Is Kava Recreational?

[tribal1209]

Did you not read the reasons above people here like Kava?

Pretty authentic reasons. Are you just trying to convince the KavaForums Alcohol is the superior intoxicant? Good luck.

Kava isn't spiritual? No you aren't spiritual.

Non sense..I'm a practicing Catholic, it doesn't get anymore spiritual

And no I'm not trying to say Alcohol is superior. I'm saying alcohol is a better recreational escape from reality than Kava. Kava is awesome but it isn't that great for chugging and scoping out the honeys for sexy time at a club.

And sorry to say this but Kava is not spiritual. Maybe LSD or something along those lines I could hear your point....but kava is basically a depressant and an intoxicant. Cooking yourself a proper breakfast is more spiritual than drinking kava and thinking you are moving towards some trippy Godish reality or whatever new age beliefs some folks might hold around these parts.

 

[nosuni]

I have had some very intense experiences after drinking a lot of kava. To me, a heavy kava is not that different from cannabis. You can get very "stoned" from drinking a lot of kava, to the point where you're cross-eyed and have trouble walking straight. However, the next day is a hell of a lot better than alcohol! I should really stop comparing kava to other substances, though. It's a different animal, and I like it that way. It can certainly be spiritual, in the same way that meditation is spiritual. It's a good aid for certain types of meditation, and while it won't promote some life-changing psychedelic experience on its own, it can be very enjoyable and educational delving into your mind without traditional psychedelics.
But you're wondering if kava is recreational...
Yes, but it is not really in the same category as alcohol, in my opinion. I'm comparing substances again, but that seems to be your jib in the above posts. I suggest you chug down a few shells of some nice heavy kava and see what happens

 

[TheKavaSociety]

Sure, some substances can turn their users into total idiots and can make them forget about all of their problems. By contrast kava makes us calmer and more peaceful. The kava peace doesnt make us forget about our problems. Instead it allows us to face them from a calm, lucid and thoughtful perspective. It also happens to be very pleasant and relaxing, which makes it fantastic for unwinding after a difficult day

 

[Kravatomill]

The OP's view on what recreation as well as spirituality is seems a bit naive or narrow to me.
I used to be kind of disappointed with kava many years ago when I expected to get wasted, today I do not find getting wasted in that sense recreational at all.
If I was Joe Fisher and I just came home from a hard day at work my brain and body would certainly thank me if I went home having a few shells, listening to music or watching a movie rather than going to a bar and get hammered. The alcohol would make me have "fun" being social for a few hours, but in my field of work I'm social all the time during my work shift, and coming home relaxing in silence beats going out most days of the week. Kava would make it easier to relax and create a nice body buzz, and for me that's pretty much what I like.

I used to have a long relationship with cannabis, but for some reason I get all anxious from it now, so I gave up on that. K@ used to be my number one, and could still be seeing I live in it's homeland, but although it has been rescheduled over here it's still illegal and I prefer to keep my self on the good side of the law, especially here. However, K@ is also a plant that doesn't really screw with you mentally, and most people would certainly find it recreational. Kava is pretty much the same although a completely different body and mind feeling, I would like to say it's a "grown up's drug", kids buying it on internet expecting to space out will be utterly disappointed, people who simply look for something to take the edge of the day without causing severe stupidity and headache will most likely enjoy it.

 

[Deleted User01]

A couple of things:
Kava does clear out my brain and wash my worries away.
Alcohol is a great mood enhancer. Nothing like have 2 drinks and relaxing. However many of the members on the Kava Forum find it hard to put down the bottle after 2 drinks. So that is why we are here and that is why we do Kava.
Remember that alcohol has lots of bad side effects if you drink too many. Hangover is just one of them. Kava does not. So @tribal1209, if you can hoist a few, get in a good mood, and be happy with that, then maybe you don't need kava. On the other hand, if you have a few, get exhuberant and decide to have a few more, and do this consistently, then welcome to the club.

 

[Edward]

Most of the time comparing kava to alcohol or anything else to anything else is a waste of time. If alcohol was that great we'd all be drinking it instead and we'd be on the beerforums.com, probably flaming each other and hating a lot more. Kava is what it is and it does what it does. If it's not for you and you need more out of your leisure time relaxant of choice then feel free but I prefer kava and that's what we have all come together to discuss.

Edit... that wasn't @ anyone in particular, just a thought I felt the need to put out there.

