 There's a massive opioid epidemic in the United States. The most recent report from the CDC is that 72,000 people are dying each year from the opioid crisis. And we've had a leaf, yes, a leaf, called Kratom that has been introduced, and it's supposed to help be an answer to the opioid crisis as well as withdrawal. And I just got done watching a Netflix documentary called A Leaf of Faith, and it is all about Kratom. So we're going to be talking about this, and I might get some flak. Some of you might agree with me, but it's a very interesting topic, so make sure that you stay tuned to this entire video. What is up, everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul, where we talk about the problem, but focus on the solution. And if you're new to my channel, my channel is all about helping people improve their mental health, but it's also about addiction, recovery. I have six years clean and sober from opioids. So I like to talk about these subjects and all that kind of stuff. So if you're down with that, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell. So I've only done one video on Kratom before, okay? There's another channel out there called Sight Substance, and yeah, he was making videos about Kratom, and I watched him make his most recent video about Kratom. I don't know if he's done any follow-ups, but he talked about getting off of Kratom, and I did a commentary on it. It was like an hour-long video. And in droves, people came at me, like the Kratom community will just come and try to eat you alive. And that might happen again with this video, but again, watch the entire video, because I don't think people truly understand my stance on Kratom. But anyways, I'm really trying to do a collab with Sight Substance because he saw that video and he left this comment right here. So he pretty much agreed with what I was saying. And basically what happened was he was using Kratom, and he got off of it, and there was withdrawal, and he added a little bit of an addiction to it and stuff like that. So anyways, I want to talk about the truth about Kratom, and I want to talk about this documentary. I want to go over a few things in it. So the documentary, very well done, but with any documentary, with any documentary, there's an agenda, right? I did a review of the documentary Take Your Pills, which is about ADHD medications like Ritalin and Adderall, and I got a lot of pushback. And it's because a lot of people were defending the use of things like Adderall and Ritalin. But the goal of that documentary was to talk about the abuse of it. You know what I'm saying? So this documentary, A Leaf of Faith, it clearly had the agenda of pro-Kratom, okay? Now, the filmmaker who made this, Chris, he was an ex-bodybuilder, he was also an ex-opioid addict, and he's had a lot of pain in his life. And like many opioid addicts in our country, right? They started out with prescription opioids and then it progressed into an addiction, whether it went further down the rabbit hole of prescription opioids like mine did, or it progressed to heroin and things like fentanyl and things like that. So anyways, he's been clean from opioids, but he's still had pain. And he's tried everything for his pain, not much helps. So he started to use Kratom. So I will say this, from the standpoint of pain management, like, cool, like Kratom is a much safer alternative than opioids. It just is. That's a fact. Much safer alternative to opioids, okay? For chronic pain, like, I'm a recovering prescription drug addict, but I was abusing opioids not for pain. Like, I was doing it just to get high. Like, I can't imagine, you know, physical pain, like, you know, problems with your spine or just other issues. Like, the people who I see get clean off that, like, my hat is off to them because they still gotta live with that pain. So from that standpoint of pain management, yes. But something that I'll touch on a little bit later is the lack of regulation, okay? So some channels here on YouTube actually got banned and deleted because of Kratom use or talking about Kratom or showing Kratom or linking out to websites where you can get Kratom. And it's a very, very tricky subject, a very tricky subject. I guess the main thing I wanna say in this video, just in case you don't watch the whole thing is, the problem I see with Kratom is that both sides lie. Both sides lie, and that's the issue. Like, I'm a man where I try to look at logic, okay? And it's just like, just tell the truth. Don't try to lie to push your agenda. Like, that doesn't help anybody. It doesn't help anybody at all. Like, for example, like the opioid crisis happened because they're like, hey, these medications aren't addictive. Yeah, Oxycontin is pretty addictive, but they lied about it. So what happens with Kratom is that you have both sides lying about it to push their agenda, and nobody's getting the right information. So you have the pro-Kratom people who say, it's not addictive and it doesn't cause withdrawal. That is a bunch of crap. It is addictive and it can cause withdrawal, okay? But then you have the other side who's anti-Kratom and they try to say that people die from Kratom. No, they don't, okay? So like, how about everybody just is honest about the situation and we work towards a solution? So, like, a lot of people think that I'm anti-Kratom. I'm not, I don't care. I'm not anti-alcoholic, I'm not anti-whatever. Like, if you can do it and it's legal and you don't develop an addiction to it, cool. Kudos to you. But just don't lie about it, you know what I mean? So like, the people who, like, they interview in this documentary, like, there's so many of them and you're like, oh my God, like, like there's a bar in there where people just go there for like Kratom use. Like, they just sit at the bar, they drink Kratom tea and stuff like that. And they're like, no, this isn't addictive, oh no, there's no problem, like what? So, where's my research come from? I have had countless people, countless people, like I said, I did a review of the psych substance video and like, he went through withdrawal. And throughout that entire thing, because I've experienced opioid withdrawal, I'm like, yo, these withdrawal symptoms are exactly like opioids, right? And in the documentary, they talked to neuroscientists and things like that about how it attaches to the same receptors. Like, yes, you will withdraw from it. It gives you the same stimulus in the pleasure centers of your brain. Like, yes, it can become addictive. One of the arguments that they try to push in the documentary is like, well, so are different foods, like sugar, salts and fats. Okay, cool, like yeah, that's an issue. Like, one of the issues with Kratom is, is that people aren't getting down to the root of the problem. So like, for example, they talked to this mother whose son died and they try to point to that case as he died from Kratom use. No, he didn't, okay? Like, I have had over 70 people die in the last three years from overdose and suicide, okay? And this young man who was using Kratom committed suicide. He was also on