NEED TO KNOW
Lauren Albert started drinking Feel Free, a kratom and cava-infused supplement widely available at gas stations
She soon began drinking 8 energy shots a day, she says, and became so addicted that she now still takes Suboxone, a prescription medication for opioid abuse
Lauren claims Feel Free ruined her mental and financial health and derailed her sobriety journey
At first, Lauren Albert thought the small blue bottle of Feel Free was a “fabulous replacement” for alcohol.
The mom of three never sought out the energy shot, which is marketed as a “plant-based herbal supplement.” But when she went away with family to celebrate her sister’s birthday in September 2023, the Airbnb host gifted the family some bottles of Feel Free in lieu of wine.
When Lauren, now 30, tried Feel Free, “I just felt a wave of euphoria wash over me,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “That one time is all it took for me.”
The Albert Family
Lauren Albert became addicted to the supplement Feel Free
Lauren, who lives in Pleasant Hill, Calif., said on the way home from the Airbnb, she stopped to pick up another bottle, which is readily available at gas stations and convenience stores.
At the time, she was sober and remembers thinking, “I really miss drinking, and this is a great replacement and it’s not making me visibly messed up,” she said. “It scratched the itch.”
Feel Free is made with leaf kratom product — an ingredient the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has listed as a “Drug and Chemical of Concern.” It can lead to addiction, the DEA says, and can cause euphoric or sedative effects, depending on the dose. It retails for $8 to $10 per shot.
Kratom is often bought as pills, or in powdered form — and it’s currently under fire as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, is moving to ban 7-OH, a concentrated version of kratom. Per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it’s “a potent opioid that poses an emerging public health threat.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, manufacturer Botanic Tonics said the company “does not use extracts or isolates. Leaf kratom is different than concentrated 7-OH,” and “We support the FDA announcement” to ban 7-OH.
“Botanic Tonics is leading the industry in our commitment to providing consumer education and transparency and we will continue to prioritize the safety and well-being of our customers above all else,” the company said.
“Highlights of our efforts include voluntarily implementing substantial improvements to our product labeling. Additionally, we voluntarily raised the minimum purchase age for all products to 21+ and added visible serving size indicators, clearer ingredient information, and comprehensive warnings. “
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In a July 29 statement, the FDA issued a warning against kratom — in all forms — citing “the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder.” The agency noted that newborns who were exposed to kratom in the womb exhibited withdrawal symptoms. “Kratom is not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement,” the agency said.
Christine Carter, director of medical services at Sana Lake Recovery in Missouri, and who has treated many patients addicted to Feel Free, agrees with the FDA. She says the version of the drug doesn’t matter. “You’re still acting on the same receptors, whether it’s a leaf-based or whatever form of kratom.”
Lauren says at the start of her Feel Free addiction, she was drinking one bottle a day — and then quickly moved up to two. By December, Lauren was drinking up to eight bottles of Feel Free a day, spending thousands on the product.
The Albert Family
Lauren Albert
Carter tells PEOPLE that because “kratom acts on your opioid receptors, it can cause dependence and it can cause withdrawal symptoms — no different than using opioids.”
As she explains, “if you take it at a lower dose, you can have more of that stimulant effect, and if you take it at higher doses, [it] can be more euphoric or sedative. We generally see more of the euphoric [effect] when they come in for admission.”
For Lauren, the addiction was immediate: “As soon as it started to wear off, I’m like ‘I gotta get more.’ “ She said when she would go without Feel Free, she’d feel “very lethargic, cranky … just shaky, sweaty, tired, can’t really see straight or think straight until you get that back in your body.”
She decided to quit after struggling financially to support her Feel Free habit. “It was very financially stressful because I was spending way more on those that I was making. I was just wasting my life, and all my resources, but I couldn’t stop.”
Her husband Cameron realized the extent of her addiction when he began to discover empty bottles of Feel Free around the house. “I knew I couldn’t quit on my own,” says Lauren, “I think I was subconsciously trying to get caught.”
It took suboxone — a prescription medication used to treat opioid addiction — to help Lauren stop buying the shots. But the Feel Free, she says, triggered a relapse in her sobriety, and this time, Lauren began using cocaine “because it wasn’t alcohol.” Two stints in rehab followed.
The Albert Family
Lauren Albert says Feel Free derailed her recovery journey
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“It was 100% the Feel Free that kicked off the whole thing, ‘cause I was totally sober before that,” she says. “I didn’t start doing any other drugs until like a couple of months into the Feel Free journey.”
Lauren is far from alone in her struggle; There’s a subreddit devoted to Feel Free addiction, r/QuittingFeelFree, and a larger community r/QuittingKratom, with more than 50,000 members. Many posters say they started on Feel Free as an alternative to alcohol.
However, Botanic Tonics tells PEOPLE in a statement, “This product is not marketed as or positioned as an alcohol alternative.” Yet in 2023, a class action lawsuit alleged that the company posted social media ads with the hashtag #alcoholalternative, per CBS News.
The supplement has become very popular in the last six months, Carter says.
When you look at the ingredients in Feel Free, she tells PEOPLE, “you’re playing on the same receptors in your brain that you would if you were taking opioids or taking benzodiazepines [marketed as Valium or Xanax] or drinking alcohol … you’re not doing anything good for yourself.”
Now six months sober, Lauren shares the story of her recovery — from alcohol, hard drugs, and the little blue bottles you can buy anywhere — on TikTok at @pinnkcloudcontent: “I have like I feel a moral duty to get this out there,” she tells PEOPLE.
“This is something you need to steer clear of. It will ruin you financially, mentally. It’ll put you into withdrawals. It is no better than any other drug. It’s just as bad.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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