Caffeine Addiction
If my day doesn't contain at least 12 oz. of coffee, it immediately contains a headache! What do you recommend doing or eating to break a caffeine addiction?
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21 Comments:
A very slow taper is about the only way, and a reminder that many things besides coffee contain caffeine.
lemons at 4:49PM on 03/23/08
I agree with lemons; I got off coffee about three years ago by weaning very slowly, and always having a bottle of water on my desk, to substitute. Now I drink coffee only on the weekends and am coffee-free on weekdays. Probably not good for co-workers though, because I've found I am a much nicer person when I am caffeinated. I have been known to pop an excedrin migraine occasionally mid-afternoon, however, just for that old thrill.
frederika at 5:55PM on 03/23/08
In 1985, I tried to quit a massive coffee/soda addiction cold-turkey. After two days of a nonstop hangover-quality headache, I //drank// caffeine again, which required half a day for the pain to cease.
I recommend getting the flu. In 2006, I got it, and was pretty much off any liquid or food that had something resembling taste, for about six weeks.
After that, for some reason, I lost my desire for the taste of coffee. It could have been that the withdrawal headache was lost in the pain of the flu so I never noticed it.
/sorry I couldn't be more help.
TikiPundit at 6:06PM on 03/23/08
Why do you feel the need to break it? Is it a health concern?
ccbweb at 6:46PM on 03/23/08
Lemons and frederika are right - taper is the way to go. I went off caffeine a couple of years ago before a trip, and did it pain-free by simply having less regular coffee in my morning cup and more decaf, little by little, until it was all decaf, and then nothing. Now I have a small cup (8 oz.) of regular coffee every morning and it's all I need.
If you have to go off caffeine completely, remember that soda, tea and chocolate also have it, though it's not as highly concentrated in those things.
Good luck!
CookiePie at 7:51PM on 03/23/08
I tried going off my caffiene high once or twice.
Then I remembered that there is nothing better in the world than a fountain diet Pepsi with crushed ice.
My family thanks the fountain drink makers of the Ohio Valley as their health and safety were in jeopardy.
ChelleyD01 at 8:30PM on 03/23/08
Thanks for the (pleasantly consistent) advice, everyone! :)
ccweb--it's only a minor health concern, in that drinking that much coffee every day can't be good for me, my heart, or my teeth. Nothing serious (so thankfully no need to stop eating chocolate or drinking tea)!
Christina at 8:44PM on 03/23/08
Unless you're highly sensitive to it, I would not be overly concerned about the health aspect. Even the FDA says moderate caffeine consumption is ok, and moderate means about 3 8oz cups a day*. You're drinking half of that.
I think the people who tend/need to worry are in the 6+ daily cups range (ie., me).
*I assume, it being the FDA, that this is a conservative amount, since there is no major food lobby at stake...
renzata at 8:54PM on 03/23/08
Actually, 12 oz of coffee a day is not much at all. It's the equivalent of two cups, and there's a good bit of research that suggests this is a healthy amount to consume. One study I always remember is the one that showed older adults (e.g., those beyond their 60s) who drank at least one cup of non-decaf coffee a day had more frequent and satisfying sex. In my mind, that's GOT to be a good thing, right?!?!
I don't drink huge amounts of coffee, but I've found I can't give up caffeine entirely. When I was pregnant, I ended up drinking one cup a day, because my headaches were so severe, and had not diminished after more than a week. Also, like frederika, I'm a MUCH more bearable person with at least a little caffeine in my system (ask my kids and husband). Even my obstetrician, who saw me everyday because we worked at the same hospital, finally told me to just do everyone a favor and keep drinking it!
LoCo at 9:03PM on 03/23/08
I disagree about the taper. I quit cold turkey and the way to do it was to make sure I was getting enough vitamins and nutrients to counteract the headaches and sluggishness.
If you absolutely NEED to have some caffeine get it from a non-coffee source. Teas have caffeine but it won't feel like you're cheating on your quitting, and that is very important psychologically. Kinda like quitting cigarettes using nicotine gum.
Personally I like Yerba Mate because it has a kick but won't keep you up late. Some articles say it doesn't have caffeine but a stereoisomer of caffeine called matteine. This is not true as a stereoisomer of caffeine is not possible, but it still has a non-jittery effect.
schwartz at 10:24PM on 03/23/08
I'm with renzata, and that's pretty much what I was thinking. 12oz is just not a lot of coffee by pretty much any standard. And renzata is right on with the 3 8oz cups being considered moderate; you can read more here:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002445.htm
One thing my wife and I did, simply because we wanted to drink more cups of coffee, was to start mixing the beans we use half and half with decaf beans. Now I can drink a 3rd or 4th cup without spiking the caffeine intake.
ccbweb at 10:58PM on 03/23/08
12 oz. is the minimum I have each day--usually it's about 24oz, which for my relatively small frame is enough to get my heart beating faster than I'd like. I didn't realize that was considered a 'moderate' amount though, so this has sparked interesting information! Still, I think I'm going to try and cut down--being physically addicted to something is never a good thing.
