In recent years, young people have reported significantly lower alcohol consumption than previous generations.
As noted by a 2023 survey conducted by Gallup, “Young adults in the U.S. have become progressively less likely to use alcohol over the past two decades, with the percentages of 18 to 34-year-olds saying they never drink, that they drank in the past week and that they sometimes drink more than they should all lower today” than in the past two decades.
At the same time, alcohol alternatives have become increasingly popular. A 2023 PBS story stated that “sales of so-called nonalcoholic spirits, beer and wine at grocery, convenience, liquor stores and the like are up more than 40 percent in just the last two years.”
Concurrently, there’s been a rise of alcohol alternatives that still claim to create a change in state for the drinker.
These beverages can contain things like kava, which the Alcohol and Drug Foundation describes as “a depressant drug…made from the root or stump of the kava (Piper methysticum) shrub,” and kratom, which the DEA states “is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia.”
“Consumption of its leaves produces both stimulant effects (in low doses) and sedative effects (in high doses), and can lead to psychotic symptoms, and psychological and physiological dependence,” states the DEA fact sheet.
While these may be seen as safer alternatives for those wishing to quit alcohol, or simply consume less alcohol, they can come with their own dangers, as TikTok user Jasmine Adeoye (@jasmineadeoye_) recently noted in a video with over 934,000 views.
What is ‘Feel Free’ and can you get addicted to it?
In her video, Adeoye explains how she came to be addicted to, and eventually quit, a product called Feel Free, which is made by a company called Botanic Tonics. According to the company’s website, the product contains kava root and leaf kratom.
As recalled by the TikToker, she had discovered the product from a podcast she used to enjoy. While she initially did not care for it, describing the experiences as making her “feel nauseous, dizzy,” she says she tried it again later after seeing growing hype around the product.
“I absolutely loved how it made me feel,” she states.
As a result, she began to drink one or two per weekend; the website suggests drinking only one per day, and Adeoye says her initial consumption stayed within those boundaries.
However, as she began working in what she describes as a “toxic” environment, she found herself returning to the product more and more, increasingly going beyond the recommended dosage by a significant degree.
“One a day turned into two a day, three a day, four a day, five a day, upwards to six, seven, eight, nine per day, especially while I was at work because I felt like I couldn’t have conversations unless I had this shot in my system,” she admits. “It put me in a really good mood in some really tough situations and I felt like I absolutely needed it.”
This, she says, was different from her previous struggles with addiction.
“I have never depended on something like that in my entire life,” she states. “Like, I talk about my struggles with alcohol, my binge drinking problems, my problems with smoking weed in the past, and never in my life have I become so hooked on something.”
All the while, she says she kept her addiction hidden from those around her, including her friends and fiancé. At the same time, she found herself more dependent on the shots, taking them in the car before going to social events and not being honest with others in order to keep her addiction “undercover.”
When she got engaged, she says she was at the height of her addiction. After her mom came to visit her and celebrate the engagement, she decided to stop taking them cold turkey—a decision that led to her experiencing something she compares to opioid withdrawal.
“I felt incredibly sick, dizzy, lethargic, depressed, all of the things that withdrawals from opioids entail when I woke up that Sunday morning,” she says.
Things eventually got so bad that she asked her mom to take her to the hospital; however, she did not receive proper treatment as she confessed she was not honest about the cause of her symptoms.
Finally, she says that she felt the “Holy Spirit just convinced [her]” to be honest with her mother about what was happening, including the substantial debt she went into to afford these drinks. When she did this, she says she received incredible support from her mother and fiancé, who helped guide her through her withdrawal symptoms and return her to the path of sobriety.
“I have been clean since then. The first week or so was pretty difficult withdrawal-wise, and then it got significantly better, and I just feel like a new person,” she declares. “I feel like myself again.”
Other stories of Feel Free addiction
This isn’t the first time stories about Feel Free have sparked discussion online.
The Daily Dot previously covered a story in which an internet user claimed they began drinking several a day to the point where they felt they had become addicted. Upon searching for more information about the drink online, they came across a subreddit called Quitting Feel Free, in which users shared their difficulties ditching the drink.
“There was one guy who said, ‘I was an IV heroin user and it’s harder for me to quit these things than heroin,’” recalled the TikToker at the time. “And I’m like, what the f*ck? Like, all this from a f*cking thing that you can buy at a deli?”
@jasmineadeoye_ #addictionrecovery #krat0m #sobertiktok #sobriety #soberliving #soberjourney #addictionawareness #soberlifestyle ♬ original sound – Jasmine Adeoye
Feel Free responds
In an email to the Daily Dot, a spokesperson for Botanic Tonics said their product is not for everyone, especially for people who have issues with substance abuse.
“This is an important correction we’ve made from how the product was communicated when it was launched, and came as a result of listening to customers,” their statement read. “Even if the people who’ve had trouble with the product are a small minority of the people who have tried it, this is really important for us to get right while still serving the many people who find that feel free enhances their life.”
The company said they acknowledge that long-term use of the substance can lead to dependence. They state the label now includes a warning about the potential for the leaf kratom to become “habit-forming” if used irresponsibly.
“However, current scientific evidence does not clearly demonstrate the impaired functioning or compulsive use despite negative consequences that characterizes addiction,” they wrote. “There is an important distinction between native leaf kratom, like that used in feel free CLASSIC, and concentrated extracts that pose greater risks of dependence and adverse effects.”
The company also stated, “When reviewing the U.S. Poison Control Center Data for a wide variety of substances, normalized for 100,000 users, it is evident that poisoning calls for kratom and kava register at rates similar to energy drinks, as opposed to more deleterious substances like opioids, or commonplace substances like vitamins.”
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users supported Adeoye and thanked her for shining a light on this issue.
“Never heard of these. Thanks for sharing about it, I’ve got a teenage boy and feel like I don’t know what’s out there,” wrote a commenter.
“What’s scary is the gas station by me doesn’t even card for them.. I saw what looked like a 14 year old kid buy one easily. Made me so sad,” added another. Feel Free states on its website that “Our products are not for consumption by or sale to persons under the age of 21.”
“This is my exact story. Thought it was a ‘natural’ safe alternative. It has wrecked my life in SO many ways,” revealed a third commenter.
The Daily Dot reached out to Botanic Tonics via email and Adeoye via Instagram direct message.
Update 3:17pm CT July 30: In an Instagram DM exchange with the Daily Dot, Adeoye says that she has not been contacted by the company being Feel Free since posting her video.
“I don’t necessarily care for a response directly from them, but would mainly like to educate about the dangers of kratom and would like for that to be better communicated through their product and website,” she wrote. “The marketing in my opinion is still catered towards a sober community and positioned as a ‘wellness supplement’ which I think is very misleading.”
“I think the product is so dangerous because it’s ‘acceptable’ to take at any time of day,” she continued. “I see influencers promoting it as a pre-workout, coffee replacement, alcohol substitute after a long day, etc.”
She then offered advice to those who are currently using the product within its advised limits.
“I would highly recommend they stop taking them now if they started using the recommended dosage daily before their body becomes physically dependent,” she explained. “This product has a snowball effect where I had been slowly taking it for about a year with minimal issues before I started taking enough to become physically dependent on them. The addiction sneaks up on you very slowly, so please be aware.”
When asked if there was anything she’d like to add, she stated, “Just that if there is anyone who feels isolated or embarrassed about this addiction, that they should know they’re not alone. I was so scared to tell anyone that I was addicted to a ‘wellness tonic’ and plant that even doctors know so little about. I want to continue to speak out about harmful products like these and kratom addiction awareness.”
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