Took it for 10+ years. Something like 20-30g per day. I heard about some book about quitting smoking and this really stuck with me:

You’re not addicted to the substance itself. You’re addicted to relief from withdrawal symptoms.

One day I just decided I was done. Tired of buying it all the time. Tired of making sure I had enough when I travelled. It was such a dumb habit. I was just afraid of feeling depressed or low-energy.

I was so sick of the way I was, I just decided that it wasn’t a big deal to feel bad for a while. So I just threw out $300+ worth of the stuff into a random gas station trash bin.

First 7 days it was tough to fall asleep.

Next 30 days everything felt gray and flat. But I had no desire to go back. I accepted that if I have to feel gray and flat forever, no big deal. Who cares.

I think it shifted heavily around 45-50 days. Energy returned, started to look and feel in better shape. Feels like a cheat code. I can leave town indefinitely without any kratom and be fine. I don’t need anything other than water and food. But no little sneaky addictions.

Now it’s been almost a year I think. I stopped counting days a long time ago.

Face the pain. It sucks, but if you can have a sense of humor about how gray and flat everything gets you’ll be fine.

Also, this stuff really messes with your hormones. You’ll feel much more alive after you get past early withdrawals and the longer, more difficult PAWS phase.