Maintaining a long-term caffeine habit

[ketkavi]

So I'm an addict, I admit it. I love the taste of coffee and I love the motivational effects of caffeine, and I have trouble keeping my coffee consumption at a moderate level -- I'm always wanting more coffee and I've been known to work my way up to 6-8 cups a day -- at which point I start to feel physically ill and I decide to start cutting back. After which I start feeling lethargic and irritable for days at a time. And then once I'm down to a cup a day, the cycle starts over again. If you made a graph of my coffee consumption over the last year, it would look like a sine wave -- up, down, up, down...

Anybody else have this problem? I've had some luck with tea -- when I switch to tea I can maintain a steady caffeine intake without too much of a rollercoaster effect. But the effects of tea are subtle and sooner or later I gravitate toward coffee again, and once I've had that first cup, I'm back on the rollercoaster...

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "ketkavi"

It sounds like you need a compromise regarding your caffeine intake. You say 6-8 cups a day makes you feel physically ill, and you say cutting back to one cup a day isn't enough for you. If you try to space your coffee consumption throughout the day with a limit of 3-4 cups a day, it may work out better for you.

Rose

 

[tazzadiluna]

Hmmm, that is not good. I love coffee, but I usually drink just one cup every other day. It's more of a treat for me now, usually with a meal or something else to eat. But this isn't about me...

Maybe you could try starting your day off with a good healthy breakfast, then try to keep that up the rest of the day. Get plenty of sleep. Drink lots of water. All that up and down is actually draining your body of energy. You should probably take a rest period with no coffee or any kind of caffeine at all for a time or something.

You might feel terrible at first, but if it's making you ill: stop drinking it until you can control your intake. Try to get your energy from being healthy, rather than from a caffeine fix. I know easier said than done, but you need to try that first.

 

[ketkavi]

I would love to quit caffeine altogether, just to see what I'm like without it, but I can never seem to get past the first couple of days. I can switch to tea, but when it comes to quitting caffeine altogether, I become way too sluggish and irritable to function. Maybe someday when I have a week to lay around and do nothing I'll go for it. Right now I have too much stuff going on...

I realize now that I had the perfect opportunity to quit while I was in the hospital a few months back, but of course I was demanding coffee after day two.

Right now I like the idea of sticking to a moderate amount of coffee (2-3 cups per day), since I have some familiy events this week and I can't afford to be in withdrawals. After that, I'm going to stick to tea for awhile.

 

[reznorhurt]

Don't try to quit cold turkey. My dad had a similar problem a while back, and his doctor recommended a regime of cutting out about half a cup a week over a couple of months.

Cutting your consumption by half, or even a third is always going to throw your body into withdrawals.

You have to be strong.

 

[PinkRose]

Hello again "ketkavi"

It's smart of you to regulate your coffee, rather than try to quit all at once. That way you won't be grumpy at your family events this week.

Gradually cutting back on your coffee intake is a good idea if you're serious about eventually "quitting caffeine altogether".

If you get a headache while you're cutting back on caffeine, take an Excedrin (over-the-counter pain reliever). It has a small amount of caffeine in it, which will help you get through the day without downing tons of coffee to make yourself feel better. Just don't overdo it with the Excedrin....and drink plenty of water.

Rose

 

[nikkole]

I've never wanted to/tried to quit coffee, but I have experienced a traumatic few hours without coffee, and the withdrawal is terrible. The headaches are the absolute worst, you can't keep your eyes open, and you just feel so sick. Or maybe I'm just way too addicted...

 

[tazzadiluna]

Maybe you should see your doctor like reznorhurt's dad did. Your doctor could take into account your actual current and past health history to recommend the best course of action for you. I hope all will go well for you.