Addicted To Caffiene?

[vinceneilsgirl]

I think I may be addicted to cafeine. I have noticed that if I don't drink at least a couple of sodas a day that I end up with a headache and nausea. Is it really possible to be addicted to cafeine?

[misq17]

Caffeine is the reason that many people are addicted to coffee, so yes, you could be addicted to caffeine in sodas if you are drinking a bunch of them every day.

[thebelovedtree]

yes, and headaches are the number one sign of caffine withdrawl. Doctors have done several studies on people who can't have caffine post surgery, and the ones who are used to getting coffee, etc. have horrible headaches, and other symptoms if they can't have their caffine.

[mer-girl]

eh, join the club.
my addiction has gotten to the point where I can drink a large latte and take a nap right afterwards. haha
It takes several mugs of straight joe to keep me awake for studying in the wee hours :boobies:

[strawberry]

Here is what you should do: Give up caffeine cold turkey.

I did that recently and I feel a lot better. My sleeping schedule didn't seem screwed up, but now I can tell that it was by the way I feel so much better. You will have headaches etc. for a little bit but after that it is so much better for you.

ps... at the same time as caffeine I've given up chocolate and soda. :) It wasn't my own decision (I was conned into it by a friend, ha ha) but I'm glad I did it!

[mayuko]

i agree with strawberry... i'll warn you that you may be in for the most intensely awful headaches EVER, but after a couple days, they stop, and all in all it's really worth it. i used to be pretty bad with it, and i haven't given it up altogether, but i've cut back... and think i ought to cut back more because i drank just a little coffee this morning and my heart's going nuts o_o

[WriterJoy]

vinceneilsgirl, you're not alone. I'm super addicted to coffee. I want to cut it out, but at the same time I don't because it keeps me awake during the day. Then, I realize that the reason I have trouble staying awake during the day is because I drink so much coffee. Argh! Maybe we need a caffeine addiction support thread.

[Nirvana19105]

I was a Mountain Dew fiend, and yes, despite a few days of horrible withdrawl headaches, giving up caffeine feels great.

[Bankruptor]

Oh my yes, when I was in school I was so badly addicted to caffeine that I could drink a pot of coffee over the course of an evening and go right to bed. If I didn't get any when I woke up, there'd be Hell to pay . . . :D

I switched to decaff about 6-7 years ago and it was a hassle for a couple of days, I got grouchy and anxious. However it gave me FAR less trouble than stopping smoking tobacco. I'm still suffering in that respect . . . :smoke:

[vegan_hottie07]

You know caffeine is a drug right?? Like any other drug, your going to get addicted to it.
Here's a good link:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcpdf.nsf/ByPDF/Caffeine_is_a_drug/$File/Caffeine_is_a_drug.PDF

[kat]

I went from drinking no coffee and hardly any soda to drinking 6 or 7 cups of strong coffee in the space of a few hours. I firstly got a wicked high- but after while I could feel the blood rushing through my veins and pulsing about. It was a very weird sensation and I had to lye down on the floor to try and stop it. I drink coffee still but only in sensible amounts,

Kat

[ebola]

for many people, caffine proves rather addictive.
what I would suggest is first switching to tea or perhaps coffee to cut out all the nasty sugar and phosphoric acid. You could also switch to pharmaceutical caffine although you will want to vehemently avoid escalating the dosage. Then, you should do a taper, cutting out about 50 mg about every week or so. Maybe every two weeks. You can try tylenol, asprin, ibuprophen, etc. to deal with headaches as they crop up.

I have also found a particular recreational drug to cut out the desire for caffine and its withdrawl in the next day or so, but all this came back the day after that...so that wouldn't be so useful.

ebola

[Chrysalis]

Yup, I would say you're addicted. I've never been addicted although I can see myself heading there. I've been drinking coffee more and more to keep myself awake...
sorry, I guess this isn't helpful

[April]

I know that caffeine is a drug, and it really, really feels like one to me. I'll try to go without it, and I've gone a few months before, but it's always a forbidden treat to me. And I only like it in the cold, bubbly form. I'll try to tell myself I'll only have it maybe once a week, but any day I do have it, I want it the next day. It wouldn't matter so much, but my sleep cycle is way screwed up and I take pills to get me to sleep every night, AND caffeine (and sleeping pills) is bad for the singing voice, since they're both dehydrating. :(

[vinceneilsgirl]

I know that caffeine is a drug, and it really, really feels like one to me. I'll try to go without it, and I've gone a few months before, but it's always a forbidden treat to me. And I only like it in the cold, bubbly form. I'll try to tell myself I'll only have it maybe once a week, but any day I do have it, I want it the next day. It wouldn't matter so much, but my sleep cycle is way screwed up and I take pills to get me to sleep every night, AND caffeine (and sleeping pills) is bad for the singing voice, since they're both dehydrating. :(

I know what you mean...I have to have it in the cold, bubbly form. I sing, and I never thought about it dehydrating my voice.

