldn’t use it every day or it will completely rewire your brain and cause alcohol to go through your body unprocessed and unfelt. I don’t know if it will ever reverse itself. I drank half a bottle of Bacardi Rum (just to test it, I don’t drink much anymore) and it did nothing. Made me feel very slightly “groggy” in an unpleasant way. Kratom will turn on you if you are not very careful with it. And it does sneaky things to your body that you are not aware of until it’s too late. I noticed how alcohol was having less and less of an affect on my after 2 years of kratom use and by the 3rd or 4th year alcohol stopped working at all.

    • Interesting, thanks for sharing such a thorough account of your experience. Kratom has such different effects on different people that such personal reports are extremely valuable.

      I agree that kratom’s effects change over time–and sometimes from day to day, depending on other physical factors. But for me the main long-term change was that my body got more efficient at eliminating it so it wore off faster, which is one reason I stopped using it daily after a couple of years.

      Your point about respecting kratom is also well-made; it’s definitely not without its down side, including the risk of dependence. But, for those us dealing with a serious alcohol addiction, which damages every system in the body and kills 3 million of us every year, there’s simply no doubt that kratom dependence is far less dangerous, both for us and for the people affected by our addiction. Nonetheless, thanks for reminding readers that they need to try kratom with open eyes.

  4. And I forgot to mention what it did to my bladder. Made me feel like a I had to urinate every 5 or 10 minutes. Constantly up all night long going to bathroom, at least 10-15 times per night!! This was toward the end of my kratom use, it got progressively worse over time. And it made no difference if I used the powder or tea. The tea seemed to make my bladder worse and it had more of an “amphetemine or speed” effect so that it would keep me up all night long if I drank tea to avoid the plant matter (which I think jacked up my colon and caused the horrific left flank stabbing pain). This Green Goddess of awful tasting sludge seems like a blessing from God Himself……until she turns on you……

  5. Good article! I do know that kratom enhances alcohol effects! Sometimes no effect! Kratom is very good for depression! Yes DEA and FDA are in bed with one another! Am older guy! Due to health, need to stop the booze ! Have neuropathy in feet and believe the booze is causing it!

    • Thank you. I had neuropathy in a couple of toes from alcohol, but it got better once I quit drinking.Hope yours does, too!

  6. Searched for this subject and just found your page. This is very encouraging. Thank you for the well-researched paper. I am going forward.

  7. Good article! About time the real facts came out about kratom! Am surprised big pharma didn’t try to stop this article! Besides being a lot safer than booze, it’s a lot cheaper! Use Kratom daily!

  8. I meant to write – GREAT ARTICLE!! I know my sister is a devout believer in the positive effects of kratom in treating severe anxiety disorder. I am going to try taking a larger dose as I am taking way too small a dose to feel any effects – so thx for mentioning the dosage range. Pharma — Shame on you!!!! Very very evil industry in this way.

    • Yeah, if you’re not feeling any effects at all, then your dose is too low. I’m also someone who never got much from really small doses, but, for that reason, I have to be really disciplined about keeping my daily totals under a certain threshold. Good luck finding your level, and thanks for the kind words!

  9. This is a great article-information. Kratom has been a dream come true for a sun-up to pass out alcoholic (AUD). It truly was by accident that I found that Kratom would actually reduce and then eliminate my absolute cravings for alcohol. As important, I felt a sense of well-being and little to no anxiety. Please understand, I have/was a hard-core abuser/user of alcohol. From Baclofen, Naltrexone, Magnesium/Zinc, Exercise, Meditation, etc. I tried them all. One morning, about a year ago, I woke early, as usual (4 am), and took my regular meds (BP, etc). That same morning, I took 8 grams of Maeng Da Kratom hoping that it may curb my desire to stop drinking before 10 am. I did not expect it to do anything but calm me down. At 10 am, the habit thought kicked in but the desire to alter my thinking/feeling y using alcohol was greatly diminished. I told myself to ‘let’s give it until 12 pm to start drinking’. I avoided the alcohol, got a lot of work done, and when 12 pm rolled around, I decided I felt ok and let’s wait until 3pm. At 3pm, I decided to start drinking some beer. My routine of drinking at least 3 per hour was reduced to one beer that hour because it was not that interesting and I was loving my work activities. There is much more to this story, but for now, I will leave you with this message: Kratom has absolutely changed my life for the better and alcohol is of no longer of interest to me. Peace to all -especially those attempting to remove themselves from the world of alcohol hell. CWM

