Coffee?
 

Just a curious question..

Why do active alcoholics/recovery alcoholics tend to drink a lot of coffee?

I think I read somewhere that recovery alcoholics drink coffee for it's stimulatory effects?

My ab had a routine of drinking at least 3-4 cups of coffee in the morning along with smoking his cigarettes. I often wonder if he would spike his coffee with vodka or rum...

My theory? Many addicts/alcoholics like feeling different/stimulated. Some are probably self medicating for ADD type disorders.

Or, why do so many addicts smoke? I've always wondered how a non smoker could stand to go to AA meetings. It seems like everyone there smoked.

That's one of my personal dissatisfactions with AA- or at least the meetings my son goes to. Smoking is almost encouraged with the "one addiction at a time" stuff even though in some ways its as dangerous as drinking.

I think that in a lot of cases, it is just a compulsive habit that reduces anxiety.

I know that there are times that I crave a cup of coffee purely on psychological grounds.
I use instant decaffeinated---just enough to turn it light beige and then, fill the cup wit mostly milk. Certainly there is nothing about stimulation there--just a comfort drink!

dandylion

I'm a big coffee drinker. It's a ritual and drinking a warm beverage is comforting.

IMO, if the choice is between coffee and booze, I'm not complaining about being a heavy coffee drinker.

Hate coffee yuk ! but if I don't get my cup of tea in the morning BEWARE I BITE lol

There may be the very occasional smoking meeting at private clubhouses, but nearly all meetings are now non-smoking. I would never encourage a newly sober alcoholic to quit smoking. The smoking might shorten their lives, but compared to the immediate damage done by drinking, it's secondary IMO. I still smoke, know I shouldn't, but as with all addictions you have to be ready to quit. I also drink a ton of coffee and tea (no milk, no sugar/sweetener, though I do combine caffeinated with decaf). *shrug* That, I think, is nothing to worry about.

No, no smoking in the meeting- but, heavily in front of door before and after. I'm no expert, but I thought the thinking in the addiction world was starting to change re: smoking. Many rehabs now don't allow any smoking. I thought there were even studies about it. I'll have to look into it more.

IDK ... I'm not a smoker so I'm sure I don't understand the addiction. As a health care professional and as a Mom, it makes me sick my son smokes. I just wish it wasn't so embraced in AA. But, I know, I should just be grateful he's sober. :-)

I don't drink coffee either, lol. But, I do like my diet soda.

I wouldn't say it's "embraced" by AA--There seems to be a handful of smokers in most of my meetings, but certainly it's a small minority who smoke. I think it's just a matter of priorities. And I know a lot of people who quit after being sober several years.

Addiction is a very powerful disease that is extremely difficult to overcome. I'm 3 years no booze, about 2 years no cocaine, a little over 1 year no cigarettes, have reduced to much coffee with to much sugar, giving up my cinnamon rolls and apple fritters, coco-colas, and now I'm 25+ lbs overweight. Just by my eating habits, now that I pay attention to them, my addictive behavior is still in place. It is erroneous to believe addiction is only to alcohol or illegal drugs. I've become strong enough to give up the chemical substances but wonder if I'll ever become "normal" if there is such a thing. :egypt:

Since starting AA meetings I have upped the coffee a bit; up to 4 cups daily which is much less than some drink.
Sometimes I opt for a herbal tea as I like my coffee with light cream.
Good question......maybe its the social interactiveness?

Heck I drink a pot of coffee a day. AH drinks just as much as I do when he's sober. I know when he doesn't drink coffee, he's drinking something else!

Funny, my husband is the coffee guy at one of his mtgs and just stocked up at Costco today. His coffee drinking didn't increase when he got sober, but his ice cream eating went through the roof. I bite my
tongue when I want to complain about it because though the amount he eats is unhealthy to the extreme, it's way better than drinking.

This may be accurate but I'd be surprised if it was...though I've no doubt someone, somewhere did a study and concluded this. Personally I smoked 28-35 grams of crack a day when I was in active addiction... I'm not sure that I could have physically drunk enough coffee to identify a stimulatory effect for the first couple of years.

Sort of like putting a drunk while in the midst of the DT's in a yellow room because yellow has a calming effect on people. I just don't think it's an effective tool for someone who is so out of balance. Get a few years of recovery under their belt and they may start to have measurable results from calming colors.

I drank coffee way before I starting drinking excessively. Heck I would sometimes have coffee while I was drinking!

And now that I'm not drinking, I still drink coffee. I just like the taste of it.

I know my abf drinks about a pot of coffee in the am, then usually switches right to beer. All I say is ew, but like others said if he drank 10 pots of coffee and no beer I'd be very happy.

It just occurred to me--maybe it's BATHROOMS we are fond of!

My husband drinks a lot of coffee either way, but when he isn't drinking he eats a ton of candy. When he's drinking, hardly any.

Yup, my coffee intake doubled once I stopped drinking. Pure substitution I think.

Okay, one more word about smoking and then I'll stop, I promise. From the CDC website:

"More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined"

Sorry, for the hijack, back to coffee. :-)

My thoughts on smoking as a long time smoker who is trying to quit. I quit over Christmas with the help of Chantix, and promptly had one of the worst depressive episodes of my life, probably due to the medication. I dragged myself out of that hole by my fingernails.

It's a nasty habit, it smells, it's bad for you, it's expensive, it's deadly. But it's also a coping mechanism that works on the brain as a mild stimulant. People who smoke find that it helps manage depression and stress. Anti-smoking studies that say the opposite leave out the regulatory effects on brain chemistry.

Current policies in rehabs say first things first. When we triage the issues brought about by drug and alcohol addiction, smoking may not be ideal but it's also not the top priority. Neither is caffeine.

When it comes to your SO's addictions and being supportive, in my opinion it's something to let go of. You can't control it. Reciting all the stats and facts in the world only prove to annoy the person who is dealing with far, far, far bigger fish to fry.