Kratom Stories: William Czajka from Florida

by Anita Arguello and Brian Gallagher

KratomScience: So where are you from and what is your occupation, William?

William Czajka: I’m from Florida and Louisiana. I’ve spent about half my life in both. And I am a boat builder.

KS: That’s really cool. How long have you been consuming kratom, and why did you start?

WC: About a year… actually it’s been closer to 2 years. I started using it because I’m 45 years old and as I got into my 40s all the physical work I’ve been doing my whole life started catching up with me hard and fast. My joints and my back just started falling about. I was in pain all the time and working long hours and taking too much ibuprofen to get through the day and drinking too much beer at night to deal with the pain, because I don’t want to get on prescription drugs.

I found out about kratom because I saw on the news that the government was trying to outlaw it. And that’s how I first became aware of this stuff. And all these people came forward with testimony that their lives were saved by it, dealing with their pain issues.

So I did my research and found that it looks to be safe. I couldn’t find any credible evidence that it wasn’t. So I tried it, and it has worked wonderfully.

KS: Do you have a preferred strain that you use?

WC: No… I guess I’ve tried a few and there’s a couple that don’t seem to work as well. I like the Green Indo, that seems to work pretty consistently. The Green horn works well for me. Maeng Da works well.

KS: How much do you take on an average day, and what’s your favorite way of preparing it?

WC: I buy the pre-made capsules, because it’s easy. I take it about three times a week, two to three times a week. I’m 165 pounds and I find that four to five capsules does me well. Four is good for pain killer, and five I feel terrific. At five I actually have to be a little careful that I don’t overdo it as far as strenuous activity, because I feel so good, that it’s easy to run around like a 16 year old all day, and at the end of the day you regret lifting hundred-pound sacks of lumber and stuff like that.

KS: Have you experienced any problems or side effects from taking kratom

WC: A few times I have felt like it made my stomach a little bit uneasy. Not enough to be an issue. When that’s happened it has been on an empty stomach. If I take kratom on an empty stomach, and I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee.. I drink a lot of coffee every day, so that doesn’t help. So I’ve learned, don’t drink four cups of coffee and then take the kratom and not have breakfast.

KS: Has it ever become severely addictive or turned into a bad habit?

WC: No, not at all. I don’t take it every day because I find that the day after I take it, if I take it again on consecutive days, it does not help me as much as I would like. I don’t want to have to start increasing my dosages to get the same effect. So I just take it every couple of days or so when I feel like I need a mid-week boost. I actually really like taking it on my day off, because I get a lot done, and I get a really good workout.

“I find that taking the kratom takes away that pain enough that I can spend an hour doing yoga, and then going for a bike ride, and really get some nice exercise in.”

KS: Do you know of anything going on with kratom in your area?

WC: No. There’s nowhere to buy it locally here because I’m kind of in the middle of nowhere, so I mail order it. I don’t know too many people who take it. I feel like I’m always the one telling my friends, “You gotta try this stuff.” Of course, all my friends are now middle aged, and everybody is suffering from various aches and pains. So I find myself telling everybody about it because it’s done wonders for me.

KS: Well these are all really excellent answers, and I appreciate you taking time out of your day. Is there anything additional that you want to add about your experience with kratom?

WC: Like I said, it can help me through a rough workday. I enjoy it more for days off. What I have found is if you’re in a lot of pain, it’s hard to get up and work out. It’s really hard to do yoga if your back is just killing you. It’s so much easier to drink beer on the couch and take ibuprofen than it is to get up and do this stuff that you know you should be doing…the yoga and the bike riding and all that stuff. And I find that taking the kratom takes away that pain enough that I can spend an hour doing yoga, and then going for a bike ride, and really get some nice exercise in. That’s what really helps you in the long run. That seems to be the key to healing the body. So it’s really been exceptionally helpful in that capacity, just allowing me to do the things I know I have to do to stay healthy

KS: So it sounds like kratom has given you your life back.

WC: Yeah. Like I said I’m 45, and right around 40 years old I was in so much pain that I was becoming worried about what I’m going to do with my future. This kind of work’s the only thing I know how to do. I could barely walk up a short flight of stairs I was in so much pain. And now, a few years later, I’m 45 years old and I’m the thinnest and fittest I’ve ever been. I’m working, doing carpentry five days a week, and I’m feeling good. I’m getting there

KS: That’s awesome. Thank you so much William!

WC: Yeah! No problem.