It is subjectively well known that Kratom addiction is not even comparable to the intense addiction caused by synthetic opioids and opiates. Whereas users of synthetic opioids and opiates have a tendency to take as much of the drugs as possible as often as possible while chasing a high, Kratom users usually take Kratom once or twice a day and are satisfied.
Another way of saying it is that whereas synthetic opioid and opiate users are constantly thinking about their next fix, Kratom users usually do not think about their next Kratom dose, especially if they’ve already taken it in a day.
A new study from the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, seems to have found the scientific reason as to why Kratom has very little addiction potential, and it involves how Kratom interacts with the Mesolimbic Pathway.
The Mesolimbic Pathway is also known as the reward pathway, since it is the part of the brain that releases dopamine whenever someone accomplishes something or takes a drug. For example, if someone succeeds at work, gets a good grade on a test, buys a house, eats some good food, or even takes a shower, dopamine is released in the Mesolimbic Pathway, leading to feelings of happiness and pleasure.
This is a critical mechanism, since the release of dopamine helps to re-enforce positive activities and helps people to learn how to do things that are beneficial for themselves.
Unfortunately, drugs like synthetic opioids, cocaine, amphetamines, etc. hijack the Mesolimbic Pathway, and release massive amounts of dopamine, far more dopamine than regular activities.
This is one of the most dangerous aspects of addiction, since instead of obtaining positive feelings through working, building relationships, eating, or hygiene, drug users often just take the drug to short circuit the Mesolimbic Pathway. This leads to drug addicts neglecting everything important in their life.
The good news is that this scientific study has found that Kratom does not induce drug effects within the Mesolimbic Pathway, suggesting a lack of addiction potential.
In other words, Kratom does not hijack or short circuit the Mesolimbic Pathway, so Kratom users do not fall into the habit of neglecting everything and just taking Kratom. Instead, Kratom users continue to focus on everything important in life, and Kratom use doesn’t interfere with that.
Indeed, there are numerous subjective reports about how people who switched from synthetic opioids and opiates to Kratom got their life back, and this is exactly what this article is talking about. Essentially, synthetic opioids and opiates hijack the Mesolimbic Pathway and cause users to not care about important things like work and family, but if they switch to Kratom they begin to function normally since the Mesolimbic Pathway is no longer altered.
Thus, the fact that Kratom does not induce drug effects in the Mesolimbic Pathway, which is proven by this scientific study, is one of the primary reasons why Kratom is relatively non-addictive and safe.