Hello everyone. I am not a drug addict, but im a 21 year old caffeine addict, and staying away from caffeine is very hard. It might not be as severe as someone with another type of addiction, but I have reached the point where three cans of monster drinks dont give me the same effect as they would two years ago. it all started when I was a junior in high school. I started making myself cold coffees and just loved the euphoric feeling it gave me. it just made me feel so much more better about my life. I am now a junior in college and realize I cant function well without any dose of caffeine. I feel like no one understands my mood swings when i havent had my daily dose of caffeine. Just the thought of consuming caffeine or having caffeine in my body gives me this unreal high. Im in college so it just makes it harder to stay away from any source of caffeine because college asks for many sleepless nights. Its sad feeling like I have to up my caffeine intake in order to feel that same euphoric feeling i would get like from those high school day, but im scared to consume more caffeine because i dont want to end up being admitted to the hospital or much worse. Its been about two days that I dont consume any caffeine and I have these major migraines that just keep me up at night, I cant concentrate on my homework and have no ambition to do anything. i have never spoken to anyone about my caffeine problem so I am glad i found this website to just vent off on.
Am sorry for what you're going through right now. Caffeine addiction can be just as bad as other addictions and it's important that you to take steps to mitigate the risks associated with this. It would be of great importance if you could talk to somebody about your problem as coming out of your closet could be a turning point of your woes.
Coffee they said had good health benefits because it contains antioxidants that is good for the body. Drinking a cup of coffee or two cups a day is just okay but beyond this or more can really affects your health. I remembered my mom before consumed a lot of coffee a day until one day she felt pain in her left arm and it became worst until she cannot hold things anymore and lift her arms. And after been examined by a doctor what the caffeine in the coffee she is always drinking is the reason for this after all those blood tests she had. So she started withdrawing from the coffee one at a time until she is not drinking anymore. And thanks God because of that everything turns out good and up to now she can do again to be more productive at home and no more pain. Like any other addictions there is always a chance for a recovery if you really want to help yourself. Reach out to other people like your family and friends and they can help and give you advice in your situation.
Going cold turkey isn't a good idea - you already know how horrific the withdrawals can be and it's so easy just to cave in and have a coffee to stop them. Do you know how many cups you drink per day? It might be better if you could reduce by one cup per day for a week, drink smaller cups the week after then cut out another cup completely on week 3. You don't have to cut caffeine out of your life completely, just get your consumption down to a healthy level.
Headaches are pretty common caffeine withdrawal symptoms. I am a coffee drinker as well so I am in the same situation as you. I remembered the time when a can of Mountain Dew was enough to keep me awake in the middle of the night. You can either do two things when that happens: drink a small amount of caffeine and your headache should be alleviated or you can ignore it but I don't know how long it will last. If it interferes, with your work, then I would suggest drink a little bit of caffeine and if you want to go clean, do it later gradually.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Excedrin has some caffeine in it, and could very well help with your symptoms. Caffeine addiction is a nasty thing to go through, but it's not a good idea to just cut it cold turkey. I hope your nasty symptoms go away soon though
Caffeine addiction is a real thing, whether people believe it or not. I tried giving up coffee cold turkey a couple of years ago and actually started to get heart palpatations the very next day. I ended up having to go back on coffee and just lower my intake of it. Severe headaches are also a withdrawal symptom. The problem with energy drinks is that they are also loaded with sugar, and so your best bet is to stop drinking those and get your caffeine by some other more nutritious method. Coffee can actually be good for you when consumed in moderation. Tea is a good source of caffeine as well and does not give you the jitters like coffee does.
I think you're going through that phase of withdrawal symptoms. It's just normal for someone like you who has just started quitting caffeine addiction. Once you get used to not having your excessive dose of coffee, I think your headaches will fade away too. For the mean time, look for other alternatives that will take your mind off things such as your craving for coffee.
Maybe try consuming caffeine little by little or decrease the amount slowly. It can be slowly but might work on you. There are also other sources of coffee, I am not sure about this but maybe try other drinks like green tea not just coffee and maybe that could help you consume a little less of caffeine.
I also think that you have no other choice but to try to quit bit by bit rather than suddenly depriving yourself of coffee. If you need to stay up, then you must look for other ways to stay up. If you can't help it, then limit yourself to just 1 cup per day.
I agree with @Matthodge1 and the others on this forum and reiterate, going cold turkey is definitely NOT for everyone. It takes much discipline and hard work to quit something that you enjoy--and we're not talking about things we enjoy, we're talking about things we are addicted to. I think of very "hardcore" people like Navy SEALs when I think of people who are disciplined enough to quit an addiction cold turkey and if you know anything of Navy SEALs, more people fail than succeed who try become one. I would love to hear if anyone has a secret remedy or potion of how to quit something cold turkey that the rest of us hasn't figured out.
It takes a whole lot of discipline to become a Navy Seal and there truly are not many people who could do that job. I wonder if they would have a hard time quitting smoking? I doubt they would have a hard time like the rest of us do because they have an extreme level of focus when it comes to a mission they need to complete.
A lot of people seem to forget that caffeine is actually a drug. Because of that - of course it can be addicting - it's not just all in your head, there are actual physical reasons you're addicted to caffeine. And all the more reason why you should try to quit.
I drink at least a pot of coffee a day and literally had bad withdrawl symptoms when I tried to quit it cold turkey. I was having heart palpation and some severe headaches. I still drink coffee to this day, but was able to wean myself down by about 50%.
It's very common for college students to get hooked on caffeine. Caffeine withdrawal is tough and can make you lethargic. Instead of going cold turkey, it may be better to slowly cut down until the need is completely out of you system, just like people do with nicotine. That way you can continue to concentrate on work or studying.
I have to agree here, it is almost impossible to quit coffee cold turkey without bad withdrawls. You should start by making a list of each cup you drink each day and then cut back by a cup or 2 a day until you are at a consumption rate that is not going to hurt you. It is normal for people to drink coffee, just not gallons of the stuff like I once did.
I have the same problem, I need caffeine. I always drink coffee in the morning, pop during the day and then I have another coffee int he afternoon. for last couple of days I haven't had any coffee and Ive noticed the migraines are pretty severe so today I finally went and got one and instantly my headache was gone. I don't want to give up caffeine but I would like to get to the point where I can go a day without it and not get headaches.
College can be a stressful stage in one's school life because of all the requirements and deadlines. Spending sleepless nights are a common thing. I too had to think of ways to stay awake at night when I was in that stage. I would drink a cup or two of coffee and sometimes I would take energy drinks. Good thing I wasn't totally hooked on these stimulants. I agree with the rest in saying that going cold turkey is an absolute no-no. Instead of doing good, it can actually cause you more harm. You shouldn't also totally get rid of coffee from your life. You just need to control it to a maximum of two cups per day. It also has some beneficial effects as long as it is kept to a minimum.
Well I've heard many times that caffeine is a drug. I've certainly witnessed plenty of people consume it like its one. Some people are such caffeine pushers too. To each his own is what I say. Jim Carrey in the old Batman movie said, "caffeine 'll kill ya!" Lol Really the rule of thumb is anything like this; if you can't do without it. It can't be good for you. The mood swings? Oh I forgot about that part. A friend of mine kicked the duncan donuts coffee one time. He was sweating and shaking. He'd drink several large cups a day. Sorry but that was enough for me to know that's not normal. The caffeine Clubers they act like some kind of cult if you don't do it. What do you mean you don't drink coffee? You get your energy from juice and fruit. You eat real food. That won't work I need coffee you should have coffee too. Caffeine ages the skin and sizzles up the brain.