    • Hey guys. great article and I really relate to this comment. I am an alcoholic who was in treatment this Summer. Please let me know how as a addict you manage Kratom daily and if you truly have side effects or is that just an internet fabrication?
      I abused Xans and Alcohol. I have relapsed a couple of times but my goal is to not drink. About 3 months into recovery I found Kratom. At first I thought it was a joke, I saw it at the smoke shops in college and was like ya right. But in this new part of my life I am fiding it very useful. But as an addict i am aware of certain facts:
      My daily use has gone up a lot
      I have been a daily user for 1 month now
      Is this actually safe to stay on while enjoying the benefits? I like the mood boost, euphoric release and the enrgy. I mostly use the red strain. Started with the train wreck.
      I was told it sneaks up on one and can be hell. I already had withdrawl systoms the last time I stopped cold turkey from Kratom. After a day or so I stopped yaking. Then started using again to stop the sysmtoms. When I do stop taking it I have to cycle down, I know see this as real medication and like any other, it has to be used with caution.

      • All of us who have been dependent on other substances have to be careful with kratom, by which I mean keep our consumption under control. In my opinion, when coming off alcohol or opioids, we should take whatever amount we need to take in order to pry ourselves off of more dangerous drugs. Beyond that period, however, it’s vital to be conscious about doses, to find a sweet spot where the kratom does what it’s supposed to do but doesn’t itself become a problem.

        Note: I don’t consider a mild physical and/or psychological addiction a problem, if what it’s replacing is a much worse addiction. I also think that some of the online warnings about withdrawal are exaggerated, possibly because they’re written by people who have never experienced the hell of alcohol, benzo, or opioid withdrawal, and possibly because of nocebo effect, in which pain results from the expectation of pain. That said, I do know people whose kratom use got out of control and caused problems in their lives. And, in truth, we don’t know much about the long-term health effects of consistently taking a lot of kratom, even though it’s undoubtedly better than drinking a fifth of Jack Daniels every day.

        Okay, so what does it mean to keep our doses under control? First and foremost, it means recognizing a few things about kratom. Fact: once our bodies get used to kratom, the most pleasurable effects don’t last very long, so it’s tempting to re-dose frequently. Second fact: redosing too soon–and too often–brings diminishing returns, so it’s tempting to take larger doses as the day goes on. Third fact: if we allow our bodies to become accustomed to frequent doses that get larger and larger as the day goes on, then we will likely have trouble sleeping through the night without kratom.

        I found that the best way to deal with these three facts was to make a plan and stick to it. During my first year off alcohol, I kept my daily intake of kratom to 18 grams, split into 4 doses of increasing size. That’s a lot (I’m physically small), but my alcohol intake was extremely heavy, and it’s what I needed. I had strict rules for myself, such as no overnight doses and no kratom extracts, and I was really rigid about those rules. When I felt a little more secure in not drinking, I started to lower my doses very slowly and gradually brought my daily total down to 7.5 grams, still split into 4 doses, which worked pretty well until I decided I didn’t need kratom any more and quit. I wouldn’t say there was NO withdrawal, but it was negligible, and I was pretty sick of my habit, so the whole process was relatively painless. And I still sometimes take a couple of grams for fun.

  10. Really nice article.
    Congratulations and thanks to the author!
    It feels like this is still new days in understanding and appreciating kratom.
    I love it too, it seems to have changed my life at least with alcohol dependence, moreso with possibly killing a general anxiety disorder I didn’t quite know I had. But I also agree that it’s super powerful in its own spirit and ‘sneaky’ ways.
    Quite fascinating and beautiful stuff, it’s also worth taking time to consider the poor souls who suffered from alcohol addiction in the past and never had the chance to know of this. Lots to continue to investigate and think about. Right on.

  11. Brad,

    How often do you use Kratom? How do you take it?

    How do you manage withdrawal? The one time I had withdrawal symptoms like BAD, I had relapsed the night before, and got so so sick the next day only.

    6 months into recovery (3 one day relapses) and using Kratom in powder form in capsules for 3 months.

    Thanks!! I see it helping me in life but I don’t want to go down a bad path

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