Kava affects everyone differently. Some people claim to feel high after consuming kava, but it isn’t like a drug-induced high, where your mind becomes altered to a point where you can’t function. Most people feel a heightened sense of well-being, which can be euphoric for some.
We will dive deep into how kava makes you feel, how it compares to other high-inducing substances and the benefits of kava. For many people, kava is an all-natural alternative to improve their state of being and relieve stress and anxiety.
How Does Kava Make You Feel?
How kava affects you can vary based on several factors. The amount of your dosage, the quality of the kava, and your body’s ability to tolerate and metabolize the kava are a few common factors that can enhance how the kava makes you feel. Most people experience:
- Relaxation
- Calm
- Carefree
- Euphoria
- Anti-Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Sociable
- Outgoing
The kava high doesn’t impair your thinking or alter your reality. Kava contains an active ingredient called kavalactones that increase dopamine and serotonin levels. So you’ll feel relaxed but still coherent.
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Related Link: What is Kava?
Does Kava Make You Feel Stoned?
Most people do not feel stoned from consuming kava. They feel relaxed and calm but still in control of their body and mind. Kava does not make you hallucinate or alter your brain’s decision-making centers.
But individuals that take incredibly high doses of kava may feel so relaxed their movements may become sloppy or slow. A recent study found using kava and then driving can significantly increase your chances of being in a severe accident by four times because of the delayed response time. Because of this, you should not plan to drive for at least four hours after ingesting kava.
How Kava Compares to Alcohol
Kava is often used as an alternative to alcohol because it can create similar effects of relaxation, less inhibition, and euphoria. But kava does not impair your ability to think, remember, or lose control. Kava also improves sleep instead of disrupting REM sleep.
Unfortunately, kava does have some of the same undesirable side effects similar to alcohol. Regular kava drinkers may feel withdrawal and hangover after drinking kava.
And if you drink more than the recommended dosage of no more than 250 milligrams daily for no longer than three months. Going beyond the recommended dosage can risk damaging your liver.
How Kava Compares to Anxiety Medications
Many people prefer to take kava as a natural alternative to anxiety medications. Kava provides some of the same effects to reduce anxiety and insomnia. What makes kava better is that it isn’t habit-forming and does not have the same withdrawal effects.
Most anxiety medications become addictive and can leave severe withdrawals.
People that use anxiety medications will often use kava as a way to reduce their withdrawals from the medications. Note: You should never take prescription medications and kava. The kava can affect the drugs and their results.
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Related Link: Frequently Asked Questions
Will Kava Make Me Hallucinate?
No. Kava will not make you hallucinate. It does not distort reality or affect your mind so that you see, hear, or smell things that aren’t real. Kava affects your mental state and not your visualization.
Will I Pass a Drug Screening if I’m Taking Kava?
No, you will not pass if you regularly drink high doses of kava. A study found that one of kava’s active ingredients, kavain, will give a false positive for amphetamine-type substances. But you must have a lot of kava in your system to trigger the false positive.
Occasional or lower dosage users should not trigger a false positive on a urine drug test. But if you are tested regularly, you may want to cut back or reduce the dosage of your kava.
How Long Will the Effects of Kava Last?
Most people feel the effects for one to three hours once the kava is absorbed into the bloodstream. Some side effects, like feeling hungover or groggy, can last until the next day when taken the night before.
Benefits of Taking Kava
There are several beneficial effects of taking kava:
- Calm from activating endocannabinoid receptors
- Relaxation by inhibiting stress responders
- Muscle relaxation from blocking electrical transmissions to the muscles
- Euphoria from the increase in dopamine and serotonin levels
- Sleep induction from increasing barbituric narcosis
Our strong and delicious kava shot offers all the benefits of taking kava without the bitter, smoky flavor. You can drink the whole shot for a strong dose or break it into two servings to enjoy the benefits all day long.
Can You Become Addicted to Kava?
When used responsibly, kava is not addictive or habit-forming. But some people can develop a tolerance for kava and may use it for escapism or self-medication. This can lead to addiction by feeling attached to the kava to relieve the way they feel.
Signs of a Kava Addiction:
- Constantly using or thinking about kava
- Creating plans around kava consumption
- Feeling the urge to take kava to relieve a stressful situation
- Needing a higher dosage to feel the effects
- Wanting to stop taking kava but continue to take it
- Experiencing adverse side effects but continue to take kava
- Using it with other substances to boost the effects
If you are concerned that you or a friend may be addicted to kava, contact your doctor or an addiction center to get help.
Kava is a Safe and Natural High
While kava can create a high for those who take it, it isn’t the same type of high you would experience with other substances. Kava is safe and natural, allowing you to feel relaxed and euphoric without impairing your vision or thinking.
Because it is safe to take, many prefer it as a natural alternative to alcohol, marijuana, or prescription anxiety medication.
Shot of Joy offers your daily dose of kava in a strong, easy-to-drink kava shot. It is an all-natural, low-calorie supplement to relax your body, calm your mind, and help you feel like yourself again.
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