Anyone here only able to experience happiness when on kava

[Kava1904]

I find that pretty much the only times I am happy in life are when I am on kava. Specifically, only the first 30 minutes after drinking it. It gives me something to look forward to all morning and early afternoon, so I am very grateful that I discovered it.


Of course, I would like to experience happiness the other 15 hours of the waking day. I have tried five different antidepressants, exercise, ketamine therapy, bright light therapy, multiple therapists, etc. Anyone else here only enjoy life when they are on kava, or is this a bit unusual?

 

[Groggy]

I find that pretty much the only times I am happy in life are when I am on kava. Specifically, only the first 30 minutes after drinking it. It gives me something to look forward to all morning and early afternoon, so I am very grateful that I discovered it.


Of course, I would like to experience happiness the other 15 hours of the waking day. I have tried five different antidepressants, exercise, ketamine therapy, bright light therapy, multiple therapists, etc. Anyone else here only enjoy life when they are on kava, or is this a bit unusual?

Howdy welcome to kf!

It's a balancing act, you can't be happy all the time, life is not like that and kava is no different. If you haven't yet been drinking for a while, give it time and you'll begin to notice the nuances after the first 30 minutes. Different cultivars/strains have different effects, even across kavas that are considered heavy. I am pretty sure I am unhappy at least 40-50 hours a week, but it makes the rest of the time that much better.

play with the strains, try lots different kavas until you find the one that speaks to you, part of the fun with kava is the journey of discovery.

 

[Kava1904]

Thanks, great to be here.

Yeah, I probably need to lower my expectations regarding life. The way I normally feel is possibly how most others feel, somaybe I set the bar too high.

I have been drinking kava for 6.5 yrs now. Prepare about half cup of medium grind 3-4 times per week. Have probably bought and tried about 50 different kinds online. They all make me feel the same. I can’t tell the difference between heady and body kavas. I am fine with this; I am just happy that it alters my mood temporarily at least.

 

[Valyn]

I used to be happy all the time, but now with various events happening, I am in a similar boat with you and find happiness in my sessions when I hike deep into the forest and down 4 or 5 shells. Even an hour of not caring about other things is worth it.

 

[Groggy]

Thanks, great to be here.

Yeah, I probably need to lower my expectations regarding life. The way I normally feel is possibly how most others feel, somaybe I set the bar too high.

I have been drinking kava for 6.5 yrs now. Prepare about half cup of medium grind 3-4 times per week. Have probably bought and tried about 50 different kinds online. They all make me feel the same. I can’t tell the difference between heady and body kavas. I am fine with this; I am just happy that it alters my mood temporarily at least.

Try cutting back from daily to 2-3 times a week, whatever frequency you are currently drinking at cut in half, see what happens. I hit a point similar about a year ago, I almost stopped drinking kava altogether. Instead I took a break with no set amount of time in mind, ended up taking a month and a half off. I came bk and begun with a pound every three weeks, more or less. I did that for about 6 months. Within the last 2 months I begun daily or quasi daily but at a much smaller quantity than I ever drank before. For perspective, a pound used to last me a day or two, it now lasts me 4-6 days which is ideal for me and my purposes.

I have also been drinking kava for 7ish years. I went too heavy the first several years, it is my addictive mentality, from another time in my life. Fortunately kava is uniquely different in that it can very self-limiting, and it's very forgiving.

 

[Kava1904]

I used to be happy all the time, but now with various events happening, I am in a similar boat with you and find happiness in my sessions when I hike deep into the forest and down 4 or 5 shells. Even an hour of not caring about other things is worth it.

Yes, I have found that walks in nature is the best way for me to enjoy kava.

 

[Kava1904]

Try cutting back from daily to 2-3 times a week, whatever frequency you are currently drinking at cut in half, see what happens. I hit a point similar about a year ago, I almost stopped drinking kava altogether. Instead I took a break with no set amount of time in mind, ended up taking a month and a half off. I came bk and begun with a pound every three weeks, more or less. I did that for about 6 months. Within the last 2 months I begun daily or quasi daily but at a much smaller quantity than I ever drank before. For perspective, a pound used to last me a day or two, it now lasts me 4-6 days which is ideal for me and my purposes.

I have also been drinking kava for 7ish years. I went too heavy the first several years, it is my addictive mentality, from another time in my life. Fortunately kava is uniquely different in that it can very self-limiting, and it's very forgiving.

I wish I could say kava is the source of my unhappiness on a macro level and a source of happiness on a micro level. Then it would be as easy to just quit. Currently, I drink about half cup medium grind three times per week which seems to be a minimal amount. I have taken a few weeks as a break here and there and didn’t notice my mood was any better. There have been periods in which I have drink it daily and noticed constant fatigue and the blues, however.

 

[Skinskava]

Theres always a bitter sweetness around the third shell for me when the euphoria slowly fades to more of a relaxation effect. Theres a desire to hold onto that first hit in a sessin but life goes on. I have learned to enjoy sedative and relaxing effects as well overtime and sometimes prefer it… but its the first 30-50 minutes that made me fall in love with the root

 

[ThePiper]

What do you mean by happiness? I don’t really think of myself as happy or unhappy because it seems too much of a quality judgement about life or something. Contentedness/peace is a good feeling, and probably my other favorite that I go for is energetic/confident/witty which is totally a mood for me more than a personality. I can be like a run down foggy old man half the day (I’m 29) and by the end of the evening everything is just flowing right and I can come up with a good joke or philosophical conversation on the spot, and there is a great feeling of appreciation that I have for myself with that. Happiness can mean feeling like you’re your being your best self I guess, and it has a lot to do with how you perceive yourself, and how you perceive what others think of you.

