Coffee and AA

[Lilalkie]

Can anyone explain to me what it is about coffee? Every AA meeting I've ever been to, more than two-thirds were drinking coffee like it was the "new booze." Myself included. On the night of my first meeting, I quickly downed two cups of coffee and soon realized my mistake. I was more shaky and jittery than I was from the alcohol withdrawal, lol. They really should serve decaf. I'm only half serious. But is it wise to serve caffeine to an alcohol, since technically speaking, it IS a drug?
Now, instead of looking forward to my nightly binge on beer, I look forward to my steamy cup of brew at AA. But, I guess it's healthier than alcohol.

[best]

As it was told to me.. tongue in cheek sort of.

A trading of one drug for another and yes a healthier one.
How Jim (my mentor) put it...
I no longer have a beer belly, I now have a coffee pot.

[WeDoRecover]

I'm a bit of a hard-ass when it comes to stuff like this but when I got clean, I got clean from everything. No coffee, no caffeine, no cold medicine, no gambling, etc. Of course, I don't freak out so much about "relapsing" occasionally on some of those but I definitely make an effort to stay away as much as I can.

jmo.

[Chy]

All's I know is I never drank coffee ever until I joined AA. Now I need my nightly fix! *LOL* Like WeDoRecover though I've tried to clean out from everything, and never take a pill except vitamins now. I'm cutting back from the caffeine as I've realized recently it could be what's caused me to plateau on my weight loss program, and am working real hard on getting the nerve to finally quit the cancer sticks, those things are very hard to quit. One thing at a time, one day at a time.

[lonlion]

I must admit when in treatment I looked forward to the caffeine fix at the meetings. I have asked myself, why do I always need a vice? My goal in the near future is to quit coffee and cigarettes, but alas, I am not there yet. I use the fact that I am newly clean again, and afraid that if I give these things up too soon, I will be more vulnerable to using again. Also be more vulnerable to gaining weight, and right now I have been in a wheelchair for the past 3 months, and honestly have thought of quitting smoking, but my boredom and being stuck in side a lot right now, and with the lack of exercise, I would surely turn to food without any outlet of exercise to burn it off I would baloon in weight. If that sounds like a good quack session, then it probably is.
Thats where I am at right now.

[JaySee]

We're posh at our meetings. We have a selection of coffees. De-caff is available, and tea of course, as well as normal coffee. Biscuits and squash too. Actually thinking about it, some of the more "gym" type members actually bring bottles of water. That might be a good idea, but then I'm more of a "couch" type member.

much love
JC

[tobstah]

yeah i did that too.. when I was in rehab, i'd chug like 5 coffees a meeting!

the big book says coffee and chocolate is ok so there you go!

but i deffinitly agree that coffee IS an addictive drug and I am an active cafeine addict. (****)

[tobstah]

I WANNA BE A GYM TYPE MEMBERRR! damnit i must lose these pounds ive gained! :spectacle

[Lilalkie]

Yes, coffee and chocolate are quickly becoming my new vices. I am obsessed with pumpkin spice cappuccinos, now that it's fall and they're available. I didn't drink too much coffee before AA either. Funny how we do trade one vice for another. And if I didn't drink coffee or smoke, I'd probably turn to eating too. Darn addictive personalities. I do try to drink a lot of water though. It's better for you anyway.

[Richie]

The lesser of two evils?

[1Marty]

Coffee a drug? yes. But it does not make my life unmanageable. And it is fairly cheap (if you stay out of starbucks).


LOL at JC - I'm a couch member too!

[mrhodes01]

Coffee for me did make my life unmanageable. I was very sensitive to it, got bad anxiety and panic, but couldn't stop drinking it. The terrible decision I made to get me back into recovery now was precipitated by a weekend of drinking and the attendant lack of sleep, but it was panic caused by coffee that blurred my thought at the time I made the decision (was drinking coffee because I was so tired from not sleeping due to alcohol--man, I got problems!). To make a short story long, at least for me, coffee is a powerful drug and I don't see how it could possibly help anyone in recovery. When I was in recovery four years ago, I drank a pot a day and more at meetings and it took me two months to realize that I felt even worse drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes than I did when I drank. Once I quit all that, I felt great.

Then, of course, I started all of it again and here I am.

