James Moorhouse
Warning: This article contains discussion of addiction which some readers may find distressing.
A woman has issued a warning after her addiction to a 'natural energy drink' saw her lose half her body weight and left her needing rehab.
Kim Maloney, a 49-year-old from Ohio, was feeling low on energy when she was recommended an all-natural energy drink known as Feel Free Tonic.
The wellness drink, which is advertised as an energy drink but contains no caffeine, is popular among sober people in the US. Maloney thought it would prove to be harmless, but it actually contains kratom, a controversial and addictive supplement which has been banned in the UK, and recently led to the tragic death of an otherwise healthy 37-year-old in Washington.
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Maloney said: "Nobody knew at that time what it was. You figure 'all-plant-based,' 'all-natural.' I didn't know too much about kratom. I did not know it was that addictive."
She soon became addicted to Kratom, drinking as many as 10 of the drinks each day, something she claims led to her losing half her body weight, as well as her car, her house and her 27-year marriage. She very nearly could have lost her life as well.
Maloney added: "My eyes were rolling in the back of my head. I couldn't walk straight. I didn't leave my couch for months. I had pancreatitis. I had shingles. I was sick. I mean, I was really sick. So my daughter, who lives in LA, said, 'You know what, mom? I'm done. If you can't get off this stuff, I'm done.'
"My blood pressure was like 58 over 49. I was dying."
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Fortunately, after going to rehab and reuniting with her daughters, who still encourage her to take random drug tests, Maloney is on the road to recovery.
She added: "I'm in debt, but you know what? I'm coming back. There's no doubt in my mind I'm going to get my life back better than ever. I might be living in an apartment basement with my four dogs, but you know what? I got my life. I got my kids. I got my parents. I got everybody. I got more than anybody could hope for."
On 29 July, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed it would be specifically targeting 7-OH, a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant, as part of a crackdown on opioids, something the mum-of-two sees as a step in the right direction.
She concluded: "I almost started crying. It will save a lot of lives. I think it will. It'll save a lot of marriages, probably. And a lot of homes. But what are they going to come out with next?"
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Botanic Tonics, the producers of the drink, stressed to LADbible that their drink has a safety profile similar to that of coffee, something which millions and perhaps even billions of people drink every single day.
A spokesperson said: "Botanic Tonics has sold over 129.7 million servings of feel free to date. We have received fewer than 1,000 consumer adverse event complaints total across all categories, with zero complaints involving severe addiction.
"This represents an exceptionally low complaint rate that contradicts sensationalised social media anecdotes being reported as representative of our customer experience."
They also pointed out that their drinks contain natural leaf kratom, as opposed to the concentrated 7-OH kratom, which the FDA has confirmed it is hoping to ban.