Beabetterme

Anyone else has a serious coffee addiction? I know it’s the caffeine but I love everything about the taste of coffee too. Ever since getting sober I feel now I’ve replaced the alcohol with coffee. In the beginning, anytime I felt like drinking at night, I would have coffee instead. Which seriously messed up my sleeping, but that’s a whole other post. I also have a severe anxiety disorder, so I’m sure it’s not helping, although a couple months ago I cut coffee out for a couple of weeks to see if it made a difference and didn’t. I would like to wean off the coffee but it’s so hard. I use sugar free creamer, but I know that’s full of trash ingredients too and I’m probably drinking tons of it being I’m having at least 5 cups throughout the day. Anyone have any tips for replacing it? I don’t like the way decaf tastes so that’s not an option. I just want to try and be completely chemical free and it seems this has replaced the booze.

D122y

I drink about 2 to 5 strong cups a day. Without it I get a headache and the world is not a happy place.

I quit being a drunk because the mental damage got to be too much. The high blood pressure and other physical issues were not enough to get me to stop.

So for me, the mental issues were the switch flipper.

Coffee hasn't taken me over the mental edge yet. Booze did.

I have other addictions, e.g. sugar etc, and the same thing goes.

No advice. I relate. I haven't heard of folks getting a DUI etc for coffee.

Thanks.

TroubleAfoot

No advice here either but I, too, can relate. Every time I quit drinking I get a wicked caffeine addiction. I have a 16oz mug of very strong coffee, with heavy cream, in the morning. In the afternoon I have a 300mg (of caffeine) energy drink which is about as strong as they come. A couple days a week I even have two of them especially if I have to go to an evening social event. I do it because it boosts my mood tremendously. It is definitely a cross addiction but one that is far, by infinite magnitudes of order, less destructive than alcohol. However I do want to quit someday. I want to find out what it is like to be as clean and sober as a newborn baby. From all the reading and research I've done, on caffeine, they say you need to quit for at least a couple of months before you truly begin to see the benefits of abstaining from it. While I haven't read it yet myself the bible on this subject seems to be a book called Caffeine Blues. It is on my short list to see if it can help motivate me.

Right now not drinking and eating extremely healthy has kept my plate quite full and I just don't think I am ready to quit drinking caffeine too.

Mizz

I drink tons of coffee (stop at 2 or 3 pm)
Tons of San Pelligrino Soda
Tons of water (this is actually a lie)
Tons of Lemonade
Anything but alcohol.

Some people use Teccino. Its an herbal caffeine free coffee alternative.
Check it out online or at your local health food store.

Boondock

I drink black Cuban coffee from about 5:30am - 10:00am. Then switch to water, Gatorade or my Perrier juice mix until about 3pm then go back to coffee until no later than 6 that's my coffee cut off. I love my coffee and I'm not givin' it up!!!...lol

doggonecarl

I think we tend to throw the term "addiction" around a little loosely. A commonly found definition reads:

Addiction is a brain disorder characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite substantial harm and adverse consequences.

Harm is the key word. My addictions were activities having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects. Meth did that. Coffee, not so much.

advbike

Yeah, love the juice of the black bean.. and have made it a mindful and pleasurable experience to make and drink. It's more relaxing than drinking alcohol!

I buy Italian espresso beans and various good decaf beans, grind them fresh. Have a one cup drip coffee maker from Netherlands, and an Italian espresso maker. I start with two cups of strong drip (black) in the morning to get things going. After my morning workout (usually cycling) I have another cup, with a little decaf mixed in. Usually one more cup around 11am, mostly decaf. If I crave a cup after lunch I make an espresso with milk in it. Espresso is naturally lower in caffeine anyway due to the steam extraction.

It all sounds rather snobbish but savings on alcohol will pay for a simple espresso bar in a matter of months, and it is one of my pleasures, so no guilt at all. There are also many documented health benefits of drinking a few cups of coffee daily. Enjoy!

Gettingcloser

I also love my coffee. Against alcohol, it seems very harmless. I did have a weird run in with an over the counter cold relief product not that long ago. I was taking it for a few nights to help me sleep when I had a cold. Even when my cold was gone I found that my mind would get very excited when I would think about taking it at night, very similar to my relationship with alcohol. Of course it was much easier to quit but I now realize that my brain will never be completely over this compulsion.

Red78

I totally understand you, I however don't actually like coffee, I only like it with sugar.
I don't know where you live in the world but here in NZ you can get dandelion root coffee which is a healthy alternative. Also Have you tried herbal teas at all? A bit hard to bear for some but very good for you..

dustyfox

I also love Coffee and was drinkng 5 cups of strong black espresso a day when I was drinking alchol - then after quiting 6 weeks ago it went up to about 7 - then I read here about caffeine really not helping during early recovery so reluctantly I have cut down to 2 cups. I hate decaff coffee but found one that I can drink and it tastes ok - its Lavazza decaff ground coffee - its just aout bearable. I try not to drink any coffee after about 5pm. I love my first coffee of the day - and am pleased I have cut down - but really dont want to give it up!

stickyone

I'm a iced coffee kind of person. I try not to go over the 400 mg per a day daily maximum intake. One cup in the morning like 4:30 am and another around 3 afternoon before working out. If I start to feel extremely tired in the morning then I know I'm not getting enough rest and will cut back in my afternoon work out cup. I still get my exercise in and I listen to my body if a break is needed. I've done many cold turkey off caffeine I think it's best to cut back. Or be prepared for some extreme headache.

