DG0409

Caffeine is the last drug I have left to quit. I know that many people don't consider it to fall in the 'drug' category like many of the others, but I think it is just as much of an addiction as any of the other addictions that I've had. I certainly 'need' it on a daily basis. In the end, the only real reason I need it is because I'm going through caffeine withdrawal from having had caffeine the day before.

Reasons:

• At one point, my life revolved around cigarettes, weed, alcohol and coffee. I want to be away from that entirely.
  
• I hate needing caffeine to get up and start the day.
  
• I don't like the idea of being in a state of caffeine withdrawal when I'm not drinking it.
  
• I have read in several places that caffeine is not recommended for recovering addicts or recovering alcoholics. I've tried to take as many recommendations as possible as I want to be successful in my recovery.
  
• I've done a bit of research into PAWS regarding alcohol and other drugs. PAWS is caused by the fact that after long-term drug use, the brain reduces the number of receptors to certain chemicals in the brain as it is being flooded with them from the drugs. It takes time for the brain to adapt and to up the number of those receptors again. Caffeine (and other drugs) can act on the same chemicals, flooding the brain with them, and thus interfering with the healing process. Because of this, it is recommended that recovering addicts avoid all other drugs as well as their DOC. I've read that it can take up to 6 months of no caffeine for the brain to return completely to it's pre-caffeine state, a sort of caffeine-induced PAWS. I want my brain to go back to normal and I don't want any drugs interfering with that process.
  
• Money. I spend a ridiculous amount of money on my coffee addiction. Although, not as much as I've spent on my other addictions, I don't think. Still, I think that money could be better spent.
  
• I've read that most people who quit caffeine actually have more energy and feel better after getting through the initial withdrawals.
  
• Caffeine increases anxiety, something I really don't need more of.
  
• I've been hooked on caffeine for 10+ years now and would like to know what life is like without it. I'd like to be free of all my addictions.

Method:
Ok, I'm not going to go cold-turkey. I just don't care to sign up for intense head-aches, etc. So, starting tomorrow I'm going to go 1 week limiting myself to one cup of caffeine a day. After that week, I'll go completely caffeine free. This will time out well as my first caffeine-free days will fall on the weekend and not when I need to get work done.

visch1

Good luck and BE WELL.

Lightning Bug

Yes, good luck!

ScottFromWI

Good luck. I have not quit caffeine completely, but i've cut WAY back since I quit drinking. It seems to affect me much more and make me even more anxious/jittery so I usually mix half and half regular/decaf from the pot at work in the morning and only have 2 of those maximum, usually 1. I think it makes a huge difference, hope it does for you too.

Soberpotamus

I've thought about quitting it for these very reasons. I'm eager to know how it goes for you. Will be watching your thread as you progress

I drink about 3-4 cups per day, and I've quit before, easily. But seemed to pick it right back up, justifying that I just really enjoy drinking it. Not sure how I feel about quitting it again. But, if the above is true about it interfering the chemistry balancing itself out in the brain, well that reason alone would be enough.

Good luck, DG!

Eleni58

Question: Why do they say alcoholics shouldn't drink caffeinated beverages? I only drink one cup of coffee per day and do not drink soda at all. Why do you completely want to quit drinking coffee instead of just drinking one cup per day? I heard there are health benefits in coffee if you drink it in moderation. Newer studies have shown that coffee may have benefits, such as protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. And it has a high content of antioxidants.

ScottFromWI

I think they mainly say that because the caffeine can cause heightened anxiety for those who have recently quit. I know it affected me hugely and I quit drinking it for a month or so at least.

There are supposed health benefits and numerous studies showing postitive results from drinking limited amounts of alcohol too, but i'm not going to risk that obviously. And you can get antioxidants lots of other places than coffee.

ZoeM

Caffeine is also a diuretic and the last thing you need to be drinking when you're already dehydrated, with withdrawals.

FBL

I wish you the best of luck. I've tried quitting caffeine a few times since I quit drinking and I just can't seem to do it. Last time I tried a few months ago the headaches were awful and I went back to it.

ZoeM

Oddly enough, I was drinking hot chocolate mainly until today (day 15) and I did notice that I felt a bit 'sweaty' (hate that word), when I had a coffee. I remember thinking it was strange after 15 days.

