Years ago, in my early thirties, I found myself depressed, alone, afraid and angry. I didn’t trust myself. I felt lost and out of control. In time, with the help of kava, I completely turned my life around and began crafting the future I had long given up on.
Brief Kava Summary:
If you’ve never heard of kava before, here’s a quick summary. Kava grows in the Pacific Island regions of the world in places like Hawaii, Fiji, and the Samoas. Kava is a tropical evergreen shrub plant with heart-shaped leaves. The root of the kava plant is harvested and ground into a fine powder which is then used to create a consumable liquid or it is often placed inside capsules to be taken as a supplement. Kava has been used for thousands of years in tribal ceremonies of the Pacific Islands and its appreciated for its relaxing effects.
In addition to the amazing relaxation effects offered through kava; when I first began drinking kava, I learned that it could be a way to help me abstain from drinking alcohol which was incredibly valuable information to me. For years, I had been searching online for herbal remedies and natural choices to help me abstain as I had a blackout drinking problem and was terrified that one day I was going to end up in jail, get fired from my job, or worse. I found some articles regarding the potential for an herb called kudzu and tried it a few times with limited success.
My alcoholism was also tethered to my social anxiety disorder. I would drink alcohol to help calm my nerves so I could socialize and help myself to feel what outwardly appeared as normal. But that never worked well. I always ended up drinking entirely too much and woke up feeling depressed, while suffering a horrendous hangover the full length of the next day.
When I discovered kava, for the first time in my adult life, I began to feel like there was the possibility of a positive future for me. I knew right then and there that if I could stick with drinking kava, I could stop drinking alcohol completely.
Here’s why it worked for me.
Kava and I clicked. I didn’t mind the taste, even though it is incredibly bitter. I noticed positive physical effects from kava the first time I drank it.
Some people will tell you that it takes several cups of kava before your body feels the effects, well not me. I felt it right away. I appreciated the subtle numbness it left on my lips and my tongue. I felt myself feeling more comfortable in my own body and mind each time I drank it. It became easier for me to talk to people I had never met before. With the assistance of kava, I felt like I could be myself. It helped me to shed my anxiety induced my mask and let me reveal the real me.
Kava helped me quit drinking a couple of different ways.
1. The naturally calming effects of kava helped tame my intense anxiety.
2. Kava and alcohol should not be consumed together. As a matter of fact, they should not be consumed on the same day. Kava and alcohol together can lead to severe internal health problems in the long term, but in the short term, when consumed together, there’s a very good chance you will vomit and feel incredibly unwell. For those reasons, I knew that if I drank kava, I would not be able to drink alcohol that same day. Therefore, to help myself, I started drinking kava daily as a preventative measure and from there on out, it became easier and easier to give up alcohol.
The more I drank kava and stayed away from alcohol serving bars, the more I focused on my individual wellness.
Kava helped me to reconnect with myself; it helped me change my life for the better. With kava, I found the future I always knew I deserved.