tried kava for the first time..

[shane603]

hello kava world. i tried kava for the first time today. i received in the mail the shaker and aluball. i went pouni ono from kalm with kava. i chose this because i wasn't looking for something that would put me down for the count. i prepared two batches, pretty much back to back, each with 2 tablespoons and 8 oz of water. the effects were neat at first, but after maybe 15 minutes or so, i started to have terrible anxiety. i was thinking of a million things and my mind was racing like hoof hearted. the reason i am trying kava is because i have a vicious drinking problem. i drink beer in a self medicating way to ease my anxiety and wild brain, but the beer is ruining my life, marriage and relationship with my young children.
is there another type of kava i should try? is this reaction typical with pouni ono? is this reaction typical for first time kava drinkers? any advice is appreciated.
thanks in advance to the kava experts!

 

[Groggy]

hello kava world. i tried kava for the first time today. i received in the mail the shaker and aluball. i went pouni ono from kalm with kava. i chose this because i wasn't looking for something that would put me down for the count. i prepared two batches, pretty much back to back, each with 2 tablespoons and 8 oz of water. the effects were neat at first, but after maybe 15 minutes or so, i started to have terrible anxiety. i was thinking of a million things and my mind was racing like hoof hearted. the reason i am trying kava is because i have a vicious drinking problem. i drink beer in a self medicating way to ease my anxiety and wild brain, but the beer is ruining my life, marriage and relationship with my young children.
is there another type of kava i should try? is this reaction typical with pouni ono? is this reaction typical for first time kava drinkers? any advice is appreciated.
thanks in advance to the kava experts!

Howdy, welcome to KF. Kava is not and will never be like alcohol and as such you need to learn use it accordingly. It sounds like you went too heavy too soon and probably not the best kava for what you seek. I would look at a medium to heavy kava. Nowadays there are simply too many good kavas available so recommending kava is really kind of pointless beyond sending you in the right direction. Start with a staple like Borogoru, KWK sells it as well.

Next session be sure sure to strain the kava through a 75 micron mesh bag, plenty of how to's all over the place around here on prep.

More importantly, try to change your mindset and expectations from kava. Kava is not a cure all for anything but it can help tremendously with all types of vices. Drinking more notably, I speak from experience both in kava and as an alcoholic. Start slow next time, have one "shell" (6 fluid ounces) every 15-30 minutes. Remember that you are creating a new better habit, take your time with kava, less is more.

 

[KavaTasteGood]

Krunky is expert level. I will just add a few remarks here, speaking from a begginer level and with a previous drug abuse problem that I slowly tamed and these last months before kava a high alcohol consumption that was concerning to me but didn't creating much problems yet.

If i take too much AND too fast of the heady kavas, I can feel tension in my body and mind with effects that are reminicent of amphetamine (I'm becoming shaky a bit and restless), that my body doesn't tolerate at all anymore if I don't take them with some GABAergic compound. But as krunky stated, the heavy kava ones have this tension part greatly diminised and you just feel body relaxation. I speculate that previous sensitization abusing alcohol or other compounds makes people sensitive to the stimulant action of some kavalactones (kavain norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor effect?).

Also I recommand you to double filter your kava juice as there is always still some residues of plant material left. Doing this, you can have an amazingling pristine nectar. It may take a while for your body and mind to be accustomed to kava, but I wish you what happenned to me in a few weeks: I brought 2 strong beers coming home after a friday day work, because I was thinking "let's enjoy ourself it's weekend time". Then my mind was more inclining toward kava. No effort was needeed to not drink the alcohol, kava was the preferred choice here and my saturday morning was clear and shiny.

I really wish you all the best in your path to recovery! May you find more peace with whaterver change in your life that you'll create

 

[Pzk]

Everyone differs. I had a history with panic attacks for almost 15 years in the past. Luckily they are gone since many years now.

The point is, I know that many things can heighten panic attacks or trigger them - especially in those times I had them.

I started to "take stuff" again after being sober (besides pharma drugs) for almost 20 years. No weed, no alcohol, nothing else. What I realized is, that weed can be horror trippy as it gets (I am prone to paranoia on weed, science says mostly the GABA system in the brain is messed up at those people), but I still don't have to end up panic. Well I don't smoke, because I just don'T want an upleasent trip - but I learned that I have lots of influence to become anxious or not!

Kave was never a problem to me, no matter what kind of kava. I mean never a problem to become anxious.

But what I know well @shane603 is the moment the effect kicks in (can be also many steps of kicking in effects, shell by shell) there is a point of my mind questioning if I "lose control" or if I could "become mad"- and this can have anxiety as an outcome. But it never did. Because I just didn't care. The thoughts appeared, and to me it is clear that anxiety is what makes you mad the most. Staying cool does less harm, if there would ever be any harm.

So I know this moment sometimes with kava, the point of effect kicking in, my mind could start to become anxious - it is just a decision.

So just "Give yourself to the plant.... to the effect" without fear - and the fear is gone.

I don't know if it helps you and if your problem is similar to what I wrote. In my case it was like this


Edit: Kava was never a problem: No it is not true... there are strains that make me a bit weed-like which I don't like, end up really strange - like the "Bir Kar". How much one can lye to oneself *lol

 

[Orz[EST]]

KWK has borongoru that might be interesting.