This CBD Water Isn’t A Magic Cure-all For Anxiety But It's Close

The Flavors

If you already enjoy seltzer, this is definitely another brand to consider adding to your arsenal. As a seltzer drinker, I'm always looking for new flavors and these not only taste good but they're also refreshing...like actually refreshing and not like when high fructose drinks claim to be. Each can of Recess is only packed with 25 calories and 6 grams of sugar, delivering a mild but tasty kick with the following taste: Blackberry Chai (my fave), Peach Ginger, and Pomegranate. Arguably, an assortment of flava reserved for a boujee palette (It's me. The boujee palette is me).

The Marketing

The drink's creators boast about its ability to replace that afternoon cup of coffee those of us who are caffeine fiends seem to always be looking for, but beyond giving a burst of energy Recess intends to leave you more focused and reduce stress. The effect is produced by the natural ingredients, not limited to hemp extract (calming effect) but including American ginseng (energy), L-theanine (reduces stress), and Schisandra ("boosts immunity").

The Effect

Personally, I have never been much of a coffee drinker and I do take Adderall as it stands, so I can't say without a doubt that Recess has been the energy boost for me. However, what I can say is that it has helped with the edge of anxiety I experience in my day-to-day life. One of the major symptoms that occur when taking Adderall is teeth grinding which I believe is a result of the induced anxiety that is attached to the medicine (not entirely sure). Nonetheless, while sipping Recess I noticed I was able to control it a bit more than normal and my anxiety slowly dissipated. It provided a gentle yet calming effect, allowing me to be far more productive during the workday rather than spending half of it inefficiently self-soothing anxiety over mundane tasks. So maybe it's sparkling, but maybe it's magic. Dunno. To my satisfaction, it also provided me with an assortment of new tastes that my soda stream or even brands like LaCroix (even in all of their flavor diversity) don't offer.

However magic the sparkles in this drink are, it goes without saying that this is a very niche product, made for those living in a certain tax bracket. The $39.99 (eight pack) and $54.99 when purchased via Amazon (providing four additional cans) price point of the product is a reflection of society at large's unwillingness to make healthy and helpful things accessible to poor Black and Brown people. Because while it absolutely does make me feel better without making me lethargic or crazy-amped-up (you know the espresso vibe), I can't say that this drink is in my every day budget. So even while sampling the water I felt the need to ration it out, picking and choosing when I would douse myself in the holistic effects of this pricey water. However, in a moment of grace, I do understand how supply and demand work and can't say that them not being accessible is solely on them, as opposed to living in a capitalistic America.

Being a relatively new company is hard as is, but being new and working to bring social change (through multiple facets) can be costly when you're working against capitalism. I'm optimistic that as the company grows they will further expand their product making it available on Amazon Fresh (not to be confused with regular Amazon), where they take EBT/SNAP benefits.

But until then, try it for yourself and sip slowly.

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