A 27-year-old woman from the Boston suburbs became her own laboratory subject early one morning in December 2024, swallowing 25 milligrams of an experimental synthetic compound called SR-17018 in hopes of breaking her decade-long addiction to Kratom. Becks, who asked that her last name not be used, documented her self-experimentation in an online diary, writing "It's my turn to be a guinea pig" before taking the drug that scientists have not verified as safe for human consumption.

She had cycled through multiple treatment approaches—three brief inpatient detox programs and a month-long rehabilitation stay—without achieving lasting sobriety. The compound, largely manufactured in China and sold online with "NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION" labels, represents a dangerous trend where people desperate to overcome addiction are turning to untested substances in search of relief.

The drug emerged from a 2019 study showing it could potentially help addicted mice, but Dr. Laura Bohn, the molecular pharmacologist who discovered it, has explicitly warned that self-treatment is "a terrible idea." Despite the risks, many struggling with addiction see little choice: in 2024 alone, 80,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, and existing medications haven't kept pace with the rise of ultra-potent synthetic substances.