Soberish

I've been trying to abstain from alcohol consumption and have been doing pretty good this past month. I have been a daily caffeine drinker even when I was drinking alcohol. I continue to drink a sugarfree rockstar energy drink a day, sometimes 2. I have read about PAWS and how the brain needs time to get the chemical balance back to normal without alcohol consumption. I have also read that alcohol works with the dopamine receptors and caffeine does as well. So this has made me wonder if caffeine consumption can slow the rate of getting the brain back to being rebalanced.

I would like to know if you were a caffeine consumer during early recovery from alcohol and your experiences with it. I know caffeine can cause anxiety, and abstaining from alcohol can also cause anxiety, and both of these put together can potentially make anxiety 2 times as bad. But I also know that if I don't have caffeine I feel so sluggish and bummed out on top of not drinking that maybe its better to keep drinking it for the time being. Once again, I would love to hear your experience with caffeine consumption and early abstinence from alcohol. Thanks.

medic0011

Soberish,

I have noticed that if I drink some coffee during the time of day that I would normally start drinking, the craving isn't as bad. This has helped me when I have late meetings or whatever when I can't drink.

Thepatman

I can personally only have 2 in the morning to get me going. Nerveous system is still too damaged

solstice3

soberish - I have doubled my caffeine intake for now - I'm on day 8. I used to need coffee every day but for the last 10 years or so, I had about 5 cups a week. I don't feel like I have a dependency on it (no soda or tea either), so I am using it not to keep my motivation up and my spirits up during this early period. While it may not be the best thing for me, it is far better than the alternative of alcohol. I noticed today I drank less coffee and feel that it will taper off more as I get further along.

I do know that the energy drinks I had on day 4 and day 5 definitely helped keep me sober then.

Good luck.

Soberish

I noticed that I didn't drink any caffeine yesterday and I worked out. This morning when I woke up I felt really sluggish and somewhat depressed, which usually isn't the case when I work out the day before. I got me an energy drink and feel a lot better. I guess I just don't want to need to consume something to make me feel better/good. I remember waking up with that sluggish depressed feeling when I quit smoking marijuana over a year ago (which was actually worse than now) and it slowly got better so I think I just need to stick with it and remember that better days will come.

least

Abstaining from alcohol only causes anxiety during the physical withdrawal, and often the anxiety goes away the longer you're sober. It sure did for me.

Soberish

I didn't really have any physical withdrawal symptoms when I quit, I wasn't an everyday drinker. I was more of a 3 times a week average binge drinker. I do get anxiety sometimes not as much when I work out, and caffeine doesn't really trigger it for me although I've heard that caffeine does trigger it for others. How long did it take for the anxiety to go away for you Least?

Blondie0419

Last week I tried to stop caffeine all together, did not work well. I had such a terrible headache so I had to drink a diet pop. I am trying to cut back first and eventually be done with it.

Magnificent7

Same here, on Day 2 of No Caffeine. Head feels funny/foggy don't know if I'd call it a headache though. Day 3 of sobriety. I just don't want to be addicted to anything. My Diet Coke and Booze budget could match the GDP of a small country...to boot.

dogmamma

Funny this thread should pop up again today. When I was drinking, I avoided coffee since it exponentially increased that morning after hangover anxiety. Now that I'm not drinking, feeling a little down/unmotivated and started exercising again, I thought a cup would be ok. And it was for about 2 hours. Then, something mildly upsetting happened and my hands have gotten numb and I am feeling panicked. I think I have skip coffee. I should add that my natural temperament is to be pretty high-strung.

PaperDolls

I upped my caffeine intake early in recovery. No on purpose but it was there so .....

I didn't notice any side effects from it although there could have been.

The anxiety for me started going away as I worked the steps .... and really, even early in treatment when I started getting honest and facing the truth.

Lionhearted1

Hi Iam 8 days sober and have stopped coffee for now as the anxiety from withdrawels and the coffee on top is really not nice!! I drink one or two cups of tea a day and herbal teas in the evening!!! I have stopped eating chocolate aswell!! Really helps with the work outs and weight loss.

thomasdenver86

Well, it is a constant challenge of seeing where my addiction is hiding. I love coffee, drinking it on and off throughout my sobriety. So weird, I fall back in love with a full, dark cup and decide this time it will be different: Only Sunday morning. Then its just one cup a day, then it explodes into 2 cups in the am and one in the afternoon... just like drugs. I know everyone is NOT like this but man, I struggle. I start feeling depressed, confused, stressed out... back to square one. The really damage is to my peace of mind and overall joy... seems like it just goes away. Well, I am there again.

Son once again, coming off this evil stuff: so, moving down to tea for a few days then off this black stuff this week, Friday. Will check back with you all by Friday and expect to caffeine free by then. So bummed.

Anyone else out there with time in recovery go through this?

doggonecarl

I love my coffee. When it starts making my life unmanageable, I'll quit.

Or try...

Ruby2

I try to limit caffeine. I drink decaf coffee. The reason I do this is because early on the anxiety/jitters from too much caffeine mimicked the urge to drink too closely. I'd start thinking " this feeling would go away if I just had s drink. " still does if I overdo but I recognize it for what it is.

I felt pretty sluggish in the morning during early sobriety. It gradually got better but I'm still never going to be a morning person.

Soberwolf

Welcome to SR ThomasDenver

thomasdenver86

thank you, nice to be here.

amber1988

I love my caffeine and sometimes wonder if it is a problem, being a naturally sensitive and hyper-aware (anxious) person. I don't like coffee though! I drink Diet Pepsi all throughout the day, and often have sugar-free energy drinks too. I crack open a can of Diet Pepsi as soon as I get out of bed in the morning (cripes that doesn't sound good..!). I have tried to quit it before but the withdrawal headaches are something else, and I'm SO physically exhausted without it I can barely move my body around! It's going to have to be cut down once I have some decent sober time behind me though.

strategery

I needed the caffeine in early sobriety since I was very tired. I wouldn't have functioned well without it. Caffeine has never caused me any anxiety.

3arai

This is a very relevant topic for me. I quit caffeine once for two years and felt so much better. Honestly I don't remember having withdrawal type problems for more than 2 days.
I really cannot moderate my caffeine intake and would often drink coffee to get rid of my hangover.. then be overwhelmed with anxiety in time to start drinking vodka. So I have decided to give up all caffeine along with alcohol. I'm also giving up decaf versions of coffee and tea because they just make me crave coffee. I know coffee causes me to lose massive quantities of sleep and also have weird nightmares. There is a book called "Caffeine Blues" you might want to read. Caffeine causes numerous health (physical and psychological) problems for some people. I know for other people it doesn't but the same can be said of alcohol.

best wishes and thanks for posting about this.