[kisamanko]

Caffeine isn't addictive. Some people become dependent on the effects of it but it's like people have cravings for chocolate or what have you.

I popped into starbucks a couple of hours ago for an espresso or two. haha. I've never experienced any of the withdrawal symptoms even though off and on I take in a lot of caffeine.

[misq17]

I actually got addicted to caffiene through mountain dew over the course of a few weeks over the summer but luckily, my mom started refusing to buy it and now I'm back to my un-caffinated self.

[vegansurfer]

I know they tell you that caffeine isn't addicting, but on me I really think it is. I started drinking it last year when i started having a 7 AM class everyday. I am kind of small but not a morning person so I would drink insanely large amounts and be wired for the rest of the day (I am a hyper person to begin with. Tack on 5 cups of coffee and I was falling out of my desks). This year I have cut back a bit. Meaning 4 cups a day of really strong stuff. I am not to worried about my caffeine intake. It is my one back food consumption, and everybody agrees that I need to stick with it. Me without coffee is a VERY bad thing (my parents don't get out of bed until I have had a few cups of coffee so that they don't have to deal with me).

[ebola]

>>I know they tell you that caffeine isn't addicting, >>

Who the hell told you this? :) well, besides kisamanko.

>>Caffeine isn't addictive. Some people become dependent on the effects of it but it's like people have cravings for chocolate or what have you. >>

You're saying that a drug with well-documented physiological withdrawl isn't addictive?

ebola

[wildruby]

i'm completely convinced that caffeine is addictive. i've been drinking a cup every morning since i was 15. if i don't have a cup of coffee in the morning, i get really bad headaches.

i wish i could stop drinking coffee in the morning. it can be a real pain when you spend the night with a friend that doesn't have any coffee in the house.

i also have migraine headaches. i'm afraid if i quit cold turkey, i'll have severe migraines as a withdrawl symptom. caffeine seems to help my headaches anyway. its better than taking lots of pain medication that affects my liver. anyhow....

[Thalia]

>>I know they tell you that caffeine isn't addicting, >>

Who the hell told you this? :) well, besides kisamanko.

>>Caffeine isn't addictive. Some people become dependent on the effects of it but it's like people have cravings for chocolate or what have you. >>

You're saying that a drug with well-documented physiological withdrawl isn't addictive?

ebola
I was going to ask the same questions. Perhaps addiction has become such a taboo concept in our culture that we are reluctant to apply it to everyday things like caffeine.


You know caffeine is a drug right?? Like any other drug, your going to get addicted to it. Like any other drug??

VNG-
You are probably addicted. Is caffeine causing you more problems than benefits? You could quit and see if your life improves, if you overall have more energy and better sleep patterns. And keep in mind that if you are drinking less than the equiv of 5 brewed cups/day, the current, massive amount of research shows you are unlikely to have any long term problems. And coffee and tea do have beneficial antioxidants. 1 cup of green tea is the equivalent of 1 serving of fruits and vegetables as far as anti-oxidants.

Is it possible you have attention problems? Many people with attention problems self-medicate with caffeine. I know I do. In which case caffeine might help you tremendously, but you might want to talk to a psychologist and get tested and find other long term solutions.

Like with any health issue, I hope that people weigh the pros and cons of a certain behavior for them according to their own values.

[clickman]

I have somewhat of a dependency/addiction, I guess. I got a bad habit on pills. I just have a packed schedule, and feel that I need it in order to keep up to the standards I'm held to, and still have maybe a half hour or so of personal time. It's sort of my self-crucifixion, I don't "have" to do it, but I do. Then again, if I don't, the rest of my life will be the same, if not worse, since the number of people applying to college in my generation is way up compared to previous years, so I'm trying to make myself stand out. Ok, I sort of went off topic there. But I don't really think a caffeine addiction is really that harmful. Seriously. I've stopped pills, but even those weren't that expensive. Two pills a day, (Three on the very busy days) and I get the generics for $10 for a 100 count bottle. That lasts me at least a month.

And, no, I don't have what I consider "sleep problems". I get to sleep ~10:00-10:30PM on light nights, midnight on heavier nights, and wake up at 5:30AM. So, I'm still getting at least five hours of sleep, really. Enough to keep me going.

[April]

Hey Clickman- I'm no doctor, but "at least 5 hours" doesn't define a good night of sleep. I understand that your life is demanding now, and that there probably isn't time for more than that amount of sleep, but if there ever is more time, I hope you allow yourself more sleep (and less caffeine!). I know too many people that sleep like this and just live life in a strung-out condition constantly.

[Wolfie]

Caffeine doesn't cause me any problems. Not having it sure does though.

[Keeganisafish]

I am addicted to the caffene. But I can't break away, becuase sometimes I need to have time more than sleep.