How to Talk to Teens About Feel Free and Other Dangerous Addictions: A Guide for Educators

Every few years, a dangerous new fad sweeps through teen culture. Back in the day, kids were doing Whippits huffing nitrous oxide from whipped cream cans. In the late 2000s, Dusting (inhaling industrial cleaner or compressed air) was the thing. The Tide Pod Challenge, though short lived, was serious enough to require a national crisis response.

The conversation with teenagers about what they’re putting into their bodies doesn’t necessarily change, but the substance does. Today, that harmful obsession goes by the name Feel Free.

Why Feel Free is especially risky for teens (and how it relates to drug addiction)

Although Feel Free is advertised as a plant based alternative for relaxation and focus, its main ingredients kratom and kava pose serious dangers, particularly for adolescents. Kratom acts on the brain in ways similar to opioids, making it addictive and capable of causing intense withdrawal, while kava has been tied to liver toxicity.

Feel Free carries a high risk of dependence, with some users consuming up to 12 bottles a day and spending tens of thousands of dollars. Despite being labeled for ages 21+, it’s sold openly in convenience stores, making it easy for minors to obtain.

Young people are becoming dependent quickly, with extreme use leading to hospitalization, emotional instability, and alarming physical symptoms.

Since teen brains are more susceptible to addiction, Feel Free highlights the risks of unregulated “wellness” products marketed as harmless when in reality, they can cause lasting harm.

The FDA has also raised concerns about the growing market of 7 OH products (a kratom derivative) that may especially appeal to kids and teens, such as fruit flavored gummies and ice cream cones. These products are often poorly labeled and sometimes disguised as candy.

How to Start the Conversation in the Classroom

Don’t reinvent the wheel. This conversation framework works for Feel Free, but also for fentanyl or any future “fix” that emerges. Use it as a guide to shape classroom discussions on tricky topics. You can also grab this FREE Fentanyl Lesson along with this Addiction Simulation if you want to be walked through the process.

Addiction Simulation

Step 1: No risk questions to ask students

The key to success is moving away from lecturing and focusing on conversation. Let students talk back, ask questions, and share what they know. For example:

• “So, what have you heard about Feel Free?”

• “Have you seen it for sale at a gas station?”

• "What makes Feel Free so appealing to teens?"

  
  

This part is about building trust and making students comfortable. Keep the ball moving back and forth, you’re just talking right now. You get to see what they already know!

Step 2: Using curiosity instead of scare tactics

You could go straight into why it's dangerous sometimes that causes teens to tune out. Instead, try something that grabs their attention, like: “Guess how many milligrams of fentanyl (about the size of a few grains of salt) could kill a bear? About five grains for a bear and only three grains for an adult human!” or in the case of Feel Free, "How quickly do you think some people can get hooked on Feel Free: months, weeks, days?" Days

This kind of opener captures their curiosity. If you begin with a lecture or a simple “don’t do it” statement, teens may roll their eyes. Instead, spark their interest by pulling them into the conversation with something surprising and thought provoking.

Step 3: Helping students see the bigger picture

At this stage, we want to educate our students a bit more by adding context. They already know drugs are dangerous, so let’s talk about why. What are the facts? What are the statistics? The more informed they are the better and this is where you need to do a bit of research to be ready for the conversation.

Here's how you could educate your teens about Feel Free:

Feel Free looks like a little energy shot, but it’s not harmless. It’s packed with plant drugs that can act like opioids (the same type of drugs as painkillers that can be super addictive.) People say they start with one bottle to feel calm or focused, but pretty soon they need 3–4 bottles a day just to function. Stopping can feel like the flu, shakes, chills, nausea. Some heavy users even had skin problems and liver damage.

Step 4: Help students visualize how it would impact their life

Teens’ brains are not fully developed when it comes to risk taking and decision making. They’re much more likely to do things without thinking about the consequences or assuming, “It won’t happen to me.” So, instead of lecturing, try a visualization activity. Have your students close their eyes and imagine what their life might look like if they developed an addiction to Feel Free.

I like to turn it into a descriptive story, not just “you’ll be addicted and that’s bad.” For example:

“Imagine you wake up with a headache and shaky hands, needing to rush to the store for more. At the checkout, you realize you’ve already spent hundreds of dollars this month and can’t afford another. You panic and decide to try going a day without it but soon you feel worse. You’re so nauseous you have to skip basketball practice…”

This kind of exercise helps students put themselves in the shoes of someone struggling with addiction and makes the risk feel real.

It’s not fearmongering, it’s helping students picture how a few small choices could snowball into serious consequences.

Step 5: Building resilience and healthy coping strategies

Want to take it a step further? Go beyond the surface. Talk together about why someone might reach for substances in the first place.

Someone might use alcohol to cope with feelings they don’t understand. They might use marijuana to fit in with the popular group. Maybe they take Adderall to focus for a test. So WHY would a 15 year old reach for a dangerous substance like Feel Free? What need isn’t being met and how else could it be addressed?

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We all just want what’s best for our kids. It’s a tricky balance sharing the truth without scaring them, giving them facts while building their confidence. Tricky, yes- but absolutely essential.

Teach On!

Katie