[MootPoint]

I'm addicted to coffee now, I admit it! I never drank very much before AA. I think I started drinking coffee to occupy my hands and mouth.......I was (and still am) a nervous nellie at meetings.

Now, instead of looking forward to my nightly binge on beer, I look forward to my steamy cup of brew at AA. But, I guess it's healthier than alcohol

Me too

Hey JC..... your group sounds fahbulous. During the summer, at one of my meetings, we routinely had crabs, corn on the cob, and diet soda. Courtesy of our local curmudgeon and crab fisherman. He would pull up in his truck, unload, and grumble and curse if anyone thanked him

[Kit]

In my case, I now feel the need to quit everything - including caffiene. I haven't done it yet, but I think I'm addicted to quitting. I haven't drank in 57 days and am feeling I need to add things on to my list of things to quit so that I can continue feeling the high. It is so exciting for me to be sober that I don't want that feeling to go away. So.... now I'm going to quit caffiene, then swearing, then I hope to get off of my anxiety medicine - that should take awhile and give me a chance to think of more things to quit.

[abtchonamission]

The title of your thread caught my attention - my fiance sometimes has the pleasure of my company at his NA meetings (LOL), and I look forward to the coffee. I went to a CoDA meeting last night, and was SO disappointed - no coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I like his meetings better.

[MyNameIsCarol]

abtchonamission---I see you live in Asheville. I live in Marshall, just north of you!

I'm a major caffeine addict. I was before I quit drinking, now it's just worse. I really want to stop it too because I am tired all the dang time and my doc says its from the coffee. You just get to a point where it works against you, just like the alcohol did. If anybody figures out a quick and painless coffee detox, let me know. By the way, I always bring my own coffee to meetings. They never make it strong enough for me and I have to have my French Vanilla cream. lol

[2dayzmuse]

Give me a break. I don't smoke or drink...don't you dare get in the way of me and my coffee, or chocolate for that matter. I have no desire to become a puritan. I still enjoy an occasionaly cussing rant as well. :cursebunn My halo is starting to regain it's shimmer and if I'm not careful, I'm soon to sprout angel wings. That would be so wrong. that. Excuse me while I go put another pot of coffee on...anyone care to join me?

[abtchonamission]

2dayzmuse - Your coffee pot or mine?

[abtchonamission]

MyNameIsCarol - Marshall is near Hot Springs,???? I know I know of Marshall, and am pretty sure I've either been through it or even stopped on our Sunday "road trips". I am going to figure it out when I stop thinking about it, but right now, it's pushing all my buttons. (I've been in Asheville not quite 2 years, I still get lost here in town LOL)

[Dan]

Coffee and AA...
Reminds me of a particular dude I run into at some of the meetings.
The story goes he arrived in AA broken down and without hope. Well, story also goes he stuck it out, and soon will celebrate five years without the drink.
He works in a grocery store. Every payday, he buys bags of coffee and filters and does his rounds. No one ever questions why he doesn't drop some change in the basket when the Seventh Tradition comes up.
It's just his way. It's how he contributes.
I asked him once why...
He said: "Dan, I bought some coffee the first week, just to say thanks. It's an ongoing thing".
Wise dude.

[MyNameIsCarol]

abtchonamission----I just got your name! lol I couldn't figure it out and then it just jumped out at me. Hilarious!

If you take 19/23 North, you'll run into the Marshall exit just past Weaverville. I'm actually closer to Weaverville but I'm just over the county line. Saves me a bundle in taxes!

[MyNameIsCarol]

Sorry, I didn't think the first post went through.

[mrhodes01]

Green tea is a great detox tool for caffeine addiction. It has plenty of caffeine but not as much as coffee. You can ween yourself and then switch to decaf green tea with little withdrawal trouble. Also half decaf, half regular was a strategy I used, but that tastes pretty bad. Like anything else, cold turkey works best, but it ain't easy. I usually go that route because it makes me realize how much a substance affects me and how ridiculous it is that I put something like that in my body. But I really loves me some coffee...

Heck, don't listen to me, I feel like crap after downing a big Starbucks today. Due to my insomnia I had feared caffeine for a while, and I'd gone about a month with none.

Whenever my brain chemistry gets off, I crave booze big time. Coffee makes me want to drink to relax. It's caused me to fall off before, just as weed has. Coffee blurs my judgement like a "real" drug. But that's just me, guess I've got natural anxiety issues that contribute to that.