“Styles had been on a ‘bender of various substances for a prolonged time’ before his death, the report noted. His parents had been checking on him hourly. He was last seen alive around 3 p.m. and was later discovered by his parents on August 20.”
The above quote from an US Magazine article provides critical nuance in the death of adult film star Christian Styles, whose real name was Zachary Christian Jaghab.
Neither the amount of alcohol (0.168%) nor mitragynine (87 ng/ml) found in his blood were close to fatal amounts on their own, although blood concentrations may change between the time of death and postmortem testing. A toxic or fatal amount of mitragynine has never been established, however 87 ng/ml can be expected to be present in a moderate dose of leaf kratom. It’s unclear how a diagnoses of “overdose” was reached given such small doses of either substance discovered. Documented mitragynine-only fatalities have typically involved concentrations in the thousands, with one paper listing the median concentration for 12 mitragynine-only deaths at 2000 ng/ml.
For several years, Kratom Science and other kratom-focused outlets have strongly discouraged combining kratom with other recreational or prescription substances.
The nuances of toxicology did not prevent trash tabloids like New York Daily News from claiming, “Heavy drinking and excessive amounts of kratom, a variety of so-called gas station heroin, killed adult film star Christian Styles”, and TMZ from running the headline “Porn Star Christian Styles Alcohol & ‘Gas Station Heroin’ Caused Death”.
Kratom is not heroin. Heroin is a derivative of morphine, which is a derivative of opium, which comes from the opium poppy, a flower. Kratom comes from the leaves of the kratom tree. It is most commonly sold as dried, ground-up powder.
News reports also stated Styles heavily used heroin and methamphetamine, and had been using drugs for 13 years by the age of 29. His parents told investigators he had a history of overdoses and drug-related encounters with law enforcement. Lexapro and kratom were found at the scene, although sensationalist media reports did not identify the type of kratom involved.
Styles began his career in porn in 2021. In 2023 he won a fan-voted GayVN award for Favorite All-Male Creator Collab. He had over 1 million Twitter followers and a substantial OnlyFans following.
Scientific research has found elevated substance use among some pornography performers, with studies identifying drugs as a potential way of coping with occupational stress, stigma and trauma. A study of 28 adult-film performers found substance use disorder among the health risks reported by participants, including drug use associated with coping with stress and the pressures of the industry. Another study comparing 105 pornography actors with a matched group found that performers reported greater lifetime use of several categories of drugs. Research involving pornography performers has also documented histories of traumatic experiences and PTSD symptoms, factors that can contribute to problematic substance use as a coping mechanism. A study of pornography performers in Sweden reported high levels of childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms.
Kratom is used responsibly by millions of adults worldwide, generally in small doses, for purposes such as managing discomfort associated with chronic pain, providing a morning stimulant, supporting recovery while abstaining from other substances, and every once in a while as a mood booster. Kratom should not be taken in high doses or mixed with other substances, including many prescription drugs.