An opera singer and mother of three from Michigan found herself ensnared in an intense addiction after turning to a convenience store drink as a remedy for her postpartum depression. Initially captivated by the drink’s promise to alleviate her mental fog, Melanie Clark, 35, soon discovered the dark side of its seemingly miraculous effects.
Following the birth of her second child in 2022, Clark was struggling with what she described as a postpartum haze. In search of relief, she began consuming Feel Free, a beverage that boasts enhanced focus and energy through the power of kratom—a substance derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia.
Unbeknownst to Clark, kratom is known for its opioid-like effects and potential for addiction. Despite being marketed as a simple energy booster, the drink quickly became more than just a mood enhancer for Clark. Within a mere three weeks, she found herself dependent on it, a fact she candidly shared with the Detroit News.
Clark recounted how her consumption escalated rapidly—from occasional indulgence to a daily necessity. She explained, “Soon it’s every few days, and then it’s one every day, and you know, it just kind of escalated from there.” Despite the drink’s legal status and availability in convenience stores, its grip on her life was anything but benign.
What started as a drink to help her fog quickly spiraled out of control, with Clark telling Detroit News that within three weeks she was hooked on the drink, which is legal and sold in convenience stores.
She told the outlet that she was reaching for a bottle of it every day, saying: ‘Soon it’s every few days, and then it’s one every day, and you know, it just kind of escalated from there.’
After that, she needed a shot of it just to get out bed, adding: ‘The woe that it would cause when I wouldn’t take it was so ghastly.
‘I mean, like immediate, horrific depression, and just my heartbeat would feel weird, and I would feel so exhausted, and like my brain just wouldn’t work. I could hardly do anything.’
Clark, an opera singer, was unaware that the drug, native to a plant in Southeast Asia , is known for its opioid like effects and addictive qualities
The drink which uses kratom, an unregulated substance, and markets itself with the promise of focus and energy
Describing the first time she seen the drink, she said: ‘It was just advertised as a healthy, natural botanical drink.
‘It tastes absolutely awful, but like I remember my first feeling was like, “Oh my goodness, this is so strong. I can’t believe this is allowed”.
‘It just made me feel like superwoman in terms of energy, focus. It just turned my brain into something different. It just felt like an unbelievable tool.’
Her addiction was met with multiple relapses and she even tried a rehab clinic, only to find they lacked the program for kratom addictions.
She resorted to moving in with her parents and was clean when she was pregnant and gave birth to her third son while away from the drug.
His birth in December of 2024 set of another bout of postpartum depression however, leading her to discover a more potent derivative of the drug, named 7-OH.
The drug, which comes in tablet form, is seen as a step up from the drink and is cheaper.
She said: ‘You take the half a tab, and that’s strong and potent and everything. But it doesn’t take long until you need to take one tab. And then you’re taking multiple tabs a day.’
After just one packet she said she was ‘totally hooked’, adding: ‘That stuff, really, that was harder on my body than anything else.’
Her addiction was met with multiple relapses and she even tried a rehab clinic, only to find they lacked the program for kratom addictions
The kratom caused damage to her kidneys, put stress on he heart and even caused sores on her face
As the drug’s grip on her tightened, Clark and her husband went to his parents’ home in Indiana where kratom is banned to get away from it.
It was in the state that Clark went cold turkey adding that: ‘I completely lost sight of reality, and I wanted to die.’
The withdrawal brought with it health scares for Clark, who put on 24 pounds over a day due to water retention.
Her mother Dottie Case said: ‘She got dangerously sick when trying to rehab. I’m not exaggerating when I say she almost died several times last year.
‘This stuff will enslave and kill you before you even know that there’s a problem. Just because something is called ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it’s good for you.’
The kratom caused damage to her kidneys, put stress on he heart and even caused sores on her face, with Case saying her daughter ‘looked like a meth addict’.
Clark added: ‘I felt like a ghost of myself. When you are embarrassed to show your face to the guy at Wild Bill’s, you know that’s a rough spot to be in.’
It was in Indiana where her husband Kieron called the cops after deeming his wife to be a threat to herself.
Clark is now calling for the drug to be banned after getting clean again
Clark said: ‘I ended up running from them barefoot into the field behind my house and hiding like I was on ‘Cops’ or something.’
She was involuntarily committed into the psychiatric wing of the University of Michigan Hospital before going to an outpatient program.
After another relapse, she was placed on suboxone, an opiate replacement used to help wean heroin addicts off drugs during withdrawal.
Now, Clark is calling for the drug to be banned saying: ‘I don’t really feel safe going off of that medication until kratom is banned, because I can’t take any risks.’
The drink is made by Botanic Tonics, an Oklahoma based firm who advise on the bottle not to consume more than a 2-ounce bottle within 24 hours.
A statement from the firm said: ‘We are clear that we make a powerful product and that it is not intended for everyone.
‘We actively discourage use by anyone with a history of substance abuse, as it can be habit-forming, those under 21 years of age, pregnant or nursing women, or anyone who may be sensitive to our active ingredients.’
