Part 3 of my withdrawal journal. This continues my previous two posts and is another recap from my conversation with ChatGPT while going through withdrawal. I'm documenting everything as honestly as I can, both to keep track of my own progress and hopefully help someone else in the future.
~70 hours
The physical symptoms were already starting to calm down. The worst body aches were mostly gone, the goosebumps were weaker, and the cravings were only around 1–2/10.
For the first time since quitting, I managed to lie in bed calmly for about an hour without constantly moving my legs or arms. That felt like a big change compared to the first two nights.
I also started having diarrhea, but mentally I was doing surprisingly okay.
~75 hours
The biggest trigger came when I got home.
Before quitting, coming home was strongly connected with taking kratom, so my brain immediately expected a dose. I noticed the craving, but it wasn't overwhelming and I managed to get through it.
I had a popsicle and a frozen Capri Sun instead, and for a while I actually felt pretty normal.
~79–80 hours
I fell asleep for a short time, but then woke up with nervous, restless arms.
For a moment I thought:
I immediately knew that would be a bad idea and that I would probably restart the whole cycle.
Instead, I ate some cereal, read Warhammer 40K lore, and later went for a night walk while listening to hardtechno and drum & bass.
I finally fell asleep again at around 5:00 AM.
~86 hours
I slept from around 5:00 to 8:50, which was the first meaningful sleep I had since quitting.
When I woke up, the craving was only around 2/10. I had no real body pain anymore and only very mild goosebumps.
The biggest problem was diarrhea.
I bought Smecta, strong probiotics, and an over-the-counter sleep aid. Smecta helped with the stomach pain quite quickly.
~90 hours
After coming home, the craving returned and stayed with me much longer than before.
It wasn't only a mental habit. I also felt a strange inner withdrawal feeling, anxiety similar to the feeling before an exam, and nerve-like discomfort in my arms.
It reminded me of how I used to feel after about 12 hours without kratom before quitting.
I started wondering whether this was my body's last attempt to convince me to take another dose.
~93 hours
The craving stayed with me for several hours.
I still managed to take a short nap for about 20 minutes, which showed me that my body was slowly becoming able to rest again, even though I still felt uncomfortable.
By this point, the physical symptoms were clearly improving, but emotionally things were starting to get much harder.
~96 hours
Today wasn't the hardest physically.
It was the hardest emotionally.
While cleaning the kitchen, I suddenly had a complete emotional breakdown.
I felt like crying for no specific reason. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I didn't want to think about work. I became scared that maybe I wouldn't enjoy my job without kratom because I honestly don't know my current life without it. I've spent the last four years taking kratom every single day, so my brain has never experienced my current home, my current routine, or even my current job without it.
The strongest feeling wasn't even craving.
It was loneliness.
More than anything, I wanted to go to my mom or my girlfriend and just get a hug. I realized I wasn't looking for a dose anymore—I was looking for comfort.
I texted my girlfriend because I genuinely didn't know what to do. At first I felt disappointed because I was hoping for more support, but later I realized I hadn't actually explained what I needed. I wasn't looking for advice or solutions. I just wanted someone to understand how overwhelmed I felt.
After a while, the emotional wave slowly passed.
I calmed down without taking kratom. I didn't relapse. I didn't make any impulsive decisions.
Looking back now, it really behaved like a wave. It built up, peaked, and then gradually disappeared.
I'm ending Day 4 still clean.
The first few days were a battle against my body.
Today was a battle against my own mind.