kava is certainly a good replacement for being addicted to something, for sure, even benign addictions, like to a harmless substance or activity, for example, are bad because addiction itself is bad, it's a manifestation of an inflammation of the brain IMO, so no addiction of any kind = healthier brain at least.
I drink kava and I am not addicted to anything at all, and certainly not kava. It feels great. For much of my life, and for which I am sad and apologetic but not to the point of whiny I hope, I have endured addictions to one thing or another, which I survived and in most cases kicked but all of them did me harm in some way or other, and to be totally honest I don't care about any harm I received as I deserved all that and more which of course I didn't get but what hurts is the harm I caused others about whom I care and even total strangers I did not know and all deserved better from me than they got, and now to not have any addictions, for which I entirely credit kava, it just feels really really great, like I can trust that part of myself again that I learned I could not trust, so I get to utilize more of my resources, makes me more effective on several levels, IMO.