I'll second the half caf. I went from about five cups a day down to two half cafs a day over the last few months. I never did end up quitting caffeine completely as it was never my intention, but I successfully cut down on my caffeine intake by eighty percent without much issue. Also, it was right after I moved and I had no responsibilities for the next week other than normal household chores which made the lethargic withdrawal much more manageable.
I'm actually guilty of this too because I can't seem to function without coffee in my system. I had to drink sometimes though to alternate it. But it's still not the same!
This is something surprising blur, I had no idea that nicotine could be as addicting as heroin. Either cases, the secondary effects for it's use are really not as bad, so I guess that it's something millions can live with all their lives.
I was surprised when I first heard it too. Still, you're right. The secondary effects aren't nearly as bad as those of heroin.
That's how it's supposed to be! That's why they call it "COLD TURKEY". I say "No pain, no gain" There will be withdrawal symptoms, you gotta keep your mind in your skull!
That, and it doesn't help that you can't walk down a busy sidewalk for more than two minutes without seeing someone smoking. I would imagine if heroin were like that, the relapse rate would be even higher than it already is.
I think the same thing is happening to me as well. I found myself drinking a cup of coffee every morning and night these days. I think cutting your caffeine intake gradually should help kick the addiction that's developed. I'm going to take my own advice as well.
It's an addiction even so. My dad smokes since he is 13, he is 67 now, so I can't even imagine his lungs or my mothers, who smokes passively for decades now.
Coffee is a drug by definition. Also it's still a soft drug, it's still addictive. My father drinks around 13 cups of coffee a day and considers himself a coffee addict. If we don't have any coffee at home, you can clearly see that it's bothering him big times, so I can completely understand that you'll react to no coffee too. I agree with Tournique that maybe you should first start having only a little coffee per day instead of going cold turkey. It should be much easier and after some time, you should be able to stop completely if you wish to do so.
Just to make you all aware... there is an organization that claims they are for "caffeine addiction awareness", when they are actually a bunch of scam artists. They sell books on the subject, and supposedly had a non-profit org, but they were illegally selling certificates claiming that people who were sentenced to community service by the courts completed the sentence. Apparently they make hundreds of thousands of dollars by charging people anywhere from $100-$200 then insisted they buy the books. I say this only because I feel that people who are looking for information on certain subjects are desperate for help and answers. We need to research those we get involved with. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/7/caffeine-group-admits-community-service-scam/
In my first psychology class we had an activity where the professor listed several statements, and we determined whether they were true or false or had to provide the correct answer. It was essentially based on myths and assumptions. One of them was what was the most abused drug in America. Not many people got it; it was caffeine. We typically don't think of it as a drug because it's so common. Moreover, it does not contain the same negative connotation as the word 'drug' itself. We tend to associate anything drug related as bad.
Yeah, we don't see it as a drug because it's very common and the effects are not that bad, but in fact if we drink it daily we can't pass the day without it.
I will tell you right now, caffeine is a booger to get over. You will likely get headaches, and not feel nearly as alert. I don't see too much of a problem with it, unless you rely on it too much. It is just good practice to be alright without a cup of coffee in the morning. I stopped drinking caffeine on a regular basis about 4 years ago. I was really tired for a few weeks, but it slowly got better. I would just cut down on it if you feel like you are relying on it too much.
I agree with those that just say to go cold turkey. You really need to make yourself believe that you don't need caffeine in order to stop using it. Maybe, in order to stop yourself from using caffeine you must look at some of the negative side effects that it gives you. Most caffeinated drinks make you anxious or irritated, you stay up late at night, it can give you headaches, and you're usually consuming empty calories in caffeinated drinks. Working out was my escape from caffeine so I recommend you to give that a shot. Good luck!
I know how you feel, I have a horrible problem with caffeine. It's caused me serious insomnia issues because I end up staying up all night, then needing more in the morning because I stayed up all night. It's a truly vicious cycle. I didn't know that it was that addictive, though. Kind of interesting.
I have a hard time functioning without caffeine as well. I drink a lot of soda and coffee and I dont really feel right if I dont get enough in my system. I think its a fairly common problem in America. I usually try and ween myself off it by being consistent in how much caffeine I drink. I try not to increase how much I drink.
For sure, in US everyone drinks tons of soda and coffee too, it's like any other addiction, but in this case I feel that we can start cutting a little every day and see the difference after one year.
Drink water. Try diligently to put yourself on a 'drink water' schedule. If you start drinking more water, you won't want as much coffee. The water will give you a lot of relaxed, calm energy. You can also start drinking tea sometimes instead of coffee. I drink coffee all the time, so I can understand how you feel, although I don't feel as strongly as you do about it. I would say that you can start drinking smaller amounts of coffee, so, if you are drinking coffee 5 times a day, only drink a half a cup those 5 times. You can also cut down on how much coffee you use to make a cup. I used to use almost a tablespoon of instant coffee to make just one cup. If someone came over to visit me, and I made them coffee the way that I made if for myself, they would say it was too strong. I started using a teaspoon of instant instead of a tablespoon. It might taste kind of watery first, but you get used to it.
You could slightly reduce the caffeine level by adding milk, or cream to it. One of my friends also managed to quit or at least not drink so much coffee anymore, as he started getting bone problems. I think coffee addicts should take this as a warning.
Many people don't think that caffeine addiction is a serious problem, but it really and truly is. I suggest trying to cut it cold turkey at first and try to manage it on your own, just to see if you can kick it yourself and save some money. However, if it gets to the point where you cannot do that anymore, definitely go see a shrink or a specialist. A lot of people die from caffeine addiction.