What To Know
- She gave up alcohol in 2022 as part of a personal lifestyle shift and first heard about Feel Free on the Skinny Confidential podcast, where it was pitched as a healthy, social-drinking alternative.
- When she heard it again — this time on The Joe Rogan Experience — she took it as a sign to give it a shot.
- Melillo explained that while kava acts as a depressant, kratom works as a stimulant — a dangerous cocktail of opposing effects on the body.
At first glance, Feel Free seems as harmless as your favorite bottle of kombucha — a hip, plant-based beverage promising a natural pick-me-up. Marketed by Botanic Tonics as a blend of “plant ingredients,” it’s touted as the perfect companion for those seeking a caffeine-free energy boost, improved focus, or just a quick mood lift.
But behind the sleek blue bottle lies a controversial secret.
Some unsuspecting customers, who grabbed a shot from their local gas station or convenience store, soon discovered that this so-called wellness drink contains powerful ingredients — namely kava and kratom — both of which have been linked to dependency and withdrawal symptoms.
Take Jasmine Adeoye, for example. She gave up alcohol in 2022 as part of a personal lifestyle shift and first heard about Feel Free on the Skinny Confidential podcast, where it was pitched as a healthy, social-drinking alternative. What she didn’t expect was that her new wellness habit would come with such a heavy
Jasmine Adeoye started using Feel Free as an alternative to alcohol. Courtesy of Jasmine Adeoye
“I was trying to cut back on alcohol, and the two hosts were raving about Feel Free as the perfect alcohol alternative for people living a sober lifestyle,” said Jasmine Adeoye, 30, of Austin, Texas.
The glowing recommendation piqued her interest. When she heard it again — this time on The Joe Rogan Experience — she took it as a sign to give it a shot.
“I wanted something to ease the social anxiety that came with giving up alcohol,” she explained. “And at first, it worked — it made me feel really good. But what I didn’t realize was how easily it could become a crutch.”
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For about a year, Jasmine used Feel Free sparingly — mainly in social settings. But when work stress as an account manager ramped up in 2023, her occasional use spiraled into full-blown dependence. “I had no idea it was addictive,” she said.
At the height of her addiction, Jasmine Adeoye was drinking up to 12 bottles of Feel Free a day.
“It started with just one a day,” she said. “Then it crept up to two or three… and before I knew it, I was drinking five or six daily. At my worst? It hit 12.”
The financial toll was just as shocking: “I was easily spending $3,000 a month.”
What many consumers don’t realize is that Feel Free contains both kava and kratom — two powerful, psychoactive ingredients that, while legal in the U.S., can be extremely habit-forming.
“This combination is something you don’t want to be mixing together,” warned pharmacist Ethan Melillo, based in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. “I definitely think it should be banned.”
Melillo explained that while kava acts as a depressant, kratom works as a stimulant — a dangerous cocktail of opposing effects on the body. “They bind to different receptors in the brain,” he said. “Together, they can be highly overstimulating and, over time, addictive.”
Despite being sold as a natural, wellness-focused drink, Feel Free is drawing growing scrutiny from health professionals who are calling for tighter regulation — or even a ban — of the controversial combo.
Pharmacist Ethan Melillo is sounding the alarm on what makes Feel Free so dangerously addictive.
The drink’s key ingredients — kava and kratom — may be marketed as natural wellness boosters, but their effects on the brain are far from benign.
“Kava binds to the same receptors as benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium,” Melillo explained. “It’s used to reduce stress and anxiety. Meanwhile, kratom interacts with the same receptors as opioids — and that’s where the addiction risk comes in.”
According to Melillo, the combination of these two substances is especially risky because of how quickly tolerance builds.
“I’m seeing people take two, three, even four bottles a day. Once your body adjusts, it just craves more,” he said. “Honestly, I’m not surprised people are getting addicted. And that’s what’s so concerning — supplements like these often don’t get pulled until after people start reporting side effects.”
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For Jasmine Adeoye, that addiction came with heavy emotional baggage.
“I was so ashamed of how much I was buying,” she admitted. “I’d hop from gas station to gas station just to avoid being recognized. Sometimes I even ordered bottles through UberEats — just so I didn’t have to face anyone.”