DG0409

I've heard the following things about caffeine and recovering alcoholics:

It increases anxiety which can be a problem for many of us.

It can cause problems sleeping which can also be a problem for many of us. (Not me though, I sleep like a rock.)

It causes a blood sugar spike and after that a drop in blood sugar which can cause PAWS symptoms to worsen and can also be confused in our alcoholic brains as being a craving for alcohol.

I mentioned this in the original post, but I also believe it affects how quickly and how much we recover from the issues in our brain. http://www.texinstitute.com/wordpres...0_Friedman.pdf

This article explains a bit about the Neurochemistry of Recovery. Neurochemistry refers to the chemistry in our brain cells a.k.a. neurons.

One thing it says is about Serotonin and our diets. The article also explains that PAWS is caused by the decrease in the receptors for certain chemicals in our brain in response to the use of drugs.

And that Here, it doesn't specify caffeine, but it IS a mood-altering chemical, so I think it would be included.

As far as caffeine protecting against certain diseases, it may perhaps do so, but there is probably further research that will link it to other diseases. Just as many vitamins and other foods have been promoted for one aspect of health and then linked to other diseases. It is very hard to create a link between items in our diets and actual life-span as there are so many variables. There are other things that also decrease the risk of diabetes and liver cancer and probably parkinson's as well. Grapes also contain a high number of antioxidants (and are even better than wine as the antioxidants in grapes or grape juice tend to stick around in the body longer but whole grapes have the added benefit of providing dietary fiber as well). Of course I don't see anybody on SR arguing that we should all be drinking one glass of wine a day because it has antioxidants.

As far as just having one cup a day... I honestly have a hard time with that. One cup makes me want more. And I would like to live a drug free life. Caffeine is a stimulant and a psychoactive drug... why would I even want just one cup?

Besides which, in nature caffeine has evolved in plants because it's an insecticide. That's a turn-off too!

DG0409

According to Wikipedia, "When doses of caffeine equivalent to 2–3 cups of coffee are administered to people who have not consumed caffeine during prior days, they produce a mild increase in urinary output. Because of this diuretic effect, some authorities have recommended that athletes or airline passengers avoid caffeine in order to reduce the risk of dehydration. Most people who consume caffeine, however, ingest it daily. Regular users of caffeine have been shown to develop a strong tolerance to the diuretic effect."

DG0409

I tried cold-turkey a few days ago and made it until evening before the headache got the best of me and I drank half a cup of tea to feel better. Which is why I've decided to go a week with a cup a day before I eliminate it entirely.

sugarbear1

tea has caffeine, too, so be careful of what you are drinking!

Kat60

I quit a few years ago by cutting my caffeine beverages with a like decaf blend until finally i was pure decaf. it worked for me with little discomfort.

Now being off for a few years I can really feel the effect on me if I consume even minimal amounts of caffeine. I hated that feeling before I quit, which is why I quit. I was mistakenly served a regular coffee not too long ago and I thought I was going to leap out of my skin!!!

DG0409

Thanks sugar.

It does depends on the type of tea, though. But in the above case I was drinking black tea which does have caffeine to deal with the withdrawal headache. That will have to go too once I quit caffeine entirely though.

Kat60

There are a lot of "like" decaf options out there that give you the taste and enjoyment of the caffeinated equivalent. My biggest hurdle was that I LOVE the taste, smell, experience of coffee and tea...just couldn't handle the effects of the caffeinated versions. I've adjusted nicely! I know you can too!!

DG0409

Well, I had my one cup of caffeine for this morning... time to switch to something else to drink. Maybe some herbal tea. I do like to have a cup of hot something to hold and sip on

DG0409

Thanks Kat. It's kind of funny because I never had any interest in the decaf options before, but now I think I might. I used to think, "What is even the point of decaf coffee??" I do love the smell of coffee though!!

Kat60

Exactly! Me too!!

The days of not having good decaf equivalents are over. Used to be all you had was a nasty instant Sanka...which didn't cut it for me.

I grind my own organic decaf beans now and LOVE the enjoyment without the chaos! LOL!