Well, to say that I'm addicted to caffeine is an understatement. I have ocd and I obsess about Diet Dr. Pepper all the time. I drink 6-8 20-ounce bottles of it every day. I'm on Sertraline, Abilify and Klonopin and it wrecks havoc on them and their ability to work decently. I went off of it for a month and went to the gym for a month and felt great. Now, I'm back on the shit and I feel like shit. I can't seem to kick the habit. I know that diet soda, with all its terrible incredients, is really bad for you. I know that and I know that it is/might be linked to cancer/breast cysts. What is my problem? My therapist has tried to help me...is trying to help me, but it's not working. Any suggestions are welcome! Any explanations are welcome as well. Thanks.
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H&R Moderators: streaM Freak
Caffeine addiction
- Thread starter Juniebun
- Start date
does fear motivate you? adrenal fatigue is a far worse serious condition than people realize, most adult professionals have it many times in their lives and dont know it, and it can be caused by constant caffeine use: https://www.adrenalfatigue.org/what-is-adrenal-fatigue
do hope and health motivate you? try learning about chi-gong, and learn that your body is a beautiful machine capable of cultivating powerful energies and maintaining youthful vitality on its own, and that caffeine is a substance that works against this: http://www.robertpeng.com/
do hope and health motivate you? try learning about chi-gong, and learn that your body is a beautiful machine capable of cultivating powerful energies and maintaining youthful vitality on its own, and that caffeine is a substance that works against this: http://www.robertpeng.com/
I know exactly what you are talking about.
I also have EXTREME caffeine addiction drinking between 6--8 or 9 cups of coffee a day at my worst and I CAN'T stop.
I have almost certainly experienced adrenal fatigue before and it SUCKS BAD.
I want SO BADLY to cut my caffeine intake down to like just 2 cups a day, maybe even one but I just CAN'T SEEM TO DO IT.
I also have some OCD and generalized anxiety disorder and used to take Klonopin and the caffeine interacted with it's effectiveness.
I have tried over and over again to quit or cut down over the years with no luck and I'm just basically hopelessly addicted to chugging obscene amounts of coffee and everyone just thinks it's "no big deal" but it IS and it causes me LOTS AND LOTS OF PROBLEMS.
If anyone has any advice on how to cut down that would be great but unfortunately I've probably heard it all before and no suggestions anyone has ever made before have helped.
I wish caffeine addiction was taken as seriously as other drugs and there was more support for it but there just isn't.
I also have EXTREME caffeine addiction drinking between 6--8 or 9 cups of coffee a day at my worst and I CAN'T stop.
I have almost certainly experienced adrenal fatigue before and it SUCKS BAD.
I want SO BADLY to cut my caffeine intake down to like just 2 cups a day, maybe even one but I just CAN'T SEEM TO DO IT.
I also have some OCD and generalized anxiety disorder and used to take Klonopin and the caffeine interacted with it's effectiveness.
I have tried over and over again to quit or cut down over the years with no luck and I'm just basically hopelessly addicted to chugging obscene amounts of coffee and everyone just thinks it's "no big deal" but it IS and it causes me LOTS AND LOTS OF PROBLEMS.
If anyone has any advice on how to cut down that would be great but unfortunately I've probably heard it all before and no suggestions anyone has ever made before have helped.
I wish caffeine addiction was taken as seriously as other drugs and there was more support for it but there just isn't.
I do martial arts but have never tried chi kung and it interests me but I'd guess I'd probably need a personal teacher to become good at it rather than a DVD wouldn't I??
Do you do Chi kung?
If so I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences.
nuttynutskin
Bluelighter
- Joined
- May 15, 2011
- Messages
- 10,755
Without any other information I would try to identify what made you go back to your old ways and go from there.
szuko000
Bluelight Crew
What I am trying to do is systematically lower my usage of caffeine. It started with identifying it needed to happen as others have said it can be easy for others and yourself to say there is no problem and if its like 200-500mg a day I would agree with those people but mine is at like 800-1400mg a day which is way too high. I found this out by taking caffeine pills until i felt like I did my morning coffee chugging of like 3-5 standard cups of coffee (one cup of coffee is 6 ounces not 8 ounces) it takes me about 2-3 200mg caffeine pills to get there.
In the afternoon I have 1 sugared energy drugs (must be high in sugar as it is the real kick those things have) followed by one or 2 more pills between 2pm-6pm depending on what i am doing at night.
So the first thing I am going to do is lose the energy drink, I need to cut back on sugar and sweets anyway just a personal goal. That will eliminate the sugar and mixed energy blends but also 160mg of caffeine. Then the next thing is those afternoon ones. Followed by a gradual lowering of the morning. The morning dose is going to be the worse because depending on stuff I can wake up feeling sick to my stomach and the caffeine helps motivate me.
Caffeine is probably why I got good at budgeting my drugs if you will. I always need to do math on amount of caffeine to see if I am at a high level for the day and shouldnt take that extra pill / energy drink or if someone asks no coffee from Dunkin because i know what it is like to go over my dose and you learn not to do that fairly quick. I am hoping in a year to be down to a regular level I am taking it slow because caffeine is the one drug I associate motivation with so its not going to be easy.
In the afternoon I have 1 sugared energy drugs (must be high in sugar as it is the real kick those things have) followed by one or 2 more pills between 2pm-6pm depending on what i am doing at night.
So the first thing I am going to do is lose the energy drink, I need to cut back on sugar and sweets anyway just a personal goal. That will eliminate the sugar and mixed energy blends but also 160mg of caffeine. Then the next thing is those afternoon ones. Followed by a gradual lowering of the morning. The morning dose is going to be the worse because depending on stuff I can wake up feeling sick to my stomach and the caffeine helps motivate me.
