I used to be addicted to opioids...Dilaudid, Oxy, Morphine, Opiom....I had preferences but I used what I could get my hands. It all started from being on prescription pain management from a young age due to chronic pain that began when I was a child. Anyways...I used kratom a lot when I had short periods that I couldn't get junk and my scripts were all used. Some people switch to it in an attempt to get off junk. Good quality Kratom is not a joke, and detoxing from it is not very different from any other opioid. Luckily through MAT I was able to get away from all of that.
But in my experience its not much different and is just another method to feed the addiction. Addiction can turn your life upside down, and even aside from that, being a slave to anything is not a great way to live life! All I can say is be careful to those who use it regularly.