 

[JohnMichael]

What do you mean by happiness? I don’t really think of myself as happy or unhappy because it seems too much of a quality judgement about life or something. Contentedness/peace is a good feeling, and probably my other favorite that I go for is energetic/confident/witty which is totally a mood for me more than a personality. I can be like a run down foggy old man half the day (I’m 29) and by the end of the evening everything is just flowing right and I can come up with a good joke or philosophical conversation on the spot, and there is a great feeling of appreciation that I have for myself with that. Happiness can mean feeling like you’re your being your best self I guess, and it has a lot to do with how you perceive yourself, and how you perceive what others think of you.

Thank-you for this post. So true. Happiness seems to be a byproduct of a well-lived life. I know the Declaration says Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. I don't know if happiness can be had by direct pursuit. At least as we currently define it. The founders probably meant a much deeper sense of the contentment and peace and satisfaction that you alluded to. But a kava session doesn't hurt...

 

[Kava1904]

I guess by happiness, I meant the feeling of “normal.” Normally, at any given time, to be honest, I would be grateful if I were to be diagnosed with a terminal illness. It is when I am on kava that life seems to be worth living. It is what it is. I appreciate all of your thoughtful insights.

 

[ThePiper]

I will say with kava I often get a profoundly positive loving feeling toward people in my life that goes beyond what I usually feel, and as someone with social anxiety, I feel braver to break social norms and share honest caring words with people who I would otherwise just feel too awkward to share.

 

[Orz[EST]]

No. I do not have that "happy only when I have kava".

For temporary crappy crappy mood and anxiety the best herbal is kanna (Sceletium tortuosum) in my experience. Sublingual for evening, tea for baseline.

If you are OK, it is nothing to write home about. If in misery then it is ablanket of indifference, and it does not stupefy; it is a cognitive enhancer. Its subjective effect to body may be intense whenin short term formulation or subtle when consumed as tea.

 

[krunkgod]

As someone who has experienced pretty consistent and sometimes severe mental health and substance abuse issues I can really relate to this. That first 30-40 minutes of kava is sometimes so blissful that I forget about every problem I have. I prefer drinking my kava at night as it acts somewhat as a breather and reset for the day. Whatever happened that day, all the stressors and anxieties or depressing thoughts seem to melt away and allow me to appreciate life more for the rollercoaster that it is.

What I find really helpful is having good sleep hygiene,proper diet,my medication and supplements (KSM-66 and black seed oil especially) as well as therapy and practicing mindfulness or CBT. When I start to falter on one of those things then it is a domino effect and I spiral, so keeping all those in check is super important.

 

[PapaCthulu]

I find that pretty much the only times I am happy in life are when I am on kava. Specifically, only the first 30 minutes after drinking it. It gives me something to look forward to all morning and early afternoon, so I am very grateful that I discovered it.


Of course, I would like to experience happiness the other 15 hours of the waking day. I have tried five different antidepressants, exercise, ketamine therapy, bright light therapy, multiple therapists, etc. Anyone else here only enjoy life when they are on kava, or is this a bit unusual?

I don't know where you live or where you are from. But if it is from the United States, I would recommend a diet change if you have not already. The North American diet is chock full of chemicals and preservatives. People in the US are sicker and more unhappy than they've ever been. I took around 98% of the processed foods out of my diet and it changed my life. I no longer get sick, I've lost tons of weight, my mood and mental clarity have improved. So my recommendation to you would be to consider an ancestrial diet of some sort and see if it doesn't improve your mood some. Go back to eating what made Humans evolve into the super predators that we are today.

 

[Irishmama3]

Is 3 tablespoons too much ? I tried one tablespoon it doesn’t do much .. how much water and kava to bring the joy in ? Is it better in the morning or evening . I tried and no respond to it . Help me here

 

[krunkgod]

Is 3 tablespoons too much ? I tried one tablespoon it doesn’t do much .. how much water and kava to bring the joy in ? Is it better in the morning or evening . I tried and no respond to it . Help me here

I personally use 4 tablespoons on average. 1 tablespoon definitely is on the lighter side and wouldn't have much of an effect for most people. As long as we are talking about medium grind root powder and not instant.

 

[the_wilderness]

Is 3 tablespoons too much ? I tried one tablespoon it doesn’t do much .. how much water and kava to bring the joy in ? Is it better in the morning or evening . I tried and no respond to it . Help me here

I'm a 6-8 person, just keep adding one at a time till you find the groove.

 

[Kava1904]

I appreciate all of your input and recommendations!

 

[Atticus]

I find that pretty much the only times I am happy in life are when I am on kava. Specifically, only the first 30 minutes after drinking it. It gives me something to look forward to all morning and early afternoon, so I am very grateful that I discovered it.


Of course, I would like to experience happiness the other 15 hours of the waking day. I have tried five different antidepressants, exercise, ketamine therapy, bright light therapy, multiple therapists, etc. Anyone else here only enjoy life when they are on kava, or is this a bit unusual?

It sure does help. But, there are many other things now that are slowly replacing it. Exercise is a big one for me. Running, climbing, biking and hiking really keep me straight. A good diet has helped tremendously. And SLEEP. Oh man. Just read an amazing book on sleep. And I will never go without 8 hours a night again. Time in sunlight. Tons of water. Friends.