Kratom, Cannabinoids, and the Lie Your Brain Wants to Believe

Let’s talk about the comeback kids of the addiction world—Kratom and cannabinoids. You’ve probably heard the pitch. “It’s natural.” “It’s legal.” “It helps with anxiety.” Or my personal favorite: “It’s not really a drug.” Yeah, and arsenic is organic too. Doesn’t mean you should sprinkle it on your cereal.

Here’s the hard truth: Kratom is an opioid. Not a gentle cousin. Not a maybe. A full-fledged, withdrawal-inducing, tolerance-building opioid. People take it thinking they’ve found a loophole. What they’ve actually found is another trap—with withdrawals that mimic Suboxone and methadone. You think you’re avoiding addiction? No. You’re just repackaging it in an herbal wrapper.

And then there’s the cannabinoid circus—Delta-8, THC, CBD, THC-O, THC-P, Delta-10, Delta-WhatTheHellEver. It’s the cannabis industry’s version of fast fashion. New name, new label, same problem. If you’re in recovery, your brain does not get to play with substances. Doesn’t matter if it’s sold at a vape shop or wrapped in a wellness label. If it alters your state, it’s a risk. Period.

Here’s the deal: If you’ve spent time dragging yourself out of the black hole of addiction, why would you start digging again? Just because the shovel looks different?

Recovery isn’t a technicality. It’s not “I’m clean, except for…” There’s no “almost” sober. Either you’re living substance-free, or you’re running from the truth.

And parents—listen up. If your kid tells you Kratom is “just tea” or says Delta-8 is “just a legal high,” don’t fall for it. These substances are being marketed like harmless fun. They are not harmless. I’ve seen teens end up in full-blown withdrawal after daily Kratom use, and I’ve seen people relapse off THC analogs that never show up on drug tests. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s safe. You know what else used to be legal? Lead paint.

And the scariest part? These substances don’t look dangerous. They don’t come in needles or brown bags. They come in gummies. Chocolates. Vape pens. “Mood boosters.” They’re designed to look friendly. Inviting. Like something you can handle. Until you can’t.

If you’re in recovery and your brain starts whispering how nice it might be to take the edge off with something “light”? That’s not curiosity. That’s craving in disguise. That’s relapse knocking on your front door in a bathrobe pretending to be your buddy.

So here’s the warning:

If it alters your mood, if it changes your state, if your head lights up at the thought of it—it’s not safe for you.

And if you’re telling yourself it is? You need to talk to someone. Sponsor. Therapist. Friend. The guy in your meeting who growls more than he talks but hasn’t used in 20 years. Somebody who knows what it looks like when the slope starts getting slippery.

Because yeah—everybody lies.

But when it’s your own brain doing the lying? That’s when you’re in real danger.