Caffeine addiction.

[nothereanymore]

So, I know I can look on the internet for ways to curb my caffeine addiction, and I will. What I'm looking for is testimonies, your own experience with the addiction and/or how you deal with it.

I don't drink much coffee, but I do drink a lot of tea, and some of it is caffeinated. I DO however drink a lot of soda. And I crave it so badly when I'm out. And it's instant gratification when I drink it. Not sure I wanna be content with that.

Hello Lydia!

I think that caffeine addiction is a lot more prevalent than people think, especially among college-aged individuals. I know that I'm definitely addicted to coffee, and when I'm stressing I drink a lot more than I should (6+ cups a day). For myself, I've found the best way to curb the addiction is to slowly decrease the amount I drink. I haven't given up coffee entirely, but it's something that's okay in moderation!

As for completely breaking an addiction to anything (not just caffeine!) it is always beneficial to seek medical advice. Depending on the severity of the addiction, as well as its physical and emotional affects, it may be required to speak with a mental health professional, dietitian, or another health professional that can steer you toward a healthier lifestyle.

I hope that this was of help!

Best wishes,

Erin

[Headbanger80]

I was also addicted to caffeine in the past. It was the only thing that kept me awake during long hours at work. But then, it gave me numerous health problems such as hyperacidity and palpitations. I had no choice to stay away from it.

[matthewmatters]

there was a time when i had a monster energy for a day like for a 2 week time? maybe 12 days in a row? thats pretty bad but i think the throwing up forced me to see how i had lost control and needed to stop
i didnt give it up forever but i went 21 days

[.Brittany.]

Hi there!

Unfortunately, caffeine can be considered a drug as it stimulates your nervous system, just like most drugs do. That is when it makes you feel awake and that you have a ton of energy. As you mentioned, soft drinks and most types of tea does have caffeine in it. That's how I get my caffeine too, however, I usually only drink caffeine free tea. I highly recommend that you try this, as there isn't really a difference in taste, so your body might not even realize it.

Soft drinks have so many negative effects on your body. I can't really say much as I drink it as well. However, I have been trying to switch over to drinking water.

As mentioned above, energy drinks can also be very bad for you. They make your heart race which could cause dangerous effects including heart attacks. A few years ago, I was drinking Jager Bombs, which has red bull in it. I got so sick to the point where I passed out. There's many stories in the news about people who drank red bull/monster and had a lot of negative side effects.

I hope this helps!
Brittany

[Walterhurley56]

Can't live without daily dose of coffein. Love this drink and I'm sure it doesn't make any harm to my heath.

[Storyteller.]

Hey,

My situation is slightly different, in that I drink a lot of coffee and a fair amount of tea, but I steer clear of soft drinks and energy drinks. What I've found is that if I have at least a cup or two of coffee a day for an extended period of time (a couple of months, usually) and then go a day without it, that day usually involves me getting headaches and just generally feeling ''off''. The solution that works for me is to take a day every now and then where I won't have any caffeine. If I have one ''cleanse'' day every few weeks I find that I can stay just below the threshold of addiction, because my body doesn't become dependent on it and I can then either go back to drinking it or go longer without it and not have any ill effects.

That said, you might want to look into gradually reducing your intake over time first. Try to replace some of your drinks with other things - set yourself a limit for how much soda you'll drink per day, and replace the rest with something else, like juice. If you have someone in your life you can talk to about it and who can help hold you accountable, that could also help a lot because that way you're not just relying on your own self-discipline. Also, if you're not morally opposed to it (my sister is of the mindset that decaf tea is an abomination), you could try drinking mostly decaf, especially on days when you know your caffeine intake has been high. It's not quite the same as instant gratification, but one thing I've found helpful is, when I'm craving caffeine, to drink something that has a different kind of sensation. For me, that's usually a turmeric latte - they have a bit of a kick to them and they're warm and delicious, but they don't have the caffeine (and they're actually quite good for you). So I get something out of it, even if it's not the instant gratification of caffeine.

Also, just to quickly clarify something that the person above me mentioned: as I'm sure you know, caffeine can actually have an effect on your health. As I talked about above, if I drink it frequently for too long a period, I experience withdrawals when I stop drinking it. Also I've had a couple of times where my intake for one day was too high and I ended up feeling jittery and having heart palpitations. That's only my experience, but I've known other people who have had similar things happen to them, and there's also science to back up the anecdotal evidence. So, if you're careful about your intake and manage it well, you probably won't have any problems, but caffeine is definitely one of those things where it's easy to become dependent on it without even realising it.

I hope this helped a bit, and feel free to reply to this thread or PM me if you want to talk about it further.