RecklessDrunk

Caffeine can be dangerous for the alcoholic.

Too much can lead to cravings and then too much caffeine combined with alcohol can be absolutely horrific! Back when I was using and didn't drink much coffee at the time I drank too much one day. I was tired and hungover at work and a co worker showed me how the espresso machine works. I slammed a cup and still felt tired. So I slammed another, nothing, so I slammed another, and on and on. I ended up with more then I bargained for. It wasn't like the allergy to alcohol where my obsession demands more, it was more like hey i don't feel anything yet. After work I didn't know what to do with myself, i needed lots of alcohol in a hurry. Then I was insanely drunk and cranked up on caffeine. So then I was convinced I needed crack cocaine and drove completely wasted. Fortunately I saw a dealer i knew well and even he was surprised how wasted I was! Nothing bad happened except the usual waste money and feel terrible but I put myself in an even more dangerous spot then usual. I know of normal drinkers going sideways from too much caffeine with alcohol. Any relapse with caffeine could be absolutely devastating in one night, not that it couldn't anyway. I am a huge believer in personal freedom so I don't want alcohol banned or anything or people prohibited from mixing legal substances. Still, I wish whoever started the red bull & vodka style drinks craze would be tarred and feathered!


That said i got into intermediate fasting after I got sober. I'm 46 years old its really hard to try and look decent without a shirt on. I drink black coffee to help me fast and be able to work out effectively on fewer calories.

Its a bit of a dangerous game for the alcoholic, the HALT thing. Caffeine seems to help with that though. I know i have to be careful but I don't have an allergy to caffeine or an obsession to drink it. Unlike years ago I know what I'm getting into when I touch a coffee or energy drinks. I check the caffeine level or drink something familiar and follow a schedule. I don't have an allergy that makes me drink excessive coffee or get arrested after drinking coffee.

I think every alcoholic can vary with different substances and behaviors. Just my opinion, i think most alcoholics should avoid weed, especially me. Ice cream, I have the allergy I can not stop eating ice cream. My obsession to eat ice cream isn't that bad so I schedule an ice cream binge every now and then. My life hasn't gotten unmanageable because of ice cream yet. My weight may though! Gambling i could do, I haven't gambled in i don't know how long. If drinking i would get upset over a 2 dollar game of online poker but only about the losing, maybe I play one more 2 dollar game and that's it. Just the fact that I won or lost is enough. For some of us gambling may end up as disastrous as drinking.

I think we are addictive people so we have to watch every little substance or behavior. Even running anymore, i have to discipline myself not to push injuries because I want that ease and comfort that comes from a good run.

Steely

I enjoy my coffee. I give myself permission for this indulgence, life's too short. Drink 3-5 cups a day, but used to drink more just sort of tapered off naturally. Didn't make conscious effort.

I think the only way to reduce your coffee intact BABMe is to replace, interspace, with other beverage. Herbal teas, etc. A glass of water might reduce the urge.

Not much else you can do. At some point you've got to just not do it.

New Nike ad - Just Don't Do It! Lol

aasharon90

Moderation is the key. If it is impossible to moderate,
like it was with alcohol, then i had to learn how to leave
it out of my daily routine, replacing it with healthier
measures.

Too much of anything isn't good, was and still is a phrase
i heard since I was a child and to live by continuing on my
recovery journey in life.

Replacing one addiction for another is often heard. Being
mindful of our addictive personality incorporating healthier
tools and knowledge learned about it, it will help us stay the
course towards living a sober, clean, healthy, strong life
ahead of us.

Disser

I’m addicted to caffeine and it’s just as bad as alcohol. That need for energy can be brutal

ThatWasTheOldMe

I drink 1-2 energy drinks a day.
But I don't drink energy drinks until I have a heart attack.
Nor do I drink energy drinks if I'm not feeling great.
Nor do I need energy drinks to get through the day.
Nor do energy drinks cause me to do and say things I later regret.

It's maybe not the most healthy habit, but it's not unsustainable and completely batcrap crazy like my addiction to alcohol was.

TheHook210

Maybe I’m in the minority but I love coffee, I love tea and I drink as much i of it as I please and it’s a good bit and I have zero guilt or concern because I’m no longer putting alcohol in my body. Lol. It’s a treat for me and keeps me sane.

TackleTheFear

I found this interesting because the past few days, I am 19 days without drink and I find I am drinking less coffee. I do love coffee with a good half/half or cream added, but I seem to need it less now.

It takes me awhile to wake up in the morning and I am ok with that, but I don't need that coffee pick me up so much anymore.

Actually I have leftover coffee I saved in the refrigerator from today just because I don't want to perk a new pot and one cup will work for me tomorrow.

Where as when I was a drinker, I could not get enough coffee. Something for me to think about.

I seem to want water in the morning and one cup of coffee lately.

Surrendered19

My vehicles for caffeine are varied and many. Coffee, tea, Diet Coke. I consume large amounts of caffeine. But when I do that, my kids aren't in danger. I remember everything I did yesterday. I don't light the drunken digital flamethrower and throw down over things I don't remember. Etc.

I'm going to drink all the caffeine I want.

Katie200

An old friend of mine who drank very heavily, sometimes (when he knew he couldn't get away with being blind drunk at work) would drink 30 cups of tea a day instead.

For me, at these very early stages of my recovery, it seems to be Red Bull.

Whatever helps right? One thing at a time too

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