FieldReport

I've gone this long without alcohol several times, but time seems a bit different. I find myself drinking a lot of coffee, in the morning. Two cups before work, one cup on my way to work, then about eight more in the morning. Then I switch to Monster or Diet Mountain Dew for the afternoon.

Anyone else have this new "addition" when they give up drinking?

I can't tell you how I hope this time I can actually stop. I felt last Friday, while at work, that this was my "bottom". I'm so far behind in work, behind in my side job, and everything else in life.

Not sure why, but Saturday I woke up with a good attitude for a change and I haven't had a drink yet. Yes, I think about it constantly, even dream about it, but so far so good.

applewakesup

Well, I do drink coffee, but if I drank that much I wouldn't be able to sit down! It sounds like a bit much to me, but I imagine it will abate with some sober time.

For me, it's sweets that I have craved in abundance since quitting. At first, I allowed myself to have any sweets I wanted to help me get past the early days, but now I am being more conscientious about it so I don't have another problem to deal with!

If you need it for now, it's better than drinking, for sure.

DG0409

I remember drinking a lot more coffee the first week or two. I don't really remember when that amount went down... but I think there may be something about quitting drinking that makes at least some people drink more caffeine. Despite all the caffeine, I was also excessively tired.

Most likely it will even out for you at some point. You have to strive for a balance between using things like that to help you get by without drinking and not going overboard with things like that when they aren't actually healthy things to be doing.

Gemini1967

HI! I really wanted coffee in the first few weeks. It seemed to help with cravings. I had one at my normal start time (5ish) for drinking and it really helped. Now I 'm wanting ice cream!

Good luck!

Erratic

Yeah i crave more coffee and sweet stuff in the first phrase of being sober. Also like DG i became tired alot also and still do, so hense i think i need the caffeine.

Good luck on keeping sober x

ChloeRose63

I drink coffee in the morning to wake up. Then green tea (usually iced) when I am thirsty. Too much caffeine makes my anxiety worsen. Do you ever drink decaf? Do you put sugar in your coffee? That could be another craving, too. Cheers!

LesPaul1993

I recall drinking copious amounts of coffee in the am followed by tea in the pm. Eventually I thought "this can't be healthy," and cut it back considerably. I do think the coffee drinking worsened my sleep. Since then I've been buying whichever mineral water is cheapest, by the case from Costco and adding sugar free flavour drops along with freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice over ice and I have a large glass of that a couple or three times a day.

doggonecarl

That's a lot of caffeine. Looks like you are trying to fill the void left by alcohol with something else.

biminiblue

Oh, dear God no.

I couldn't even have one cup in early sobriety without feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my own skin.

I cut back to decaf for at least four months, maybe longer. Then I went up to half-caf, but only one cup a day. Now I'm back up to two espressos a day, but any more than that sets off my intrusive thoughts.

columbus

Congrats on day 6.

Be VERY careful with caffeine/energy drinks and over-indulgence of sugar.

Do some research on hypoglycemia and adrenal fatigue.

It's serious.

Chilledice

Ooofff CAREFUL now! Your body and mind is going through massive changes right now so you need to be gentle with yourself.

I drink decaffeinated coffee which is just as nice

Sweetpeacan

Great you have done 6 days"......"I too went a bit overboard with coffee and lots of non healthy snacks. Today I have been drinking green tea & chamomile & cut back on snacks thank goodness. Keep going you are doing well.

Jules714

Hi. I'm all for coffee. But moderate amounts. Max 4 cups a day.
We have a tendency to grab new addictions. Coffee is a drug. And it's dehydrating. Please be careful. Withdrawling off that is unpleasant too.
Jules

SnazzyDresser

I'm 200 days in. I drink too much coffee these days, no doubt about it. Really strong coffee too. It's less than optimal, but I can live with that for now.

least

I drink a lot of coffee during the day, but couldn't drink it when I was in early recovery as it made my anxiety so much worse. Now that I'm sober a good while, my anxiety is a lot better, not so crippling.

I'd be careful with that much coffee/energy drinks tho. The energy drinks have more caffeine than coffee does!

azwakeupcall

There is no cure for addiction, only treatment for substances. Alcohol is often replaced with caffeine, nicotine, sugar, chemical sugar substitutes, gambling, and so on. It's not only extremely common, I haven't met a single soul who didn't do it. And then you get off of one of those substances, and it's on to another. Sometimes, addiction is directed towards otherwise healthy activities, like exercise. And it's 4 hours running per day and 2 hours on weights, and so forth. That too can lead to problems. Addictive minds cannot, as of yet, correct.

FieldReport

I do not drink decalf and yes, I most certainly add sweetener and coffee creamer. My wife teases me since I drink my coffee "on training wheels". She has been a coffee drinker all her life, I just started a few years ago. I would drink two Monster energy drinks, then about a half dozen diet Mt. Dew's each day. That routine wrecked my guts - I know have IBS and my doc says all the diet additives did it. So, I went to coffee. Don't like the taste at all, but I got to have something to keep me going during the day. I work a day job then work another job afterward so each and every day is a long one for me.

FieldReport

Exactly. But I'm justifying it to myself, and my spouse, that's it better than drinking during the morning/day - which I have done on a regular basis.

My hopes, just get through a week or two of no drinking, then start to taper down the coffee drinking.

I'm feeling better, day 7 now, but the weekend is coming and I'm grilling - this will be difficult.

FieldReport

Congrats on 200 days! That's awesome!

After reading many posts, not sure this coffee thing I'm going through is healthy. But I have to do it. I'm getting very stir crazy and need to focus on something, drinking coffee is doing that for me. As you said, I can life with this for now as it's better than drinking alcohol.

ChloeRose63

It's funny....I hate the taste of coffee. Began drinking it in Grad school to keep me awake. It smells good in the grocery aisle and triggers me. I never liked the taste of beer yet, on a hot day I think to myself "I sure could use 'a cold one'. I think that comes from beer commercials imbedded in my head. And I hate the smell of wine and hard liquor (never drank hard liquor) but, when I get anxious I think to myself "I could use a nice calming glass (bottle or two)of wine right now". So, I guess it is not the drink that I am after but, what the chemicals do to my body.
I am learning all about my triggers lately.