Addicted to caffeine
 

Hi,
Iam a caffeine addict, trying to go sober.
Have tried many times before. But always relapsed.
Had caffeine today after going without it for almost a week.
Would anybody like to quit with me? Have never tried to quit with somebody. Would like to try.

Hi Blueray
Welcome to SR :)

I'm afraid I'll have to pass on the no caffeine kick - but I know someone here will be up for it :)

D

Thanks so much
 

Thanks much D.....It would be nice if someone also wanted to quit caffiene. But, i think it would be equally good if someone wants to quit anystuff. We could quit together? even if we are not quitting the same substance?

I've been here a while - quit everything I want to quit blueray :)
always here to help tho :)

how much caffeine do you have a day?
D

I'm a caffeine addict. Planning to quit soon, but not yet! Good luck.

Thanks D and midlifecrisis......
Used to have just one cup after waking up in the morning. But i have been doing this for almost 30yrs.
After i tried to quit i have gone from one cup to several cups a day. I think all the attention on caffeine is making me have more?The more i want to quit...iam consuming more caffeine than before. After i go without it for a few days i start craving it so much (caffeine dreams at night! ) then i will binge and drink 4-5 cups on a day. and will relapse.
Quitting again from tommorow. I think the headaches will not be severe cause i went without it many days this month.

Can you switch to tea for awhile? You know... I've known people that actually have really severe caffeine addictions. It's more benign than many addictions, but it really can be an issue for some people. I applaud your efforts!!!

Hmmm

I am SUPER sensitive to caffeine so I avoid it, but in the past year I took to drinking decaf....which has some caffeine in it and bang...I began to crave it powerfully. I mean I was fantasizing about the stuff!

Most people recommend tapering when it comes to caffeine, but you would know from your previous experiences whether a taper will work for you, or if you need to go cold turkey and sweat out the headaches, irritability and drowsiness of withdrawal.

bottom line, as with any addiction is once we get clean to figure out what was going on there...if you were only using caffeine for a physical energy burst...then what healthy ways can you meet the same end?

If there was a psychological aspect, what's going on there? how to address it, etc.

There are usually many ways to meet a need, and figuring out a healthy alternative is what ultimately breaks the craving. This is not the same as switching addictions.

what is it you get from caffeine that you are craving?

Is caffeine causing problems in your life?

Okay, joking aside... I quit caffeine and alcohol at the same time. I was never able to quit booze, since the cycle of drinking a huge amount of coffee made me so wired that I wanted to have a drink around 3 PM. I think caffeine is a trigger for me to drink. Like how some coke addicts need booze to bring them down.

blueray- I will quit caffeine with you!

Caffeine keeps me awake at night and causes anxiety for me long-term. But it is so hard to quit. I decide to quit every day but then of course my motivation changes and I decide it is okay to keep drinking caffeine. For me- alcohol was easier to quit- maybe because it caused more obvious problems.

Well i failed to quit today. Just had my morning cup of tea.
Thankyou so much oak.
What date would be conveneint for you to quit?

Yes. It is causing sleep disturbances. And it is causing gastritis. When i have my morning cup of tea, iam not hungry for breakfast and skip it.
and most importantly iam addicted to it. I cant go without it even for an hour later than the time i have it everyday. I get severe headaches if i do.

[QUOTE=Threshold;398

Most people recommend tapering when it comes to caffeine, but you would know from your previous experiences whether a taper will work for you, or if you need to go cold turkey and sweat out the headaches, irritability and drowsiness of withdrawal.

bottom line, as with any addiction is once we get clean to figure out what was going on there...if you were only using caffeine for a physical energy burst...then what healthy ways can you meet the same end?

If there was a psychological aspect, what's going on there? how to address it, etc.

There are usually many ways to meet a need, and figuring out a healthy alternative is what ultimately breaks the craving. This is not the same as switching addictions.

what is it you get from caffeine that you are craving?[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the post threshold.
Yes it is the energy boost and the instant lifting of my mood. and the taste. when i have caffeine i wake up feeling low and a cup of tea instantly lifts the low. Actually it is the withdrwal symptoms it is lifting.
I tried replacing with yoga stretching and breathing excercises and herbal tea. But i always relapse.

Hi , thanks for your post. It is tea that iam addicted to, not coffee. Have tried replacing with herbal teas. But didnt work.

blueray- I can quit now. That makes me nervous! But postponing the quitting date will not make it easier to quit. Lately, I drink caffeine (soda) everyday, but in the past I have quit for a week or so at a time. I have gotten nasty withdrawal headaches in the past. But I have had a migraine for the past few days, so maybe any withdrawal headache will just blend into that. (And I hope that quitting will lessen or end the migraines in the long run.)

When I do quit for more than a few days, I feel so awake and energized in the morning, because I slept well and do not have withdrawal symptoms. My body feels so much calmer also.

I do agree with what you wrote about figuring out what we are trying to get from caffeine (or whatever addiction) and finding other ways to meet that need.

I can totally relate to the lift in mood and energy with caffeine. In the short run, it is fantastic. It is sad to drug myself in an attempt to get more things done or feel a different way. (And it seems the same as poisoning myself with alcohol so that I will be more social at a party so that people will like me or drinking alone in order to suppress an emotion.)

When are you quitting? Are there any reasons you want to drink caffeine again, or is this final? I like the idea of quitting with someone else.

Thanks so much oak.
Now would be a supergood time for me too. cause i have gone without it several days this month.
Iam excited....lets start right away.

I need to get non-caffeinated soda and juice. I will be caffeine-free today. And I hope to be caffeine-free for the next month or so; I really do not know what I want long-term.

I did have caffeine last night, mostly to try to get rid of a migraine. It was not a withdrawal headache. I am ambivalent about having caffeine to lessen a migraine.

Part of my problem with caffeine is that I really want to drink caffeine once in a while, but moderating really has not worked for caffeine. I go a week or two without it, but then try moderating. And then fairly soon, I am drinking lots of soda everyday. Giving it up entirely might be easier than trying to drink it occasionally.

I mostly drink at restaurants (and I eat out once or twice a day). I have been eating more at home lately. I rarely have caffeine at home, so maybe focusing on eating at home is the easiest way to get off caffeine. And I eat way healthier at home!

It is amazing to me to see how good I am at not drinking alcohol even with strong cravings (maybe because I stopped early), but yet I struggle so much with sugar and caffeine.

My husband gave up caffeine years ago. It can be done.

I too need to give up caffeine .. I did it for about a month and a half earlier this year but I'm back .. Think I'm going to start when school ends in about a week and a half

Day 1
 

The first day was easy. Did not have any craving. But had a nagging headache 3 hours after waking up which continued till evening. and felt lousy the whole day...low energy.also disturbed sleep though i hit the bed 5 hours earlier.
But now i just want some real tea and not the herbal one iam sipping. My cravings hit me when iam at home. cause i drink tea only at home once after waking up...one after i come home from work....and maybe one after lunch as well.So that way iam opposite of you oak.