 

[Deleted User01]

As a lover of alcohol, I would say that Kava is just a lot healthier for me. Ya see, I likes the alcohol too much. I'm also a home brewer but it turns out that was just a great way to do stuff with my son ... who now goes to school in another state. This is a worthwhile conversation by the way. We need to remind ourselves why we are doing kava to begin with and as opposed to alcohol. @tribal1209, if you like alcohol more, than that is understandable. You may decide to embrace kava down the road if and when alcohol turns against you. As I have said many times, I still do alcohol a few times a week but I concentrate on moderation and enjoyment of the taste. The "getting shitface" part is what I try hard to avoid.

 

[Kava_Joe]

My use of kava started as medicinal for severe chronic back pain. Nothing I found worked as effective with fewest side effects. As I lost RT and learned how to make it properly I discovered its use as a balm for the Psyche as well. Now, I find it downright Joyful and use it for recreation. I also now am exploring it for Spiritual use too. There's no doubt that certain kavas could be quite helpful in this area.
Kava works great socially so why not use it as such? Is alcohol a better social stimulant than kava? Not for me because I can't drink due to diabetes II. I find strong mixes of "heady kavas" work as good as alcohol. If one likes to drink socially and can handle the responsibilities it entails, go for it. For many of us who can't drink alcohol, kava has really been a Blessing

 

[tribal1209]

Some folks seem to think I hate Kava and worship alcohol. Believe it or not I love Kava. And while I may enjoy a few craft beers as well after a days work....the health effects associated with it and my acid reflux do not mix well.

I appreciate some of the responses though. All I have noticed however is that Kava is a very unique drug. I'm not sure I would exactly call it recreational.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Non sense..I'm a practicing Catholic, it doesn't get anymore spiritual

And no I'm not trying to say Alcohol is superior. I'm saying alcohol is a better recreational escape from reality than Kava. Kava is awesome but it isn't that great for chugging and scoping out the honeys for sexy time at a club.

And sorry to say this but Kava is not spiritual. Maybe LSD or something along those lines I could hear your point....but kava is basically a depressant and an intoxicant. Cooking yourself a proper breakfast is more spiritual than drinking kava and thinking you are moving towards some trippy Godish reality or whatever new age beliefs some folks might hold around these parts.

As someone who likes to get people riled up from time to time, I can see all kinds of traps in this post. Not going to take the low road here.

I'll address the main issue of the thread - what makes Kava different from alcohol, street drugs, or other addictive behaviors or activities. When people face a soul-crushing emptiness in their lives or are being beaten down by a thousand pressures, they have the choice of numbing the pain or working their way through it. Becoming a heavy drinker, a sex addict, a coke user, or whatever is a really easy way to do this. Alcohol in particular has the advantage of sucking the life out of your frontal lobes, literally encouraging you to make bad decisions and make them compulsively. The only way to feel better? Drink more and make more bad decisions. It's a terrible cycle. I once talked to a neurologist who compared alcoholism to being a Zombie that continuously infects itself. Alcoholism is a serious illness that destroys hundreds of millions of lives around the world and the families that love them and depend on them. And, hey! Look at me, at the end of the week I often sit down and drink with neighborhood friends. And I almost always feel the worse for it. With a lot of hard work, I was able to bounce back from alcoholism and now limit myself to a few beers a week while watching soccer.

Now, with Kava I would prefer to not limit myself to the discourse of substance use and abuse. The only reason we are talking about it in that context is because language and popular discourse have created those parameters for us. Anything and everything that can be said to alter perception is stigmatized (except that worse one of all - booze) and most peoples' first response to me telling them that Kava is a big part of my life has something to do with "oh, so it messes you up?" No, it doesn't. Kava is something I can go home to at the end of the day and drink to settle my mind, focus and maintain mental clarity to reduce the noise and anxiety of stress, help me go to sleep without racing thoughts and stresses, and enjoy with friends over long thoughtful conversations. There are indeed waves of euphoria that one gets in an extended Kava session, and it might be said that is a way of dealing with pain and emptiness. But the main difference is that Kava is healthy, has no long term effects, and maintains rather than destroys social relationships. I would sooner compare Kava to jogging or playing sports than I would compare it to drinking alcohol. People run or play soccer to burn off their anxieties and heal their hearts and minds. Well, Kava drinkers do the same thing. Can sports be considered medicinal, recreational, spiritual? Sure. So can Kava.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Some folks seem to think I hate Kava and worship alcohol. Believe it or not I love Kava. And while I may enjoy a few craft beers as well after a days work....the health effects associated with it and my acid reflux do not mix well.