She says the toll was more than financial. The addiction left her physically drained and emotionally wrecked.
I Was Barely Able to Get Out of Bed.”
By early 2024, Jasmine Adeoye’s body was breaking down under the weight of her Feel Free addiction.
“I was lethargic, depressed, anxious — barely able to get out of bed,” she recalled. “I was throwing up from the kratom. And the kava? It made my skin so dry it looked like alligator skin — literal flakes just peeling off.”
In March 2024, she finally hit a breaking point and confessed everything to her fiancé and her mom. Determined to take control, she quit cold turkey.
The withdrawal was brutal: four days of misery, followed by two weeks of intense cravings. But with time — six months, to be exact — she slowly felt like herself again.
And while the product is technically labeled for 21+ use, that hasn’t stopped teens from trying to get their hands on it.
Instagram creator Michael Brown recently posted a viral warning after a disturbing encounter. “A kid — maybe 14 years old — came up to me at a gas station and begged me to buy him a bottle of Feel Free,” Brown said. “That’s when I realized this stuff isn’t just trendy. It’s dangerous.
Feel Free is marketed as a natural, plant-based tonic designed to deliver a quick, clean boost of energy and focus — no caffeine, no crash.
Botanic Tonics, the company behind the product, leans heavily on wellness branding, pitching it as a smarter alternative to alcohol or traditional energy drinks.
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Sold in Plain Sight — But Raising Alarms
Despite its wellness branding, Feel Free is widely available at gas stations, convenience stores, and CBD shops across the U.S. — often right next to energy drinks and soda.
But behind its innocent placement, some say it’s fueling a quiet addiction crisis.
“He walks up to me and says, ‘Hey, can you buy me some Feel Free,’” Instagram creator Michael Brown recalled in a recent video. When Brown notified the store attendant, she wasn’t surprised.
“She told me there are people who come in five or six times a day for it,” Brown said. “She even compared it to a heroin addiction. That’s how bad some of these regulars act over this little drink.”
Some users turn to Feel Free believing it’s a safer, natural alternative to prescription drugs or alcohol — only to find themselves in a deeper trap.
Chris Oflyng was just 19 when he first started using kratom powder, hoping it would help him taper off Adderall, which had been prescribed for ADHD.
“I thought, ‘The Adderall isn’t helping me — I should try something more natural,’” he told The Post.
But when Feel Free launched in 2021 with its potent blend of kratom and kava, Oflyng says he quickly became hooked.
Chris Oflyng has battled an on-and-off addiction to Feel Free for several years.
Courtesy of Chris Oflyng
“It Gave Me Focus — Until It Took Control”
“Products like Feel Free are really, really awful,” said Chris Oflyng, 28, from Madison, Wisconsin. “I developed a codependency on kava and kratom because of that drink, and I had no idea just how addictive that combination could be.”
Oflyng, who works in donor development, initially turned to Feel Free for what seemed like a productivity boost.
“At first, it worked really well,” he said. “It gave me what I thought was enhanced focus — I was more relaxed, yet oddly energized. I could get more done.”
But that initial high didn’t last.
“The effect started to wear off, and once you’re hooked, you’re not using it to feel good anymore — you’re just trying to relieve the cravings.”
Oflyng has faced an ongoing battle with Feel Free, describing his experience as a cycle of on-and-off addiction over the past few years. He’s been in and out of treatment, trying to regain control.
Oflyng says Feel Free products made him feel depressed.
Courtesy of Chris Oflyng
“It Derailed My Life”
Over the years, Chris Oflyng estimates he’s spent at least $40,000 on Feel Free and other kratom products.
“Every time I relapsed, I’d go straight to buying Feel Free,” he said. “You can get it anywhere — gas stations, smoke shops. It’s just so accessible.”
But the real cost, he says, wasn’t just financial — it was emotional and personal.
“The biggest downside was the depression that came with it,” Oflyng reflected. “I’ve made a lot of progress now, but when I look back and ask myself, ‘Why didn’t I take more opportunities? Why did I waste so much time?’ — I can point directly to kratom and kava.”
He warns others not to be fooled by the drink’s natural label.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, it’s a plant, it’s natural,’” he said. “But it will catch up with you.”
source by nypost