Christina at 11:35PM on 03/23/08
If it bothers you enough to want to back off caffeine, by all means do so. Personally, I can't function without that vat of java just after waking up.
Tapering off is the least painful way to rid yourself of caffeine but I'd also like to echo the warning - it's in a lot of stuff. Don't deny yourself coffee only to find you're imbibing caffeine through other sources.
Caffeine is kind of like corn - can't believe how many routes of entry it has into our bodies!
chiff0nade at 5:06AM on 03/24/08
I ended up kicking my weekday coffee habit mostly because my hours shifted slightly and I didn't have time to either make it in the morning or stop for it. However, I do need some caffiene in order not to get the horrible headache, so I generally have a can of Diet Coke in the morning and another one with lunch. The rest of the day is flavored seltzer or water (except at night, when it could also be wine :) ).
Amandarama at 7:13AM on 03/24/08
I used to drink 3-4 cans of soda and 1-2 cans of iced coffee every day in college (wow 15 years ago! where did the time go?!), so this was probably weaker caffeine intake. It was the best way to cool off since bottled water water wasn't as easy to find at school vending machines back then to tote around between classes and the library (shh!).
It sucks being controlled by a substance that you feel you HAVE to have, otherwise . :(
Quitting cold turkey works the best, especially if YOU feel you need to stop. If it's for a superficial reason, it'll be difficult or unsuccessful. Caffeine is pretty hard to kick unlike smoking. It's hard to disassociate yourself from the situations you use coffee/caffeine, especially if it's at work/school and it's a substance accepted, if not lauded, by society. :P
It wasn't bad at all for me to quit. I brought a bottle to school and drank water. As for the headache, it was mind over matter. In less than 2 days, everything was over.
I think the grouchiness w/o the cup of coffee is an eays cop out, even after said person has had a cup of coffee already. If you like sleeping/being at home and hate waking up/going to work, of course you'll be grouchy. I used to be grouchy when my mother made me eat onions.
Good luck.
Cassaendra at 7:50AM on 03/24/08
I used to drink 2 2 liters of soda a day but i am now caffine free. on a sat morning go cold turkey you will get a heck of a headache but DON"T give in and by monday you will be free. My headaches were so bad my hubby took care of me for 2 days while i just laid in a dark room but i feel better now then i ever have and before if i didn't have my forst soda by 7 am i would get a killer headache anyway so now i have freedom. i still drink caffine at movies and resturants but very rarely. Good Luck!!!!!
love2cook at 9:40AM on 03/24/08
Oh gosh, caffeine headaches are the worst! I only drink 6 oz. of coffee a day, but on a day without it, I will have a splitting headache by 2 or 3pm. I got myself off of coffee once before, but then once I started drinking again, it became an everyday habit once again. The one time I quit, I went cold turkey on the coffee and just kind of gritted my teeth through the pain. I don't plan on doing it again - I simply enjoy my small cup of coffee every morning way too much. :)
mrsbao at 10:55AM on 03/24/08
I used to smoke and drink about three large coffees a day -- quit both, cold turkey. There was a rough week that felt like that scene in Trainspotting but I felt quite alot healthier for it.
Can you switch to tea? Aside from the health benefits of especially green and black teas, the methods can be a bit of a hobby -- I keep a little pot with an infuser at work, and experiment mixing different types of bulk teas and fresh fruit for added flavor and vitamins. I love treating myself to some really good bulk tea - and it's plenty to wake me up and get my day going.
savecara at 12:02PM on 03/24/08
Tea absolutely has its health benefits -- but so does coffee! It's been proven to help stave off certain types of cancer and Parkinson's disease, it can boost athletic performance, and the beans have antioxidants. Of course, you still have to drink it moderately... But it isn't as much of a vice as it was once thought to be:
http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food
CookiePie at 12:56PM on 03/24/08
I went from coffee to half-caf, down to English Breakfast tea, then decaf EB tea. A step-down program, if you will. It was not as hard as I thought it would be!
karenita at 9:42PM on 03/24/08
Tea is a good way to wean yourself off. It's less caffeine (I believe) and it gives you something to drink when you're craving a warm beverage. Start off with caffeinated tea then slowly move on to decaffeinated. Pretty soon you won't need either!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 5:12PM on 03/25/08