I appreciate some of the responses though. All I have noticed however is that Kava is a very unique drug. I'm not sure I would exactly call it recreational.

I think part of the confusion here has been your usage of the word recreational, when it sounds like you mean to say 'party drug'. Kava is certainly recreational, but makes a terrible 'party drug'. Kava does not pair well with bouncing around town, going to bars and loud clubs, trying to get laid. It doesn't encourage loud banter and uproarious laughter with friends and isn't likely to ever lead to wild but memorable late-night (mis)adventures.
For these reasons, I didn't start drinking kava regularly until I was in my 30s.

This is said from a 1st world perspective though, where we have endless options for entertainment and drugs. If you saw the absolute lack of anything to do on the islands where kava is king, you wouldn't doubt it's recreational status at all, as it becomes apparent it's one of the best and only unique and enjoyable recreational things to do.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I think part of the confusion here has been your usage of the word recreational, when it sounds like you mean to say 'party drug'. Kava is certainly recreational, but makes a terrible 'party drug'. Kava does not pair well with bouncing around town, going to bars and loud clubs, trying to get laid. It doesn't encourage loud banter and uproarious laughter with friends and isn't likely to ever lead to wild but memorable late-night (mis)adventures.
For these reasons, I didn't start drinking kava regularly until I was in my 30s.

Yeah, I think you drilled down to the core of the matter here. If you're looking to hit the night club and "scope out some honeys for sexy time" then you should probably leave your roots and shells at home.

 

[tribal1209]

As someone with 2 kids....It's probably in my best interest to avoid drunken adventures out on the prowl for random tail

 

[verticity]

...
Joe Fisher had a hard day of work. He decides to unwind with a few shells of Kava. Joe drinks the Kava but Joe is STILL there. His brain is STILL fully intact with only the slightest shift in actual perception. Did Joes Kava use actually do anything to shift his brain away from his work day?

Now let's look at Joe after a hard day's work. This time he decides to slam 4 double IPA beers in under an hour. How do you guys think Joes Body and mind will react compared to the Kava?

If Mr. Fisher wants something that will make him cease to exist, or alter his consciousness so radically that he will become another person, kava will not do that. What it does do, for me, is take the edge off my anxiety, and often puts me in a positive mood. That's as much "recreation" as I need from a substance at this point in my life.

 

[verticity]

Oh, and we are not all new age spiritual types. Personally I believe that the whole concept of "spirituality" is bogus and makes no sense (ducks)...

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I'm certainly not a new age spiritual type, no. I've been in tons of traditional West African rituals and I want nothing to do with it. Shit still gives me nightmares

 

[Edward]

I'm certainly not a new age spiritual type, no. I've been in tons of traditional West African rituals and I want nothing to do with it. Shit still gives me nightmares

Are they different from the East African rituals? (shoot anyone who disagrees with you) :-/

 

[verticity]

I'm certainly not a new age spiritual type, no. I've been in tons of traditional West African rituals and I want nothing to do with it. Shit still gives me nightmares

There was a particular scene in Roots where I was like: no thank you, I do not want to be a man, I will remain a boy for the rest of my life, thank you very much.

 

[tribal1209]

I'm certainly not a new age spiritual type, no. I've been in tons of traditional West African rituals and I want nothing to do with it. Shit still gives me nightmares

Interesting....go into detail about your experience

 

[Groggy]

I think part of the confusion here has been your usage of the word recreational, when it sounds like you mean to say 'party drug'. Kava is certainly recreational, but makes a terrible 'party drug'. Kava does not pair well with bouncing around town, going to bars and loud clubs, trying to get laid. It doesn't encourage loud banter and uproarious laughter with friends and isn't likely to ever lead to wild but memorable late-night (mis)adventures.
For these reasons, I didn't start drinking kava regularly until I was in my 30s.

This is said from a 1st world perspective though, where we have endless options for entertainment and drugs. If you saw the absolute lack of anything to do on the islands where kava is king, you wouldn't doubt it's recreational status at all, as it becomes apparent it's one of the best and only unique and enjoyable recreational things to do.

You mean you never said to a woman "Hey wanna come bk to my place and check out my makas?'