AUSTIN (KXAN) --- It's something you can find on the shelves of gas stations across the city, and yet the owner of an Austin sober living house said it's highly addicting and has severe side effects.
According to the Federal Drug Administration, kratom is an herbal substance used to self-treat pain, coughing, anxiety, opioid use disorder and opioid withdrawal.
Some say it's changed people's lives for the better. Others claim it's created a new addiction among its users.
Vertical House Sober Living in Austin just opened its doors days ago. It's a space serving as a community for men in recovery.
"One of the requirements is they attend a minimum of three recovery meetings per week, that they have a sponsor very quickly upon moving in, that they seek employment within a week's time. If they don't have a job, of of course, we would help them to find employment and maintain that job as long as possible while they're here anyway," said Arol Horkavy, the owner and director of Vertical House Sober Living.
Horkavy said they also have biweekly drug testing as well.
"We have a policy of no substances whatsoever. No alcohol, no drugs whatsoever, and certainly no kratom."
Arol Horkavy, owner and director Vertical House Sober Living
Horkavy said he's been in the recovery community for eight years, and lately he's seen a rise in people struggling with kratom.
"Within the last 24 hours, I've spoken with several people, new people that I didn't know had an experience with kratom," Horkavy said. "You can get powder. You can get extract shots. They take the powder, they put it in pill form."
The FDA has warned about the risks of side effects like liver toxicity, seizures and substance use disorder. Horkavy said he knows someone consuming more than ten bottles of kratom per day.
"This is coming from a guy who is addicted to real opiates, and he told me that this is the worst addiction he's ever had in his life," Horkavy said.
The Texas legislature passed regulations on kratom last year.
Via an independent lab, companies must prove the product is pure kratom and hasn't been mixed with dangerous substances. Labels must also warn of potential side effects and recommended serving sizes.
"Importantly, it restricts age in terms of people that can buy it. So we don't want kids buying this, because it simply isn't appropriate for them. Parents should really supervise that kind of a use if they're going to allow their children at all to do it," said Mac Haddow, a senior fellow on public policy for the American Kratom Association.
Haddow said he supports use of the supplement. He added people use it for things like a replacement for coffee, to fight depression, for acute and chronic pain and for opioid withdrawal.
"Kratom has been found in several studies to help people wean off of those opioids, and for many they replace it with kratom," Haddow said. "Kratom can't match the pain relief of an opioid, but it can help people manage their pain so that they can function in life without all of the downsides of opioids."
He stressed responsible use, because kratom is a psychoactive substance. But ultimately, Haddow claimed it's done more good for people.
"It doesn't have the addiction profile of opioids," Haddow said. "It doesn't have the side effects of opioids that get you to where you can't function."
While Horkavy acknowledged it's helped people withdrawing from opioids, he said it's just swapping one addiction for another. Through the sober living home, he said he hopes to help anyone who says they've battled that addiction.
"I have dealt with kratom myself as an adult. It's not easy," Horkavy said. "Empower our guys with the tools that they need to live a wonderful and successful life."