Caffeine is probably why I got good at budgeting my drugs if you will. I always need to do math on amount of caffeine to see if I am at a high level for the day and shouldnt take that extra pill / energy drink or if someone asks no coffee from Dunkin because i know what it is like to go over my dose and you learn not to do that fairly quick. I am hoping in a year to be down to a regular level I am taking it slow because caffeine is the one drug I associate motivation with so its not going to be easy.
mint tea helped me break caffeine addiction. im a big fan of a fine grade, organic peppermint and spearmint mix, brewed hot, then chilled to slightly above room temp with ice after steeping. spring through summer, that is.
its also an awesome pre-workout stimulant / endurance enhancer. it embodies a lot of cold energy tho, so not so great in cold climates during fall-winter.
its also an awesome pre-workout stimulant / endurance enhancer. it embodies a lot of cold energy tho, so not so great in cold climates during fall-winter.
Runtoparadise
Bluelighter
What I have to add might scare you off of caffeine,- in any form!!
For many years I'd consume at least five mugs of strong, black coffee before work.
After a seriously stressful time I ended up collapsing on my kitchen floor.
Paramedics were called & attended to me before taking me to hospital. I'd developed Labyrinthitis, a seriously scary neurological disorder.
For weeks, I couldn't even tell if the ground was flat & even, I felt so detached from the world.. Didn't know if it was all a dream, & couldn't leave home even with a trusted friend.
My neurologist couldn't tell me when is feel "normal", I just had to ride it out!!
Years later, I still don't touch caffeine..it's too scary to risk ..
Rtp
For many years I'd consume at least five mugs of strong, black coffee before work.
After a seriously stressful time I ended up collapsing on my kitchen floor.
Paramedics were called & attended to me before taking me to hospital. I'd developed Labyrinthitis, a seriously scary neurological disorder.
For weeks, I couldn't even tell if the ground was flat & even, I felt so detached from the world.. Didn't know if it was all a dream, & couldn't leave home even with a trusted friend.
My neurologist couldn't tell me when is feel "normal", I just had to ride it out!!
Years later, I still don't touch caffeine..it's too scary to risk ..
Rtp
I think you might want to take this in steps.
Getting off of soda itself is a hard thing, I'm sure. That could be your first goal. They put all kinds of nasty chemicals in soda.
Maybe then work on not ingesting so much sugar.
Honestly, if you took less klonopin, you would feel more awake, and would be less likely to drink a lot of caffeine. I'm not a doctor of course and this isn't medical advice (I'm not really advising anything but maybe to talk to your doctor about it). I know that when I got off of a benzo I felt less depressed, more awake, and ingested less caffeine.
There are herbs which can help with adrenal fatigue/alertness, too, ones which don't have as hard an effect as caffeine.
Getting off of soda itself is a hard thing, I'm sure. That could be your first goal. They put all kinds of nasty chemicals in soda.
Maybe then work on not ingesting so much sugar.
Honestly, if you took less klonopin, you would feel more awake, and would be less likely to drink a lot of caffeine. I'm not a doctor of course and this isn't medical advice (I'm not really advising anything but maybe to talk to your doctor about it). I know that when I got off of a benzo I felt less depressed, more awake, and ingested less caffeine.
There are herbs which can help with adrenal fatigue/alertness, too, ones which don't have as hard an effect as caffeine.
tulsi, ashwagandah, and/or green tea might be useful
ShadowedLight
Bluelighter
Another totally addicted, will be coming off it soon!
Caffeine is a weird substance to be addicted to.
I generally just drink a single cup of coffee each morning, but if i dont have it, i end up with a headache and nausea by mid-afternoon.
Once the headache comes on, i dont tend to get any relief by finally having that cup of coffee...i just have to wait it out.
I expect it to cut through the withdrawals, but maybe it takes hours to metabolise and take effect.
Does anyone else experience this?
I generally just drink a single cup of coffee each morning, but if i dont have it, i end up with a headache and nausea by mid-afternoon.
Once the headache comes on, i dont tend to get any relief by finally having that cup of coffee...i just have to wait it out.
I expect it to cut through the withdrawals, but maybe it takes hours to metabolise and take effect.
Does anyone else experience this?
Working at Starbucks I was drinking 6500 mg (minimum) to 9000 mg everyday. Cold Turkey'd' it (Docs' orders) 1 1/2 months ago.. I have never felt so sick and lost.
I've lived In Humid, Hot Florida and Hondoras and I haveee never sweat so much. I actually got painful physical withdrawals. Sharp stomach pains, heavyyyy body load/ pain in and out. My Chronic insomnia came back with vengeance. (Coffee has been one of the few things that help me sleep.
Could barley be at work cause of my inability to articulate a sentence of any sense.
Quit Drinking, cigarettes, prescribed Medicine, Sm?king cold turkey back in January and id take this withdrawals 100 times over before 1 more coffee withdrawing nightmare.
I've lived In Humid, Hot Florida and Hondoras and I haveee never sweat so much. I actually got painful physical withdrawals. Sharp stomach pains, heavyyyy body load/ pain in and out. My Chronic insomnia came back with vengeance. (Coffee has been one of the few things that help me sleep.
Could barley be at work cause of my inability to articulate a sentence of any sense.
Quit Drinking, cigarettes, prescribed Medicine, Sm?king cold turkey back in January and id take this withdrawals 100 times over before 1 more coffee withdrawing nightmare.
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