Turnz505

Hey everybody- I have been kind of down the past few days because I have realized that I am addicted to.. Caffeine (serious) Have been using it as a crutch to stop drinking. Honestly without energy drinks I don't think I could have kicked the 10 year nightmarish hangover/drunken stupor that has affected all aspects of my life and left me powerless and hopeless.. I was very lucky to have an understanding and sympathetic employer (not that I deserved it at all) and after a physical altercation with a co worker and showing up to work annihilated drunk instead of firing me they told me to get sober or I was gone. So I quit and good riddance, This is the longest I have been sober in years.. I can wake up without the "oh god what did I do" feeling and That's incredible for me.

However.. I am drinking over 3 energy drinks a day, mainly 16 oz rockstars and exceeding 600 mg of caffeine daily. I tried quitting today and had the worst headache, I haven't gotten to sleep until at least 6 am every dayfor the past few weeks and need to shotgun or slam an energy drink to wake up or be productive at work. I'm starting to get worried.. I know this is a no brainer, quit caffeine but did anyone else go through this when they got sober? I feel like my addiction is transferred to these and it is affecting my life though not as noticeable to others. but it is for me. I'm gonna finish my last 2 tomorrow at work and scared of withdrawal because I heard it can be nasty, it's nothing compared to my cocaine days but heart palpitations and severe anxiety/depression at the end of my days is increasing and debilitating..

Thought about trying yerba mate as an alternative to rockstars, heard great things but wondering if I should quit caffeine altogether.. Maybe it's just my personality and I will never know moderation. Sorry for long post, pretty jolted on 4 rockstars in past few hours and couldn't stop. Lol thank you for reading and I wish the best to everyone here getting sober you can do it, but don't replace it with caffeine I learned the hard way!!!

Stash

I wasn't into to the energy drinks but I was drinking a lot of pepsi. Til I started getting head aches and gaining weight from all the junk I was eating. Lol. So I stopped by switching to good old fashioned water. You'd be surprised how much energy you get from drinking water and staying hydrated. Congrats on 25 days!

Isaiah

I didn't this last time getting sober. There was a time before though, where I'd had about 5 months clean until a relapse, that I can remember slamming energy drinks back--I think 3-night sounds about right. I suffered the effects of it: anxiety and insomnia.

I think my usage was definitely a fill-in for alcohol. I didn't have good sobriety at the time. I know deep down now that I was only not drinking alcohol because I was subject to random tests by the courts and also didn't want to lose the girlfriend I was living with (managed to blow that eventually, passed out cold on the carpet.)

Good luck with the caffeine. Just be careful should the idea of drinking to calm you down pop in. Don't want to end up the ball in a game of chemical substance tennis.