antidepressants and other things. But the mother explains that the son was stealing from her so he can buy Kratom and things like that. Yes, this is something that can happen. You see what I mean? Like, so it can be addictive. Probably the best person in this entire documentary is this guy, I forgot his name, but he like, has a Kratom company. And like, this dude is so by the book. Like, he doesn't have to test his products, but he does. You know what I mean? And like, towards the end of the documentary, spoiler, like they fund some Kratom research. Like, he wants to get it approved. I'm like, yes, yes, yes, yes. Like, this dude is like trying to do this thing the right way. Like, because there are some instances where Kratom has been laced with other things and it's causing other medical issues. And that's the other thing with the pro Kratom people are like, no, no, no. It wasn't Kratom. That was laced with fentanyl. Well, yeah, like, isn't that an issue? Like, doesn't this thing need to be regulated to make sure that this isn't happening? So, yeah, I do believe that we need to fund more research and things like that because Kratom can't help with withdrawal and things and all that stuff. But one of the issues is like, and I won't dive into things like methadone and suboxone and stuff like that. Like, for me, my addiction was that I was miserable in life. I didn't have physical pain. I had emotional pain. And I was self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. I made another video that'll link up in the info card just about how addictions everywhere. I don't wanna be a slave to any substance again. You know what I mean? And for people to lie and say that Kratom isn't addictive, it's just complete garbage. Like, we need to start attacking the real problem and the root causes. So one of my biggest gripes with this entire documentary is they keep starting to use the word pain, right? Pain interchangeably, physical pain and emotional pain. And they keep saying this thing, like emotional pain affects the body in the same way that physical pain does. No, it doesn't stop it, okay? In some cases, yes. Like certain centers of the brain are triggered, like the same ones that would be triggered when it comes to physical pain. But there's a huge difference between the two. Like, if you have like a problem with like nerve endings or, you know, you have a spinal problem or broken bones or whatever like that. Like this is way, way, way different than emotional pain. You wanna know why? You wanna know why? Because of evidence-based therapy, okay? Like things like EMDR for PTSD. So EMDR is one of the most effective, effective therapies for people who have suffered from trauma. So like we have a problem in this country that people refuse to address where we are taught from a young age that you can overcome or you can manage any issue, whether it's physical or mental, by ingesting something. And that's an issue. You don't always have to do that. So like some of the people that he interviews in this, like they talk about like how they're worried that this can become the new drug that people turn to abuse, especially if it's not regulated. You know what I mean? Like kids can like get it and things like that. So like, I do believe that there needs to be more resources and more funding for the research. And I'm glad that they're doing that because I think it might be, you know, I would rather, let's put it this way, I would rather somebody go through like a medically supervised cratum detox than go through like, you know, with suboxone or methadone. You know what I mean? I would rather them use cratum than suboxone or methadone. So that's something, but it's under medical supervision. You see what I mean? So like going back to this thing being addictive, the filmmaker in it, Chris, he ends up going back to the treatment center that he went to. And like the guy he's working with says, you know, I've had people come in here for cratum addiction. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. At my treatment center that I was working at, I had people come in into treatment with a cratum addiction. How can it not be addictive if people's lives are being ruined in the same way as other drugs and alcohol? If like, is it not addictive? Like what? What do you, oh, well, it's natural. Like I've had people come in for weed addictions. There's people who go in for gambling addiction, sex addictions. Like I'm saying, just don't lie about it. So the one thing that I found interesting and like, man, like there's a really rough conversation to have, but when Chris is talking to the people at the treatment center he went through, like you can see like this kind of like emotional turmoil in him and he's like, am I not clean anymore? Cause I'm taking cratum for pain. You know what I mean? And like the guy he was talking to, like he gave him a pretty good answer. And it's just there needs to be more research and stuff, but again, like not even again, I'll say this right now, for people who are in recovery, there are ways to use medications without abusing them. And the definition of a relapse, it's a weird topic. Maybe I'll do a whole video on that. But in my opinion, like if Chris is taking cratum, you know, for pain management, but you can't even say he's taking it as prescribed because it's not even approved by the FDA, you know? But it's just interesting. Like it's something that I wouldn't use like at all because of the addictive qualities. Especially if it's hitting the same centers of the brain that opioids do. My last relapse started with one Vicodin pill. So if you give me some cratum, I might be off and running all over again. So I guess I'll end this video by just saying like, like yes, cratum needs more research. Cratum should be legal. Cratum should be just as legal as marijuana in my opinion, but it needs to be regulated and we need to talk about the truth about cratum. The truth is, is that yes, you can become addicted, yes, you can become physically dependent and no people don't die from cratum overdose, all right? But anyways, like I hope, you know, those of you pro-cratum people don't blow me up too bad in the comments, I'm just gonna reply, did you watch the whole video? Because I am pro-cratum, it's just, it needs to be regulated and done in a better way. That's it. But anyways, I would love to know your thoughts about cratum or if you have any experience with it, leave them down in the comments below, all right? So thank you so, so much for watching. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. And if you're new here, I'm always making videos to help you with your mental and emotional wellbeing. So make sure you click that little round subscribe button and a huge thank you to everybody supporting the channel over on Patreon. And look, we got a new patron right there. If you wanna help support the channel on Patreon for as little as $1 a month, click or talk on that little Patreon icon right there. All right? Thanks so much for watching. Let's talk about the truth about cratum and I'll see you next time.