WaterOx

Hey all. I looked around and could not find anything specifically about caffeine so I decided to start one here. If anyone knows about one already going, please direct me to it!

I have never considered myself to have a problem with coffee but since I went down the road of sobriety I found my coffee consumption increase from one cup to 4.

The notable side effects have been insomnia and heart palpitations, higher blood pressure and heart rate.
Now, initially I thought this was due to alcohol withdraw and it probably was- but I slowly realized it might have been the huge increase in consumption of coffee as well. Long story short, I think my body is very confused and my system is out of whack.

Now for the past week I have reverted to having about one cup of coffee and already I have felt changes...some good some bad. The good is that it seems like my sleep might slowly be getting better. Also my BP was as lowest it's been in a while.

The bad part is I get the tired brain fog...that's to be expected. But I've also been getting achy muscles and joints...not expected at all. I feel way crappier than I thought.

In short I realize that I was probably addicted to coffee much more than I thought. And why not! I haven't gone a day without it since I was 15. I drink it, not to feel any different, but to feel "normal".

All of this is a bit early to comment on but as time goes by I'd like to keep trying to reduce coffee and maybe even try going a couple weeks without it. My doctor suggested the palpitations and insomnia might go away if I do. I'd like to find out.

At any rate, if you would like to join in on this discussion or quest, please feel free.

Dee74

Its a reasonably common theme

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...e-cocaine.html (Coffee and cocaine)

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...-sobriety.html (Is Drinking Coffee bad in Early Sobriety?)

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...ase-share.html (Did you have to kick the coffee habit? Please share!)

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...no-coffee.html (Why no coffee?)

If anyone feels their coffee intake is problematic, I'd support them in wanting to do something about that.

D

least

I've been a coffee drinker for a long time. I don't know if it's due to aging or what, but I notice if I drink more than three cups I get anxious. So I limit myself and it's working for me so far.

Have you tried the half-caff coffee?

Evoo

I do love coffee, I drink a lot of it (and a great deal of diet pop — even late into the evening). Cappuccino, French press, nitro cold brew — love it all.

If you’re having heart palpapitations you’re definitely overdoing it, though. I recommend switching to decaf (or half-caf) if it’s more of an oral fixation (common w/ alcoholics).

Also tea can also help with that. Lower caffeine, too — but good if you just need something to drink at the office etc.

least

I remember one thing, from going thru withdrawals constantly. I couldn't drink coffee as it made the w/d anxiety so much worse.

butcher70

I seriously need to wrangle in my caffeine intake. It's got out of hand. Way too much diet soda. Don't even really know how many a day. I'm upping my water intake and that's helping but still got a long way to go. Best of luck!

Ayers

I try and force myself to have one glass of water (still water) for every other drink I have, be it coffee, tea, sodawater and lemon, juice -

Not always successful at it, but it sometimes stops me from having another cup of coffee/tea only because I can't face more water

dafunbra

I love my coffee. I have a big 16 ounce mug after I work out in the morning. Then I make a 16 ounce mug to take to work. Occasionally I make another mug at work. I drink diet soda 2-3 times per week. I also try and drink 2 liters of water throughout the day. I put the flavor packets in the water. I've noticed no ill effects from the caffeine. I like strong flavored dark roasts, which I was told actually have the lowest caffeine amounts. Idk but I'm happy with my coffee consumption.

Evoo

Actually, same here, least.

If I was ever in active withdrawals (or even hangover) coffee was not an option. In fact, I told my wife before we married that me rejecting coffee in the morning days in a row is actually a warning sign that I’m on a bender... white-knuckling into the evenings. Caffeine aggressively increases anxiety during withdrawals .

I think that’s one of the reasons I strongly associate coffee with sobriety.

WaterOx

Believe me I can relate to everyone's praise about coffee. It's always been such a wonderful thing to wake up to.

I just can't seem to kick this insomnia and I've never had palpatations quite like this before. I've run all this by my doctor more than once and he seems unconcerned and acted like all this was pretty normal, especially when abstaining from alcohol. That's when he said to try quitting coffee for 2 weeks and see what happens.

But by the sound of it, no one here has ever had any trouble with caffeine?

Atlast9999

Evoo

I have WaterOx, but not once I’m past the initial withdrawal phase. I’m glad you are running this by a doctor. If you’re out of a particularly long stretch it may be just taking more time to find equilibriem. Decaf or half-caf is a great option in the near term.

biminiblue

In the first couple months of sobriety I had to quit caffeine because it was making me way too nervous, shaky, I had intrusive thoughts, etc. Fast heart rate.

I went up to half caf at about three or four months, but I could still only have one cuppa half caf in the mornings or I would trigger symptoms again.

It was at about six months I was able to have one cup of regular coffee. NOT TWO or it all came crashing down again. I was especially triggered into having excessive negative thoughts if I had two cups. Interestingly, two cups is the general maximum recommendation at my doctors' office.

Now at five years sober, I have two cups of regular coffee daily. I'll have one first thing in the morning, then another cup around noon. That second cup is only to keep the withdrawal headache away. If I don't have the second cup, I get a headache around 2AM.

WaterOx

I would be able to cope with things like fatigue or even a little irritibilityh but what's got me totally perplexed is my hands and feet have become ice cold. It reminds me of when I used to smoke, maybe worse.

This is inexlicable- as coffee constricts the blood circulation. You'd think cutting back would make this better, not worse?? But then I read that acute withdrawl can actually exasperate coffee's side effects....?? eg: it can cause MORE anxiety, MORE insomnia, MORE blah blah blah.

My hands are so freaking cold and stiff they literally hurt. It's like I've aged 10 years in 3 days and have arthritis or something. I hope whatever this is it will go away.

So frustrating. My nervous system is apparently an absolute mess. Don't get me wrong but sometimes I pine for the simpler times of drinking. At least I knew exactly what to expect, no matter how F-ed up it was.

biminiblue

It will get better. Just keep going.

WaterOx

Thanks everyone. I stepped up my intake of coffee a little bit this morning and wouldn't you know, that achyness seemed very diminished.

Wish I knew what was going on here but anyways I appreciate you listening to me whine. I know there are much more serious issues out there. I'm just kind of taken aback by how much everything is thrown off. I guess I just need a new dose of patience