Caffeine addiction? How to break the habit

[tracy6413]

Why should you try to break the caffeine addiction? Excessive caffeine intake can lead to several health problems, including:

• Severe adrenal stress
• Anxiety
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Insomnia
• Irritability or mood disorders

The first step in breaking the caffeine habit is to respect the ritual
If part of your caffeine ritual involves sipping out of your favorite coffee mug, by all means, continue your nightly ritual, but do try to replace your coffee with a relaxing tea like chamomile. If you have problems shutting your mind off at night and falling asleep, switching to an herbal beverage may help you relax and enjoy a more restful night sleep.
Should I quit cold turkey?
You may not want to quit your caffeine consumption cold turkey. This could lead to nasty withdrawal symptoms, including strong headaches. If you experience strong headaches, try weaning yourself off of caffeine over a week or two-week period by diluting your caffeinated beverage with water. Many people, though, can quit cold turkey without experiencing any side effects.

Acupuncture can help with withdrawal symptoms. But in the end, do try to limit yourself to one to two cups of coffee maximum per day.

Too much caffeine is poisonous for the body. Here’s how to detox.
If you haven’t exercised lately, consider getting back into it. Even a 30-minute brisk walk can reward the brain’s pleasure center in other ways, possibly suppressing its desire to be rewarded with caffeine. Exercise and drinking plenty of water can help flush out toxins from the body.

 

[espressoaddict]

Everything in moderation.

Coffee has huge amounts of antioxidants. I read somewhere it is the primary source of antioxidants for the majority of Americans. Elsewhere I read coffee helps protect against liver cancer. AND it powers the average working stiff through the daily grind at work. Coffee's benefits far outweigh any drawbacks

 

[goldofcroesus]

I've always struggled with this one - I even went through a phase of drinking Coke Zero and Diet Coke to moderate my caffeine intake relative to coffee. Always keep coming back to coffee though.

I guess it's moderation, AND timing - no more coffee at night for me (decaf around 5pm at the LATEST), unless I'm burning the midnight oil. How do you guys moderate?

 

[ysalek]

A cigarette and a coffee is best to relax for a while

 

[Emily]

I am certainly addicted to coffee and go through withdrawal symptoms without my caffeine. That said, it's my only drug addiction, and things could be a lot worse. I could be addicted to tobacco, alcohol, heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, opium, barbiturates, tranquilizers . . . I decided a long time ago that, having defeated my tobacco addiction and thus likely added years to my life, I can endure this one vice. I mean, none of us lives forever no matter what we do.

 

[DirtyDave]

Why even bother, I adore coffee, I build coffee roasters, I set up coffee roasters, I have a coffee roasting factory.
I once lived in Micronesia, 600 miles from the nearest cup of coffee, the place was paradise, but my life was hell; no coffee!

 

[CJA]

I'm obsessed with having my two cups of coffee every day, same time. In fact, if I have my first cup even a few minutes later than I did the day before, I'll start feeling nauseous and getting a headache. So I'm up at 6am even on weekends to get my coffee...but I honestly look forward to it.