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Caffinne dependance/addiction?
Hotlead Junkie
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'v been struggling with some problems over the last few months, and realised that my low moods suddenley got a lot, lot better and I felt more relaxed, awake and happy and didn't have headahces if i started drinking pepsi/diet coke until I felt better. I'm assuming I had a caffinne dependance over the last few months that I didn't realise about until now, yeah, I enjoy caffinne but don't realise that it makes me feel like crap if I don't drink it.
Over the last few days I'v been drinking quite a bit of diet, caffinne based sodas when I feel drowsy and lethargic/unmotivated. 750ml of sugar free pepsi usually makes me feel a lot more relaxed and active and allows me to think straight but usually have to drink the same amount 7 or so hours later. I'm trying smaller amounts of a stronger energy drink which seems to be working, but the fact that I felt extremley jittery and irritable this morning before i had half a can of an energy drink is a little worrying. When I had half a can of that energy drink I actually sighed and led back in the chair and instantly felt better. For example, right now, I'm concentrating and relaxed, but eariler I was very irritable and kept fumbling with things when I tried to carry them.
Yeah, I'm just worried about this. For now I'm going to drink just enough of an energy drink (half a small can) to stave off the cravings and try to have my last fix, at the latest around 6pm, 7pm if I need it, then, even if I feel unmotivated and lethargic and crappy for the rest of the night, try to get some sleep. I'd just appreciate any advice from anyone who has been in the same situation. I'v noticed I'm running on much, much less sleep than usual now (I used to need at least 8 to feel okay but now I'm running on around 5/6).
Over the last few days I'v been drinking quite a bit of diet, caffinne based sodas when I feel drowsy and lethargic/unmotivated. 750ml of sugar free pepsi usually makes me feel a lot more relaxed and active and allows me to think straight but usually have to drink the same amount 7 or so hours later. I'm trying smaller amounts of a stronger energy drink which seems to be working, but the fact that I felt extremley jittery and irritable this morning before i had half a can of an energy drink is a little worrying. When I had half a can of that energy drink I actually sighed and led back in the chair and instantly felt better. For example, right now, I'm concentrating and relaxed, but eariler I was very irritable and kept fumbling with things when I tried to carry them.
Yeah, I'm just worried about this. For now I'm going to drink just enough of an energy drink (half a small can) to stave off the cravings and try to have my last fix, at the latest around 6pm, 7pm if I need it, then, even if I feel unmotivated and lethargic and crappy for the rest of the night, try to get some sleep. I'd just appreciate any advice from anyone who has been in the same situation. I'v noticed I'm running on much, much less sleep than usual now (I used to need at least 8 to feel okay but now I'm running on around 5/6).
Hotlead Junkie on
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However, if you're *not* addicted to caffeine, caffeine can serve as a good "pick me up." I often have some coffee after dinner, especially a big dinner, to help perk me up. And some groggy mornings on the weekend, where I'm just kind of being a bum, having a cup of coffee kinda says "ok, you're awake now, here's a little real wake up."
It doesn't have a very strong effect on me -- I've taken naps after consuming some espresso -- but you're not so much describing a dependency as simply the known benefits of caffeine. Caffeine *does* help with concentration and focus. If it bugs you, try going without anything for a day and see if you just feel "hung over" all day. If so, you may have a slight dependency. But having a dependency to caffeine isn't bad; it doesn't really do anything bad to you if you consume it chronically.
You also sound like you're very psychologically addicted. I mean, no matter how strong the energy drink is you're not going to feel an instant caffeine high from it, so the fact that you were instantly satisfied is a psychological effect. Try switching to a lower caffeine drink, and maybe occasionally (rarely) supplement it with some dark chocolate or something. This will simultaneously keep up the habit of having a drink of something when you're feeling low, and reduce the reliance on caffeine being in that drink.
This is pretty much exactly what a friend of mine did when he started experiencing some adverse issues related to caffeine. He switched from coffee to green tea, and then would occasionally have a small piece of dark chocolate as well. Eventually he cut out the chocolate and alternated between a caffeinated and decaffienated tea.
I found that the easiest thing to do was to have caffeen free soda constantly at the ready. Before my brain could tell me I needed a jolt, my body instinctively went for the Sprite and told my brain to chill out.
In case you couldn't tell, my doctorate is not in medicine.
Its a little like carrying an 80mm straw to stop smoking, but it worked for me.
I tried to lessen it; a lot easier than cigarettes. You'd be surprised to find how much a couple days of exercise and water can do for your energy and mood. Cigarettes are madness, I think I tried to quit three times now. Longest was eleven days.
Anyway, good luck OP.
Also, caffeine causes a stronger effect on an empty stomach. Having a cup of coffee *before* lunch can make you jittery and jumpy. Having one after usually just combats the food coma.
Coke, on the other hand, is full of phosphoric acid, which Wikipedia tells me will hurt your bone density.
I may or may not have a dependency on caffeine. I have noticed that I tend to not finish caffeine-free sodas and leave half of a container lying about, but I'll always finish a caffeinated drink.
More than anything, I'm absolutely positive that I have a pretty strong oral fixation. If it weren't drinking soda, I'd probably be drinking alcohol or smoking or something. All in all, it's probably one of the more benign addictions to have on this planet, and it's pretty much impossible to consume enough of the stuff to harm you through any natural means (don't turn into a Saved By the Bell episode though and start popping pills).
Man, sodas can really mess you up, especially in the amounts you drink.
Phosphoric acid leaches the calcium from your bones. Enjoy Osteoporosis much? Oh, and drinking a glass of milk each day doesn't just balance things out.
The sugars in most sodas are one of the biggest contributors to childhood obesity in the western world. On the flip side, Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners, which have been linked (but not proven to be) carcinogenic.
God yes, I'v got those symptoms right now. Had an energy drink and some diet pepsi around 8 hours ago. I'm gonna try gabbing some water and a sugary snack instead this time to see if that gives me a boost. I really want to limit myself to just my 'morning fix' of caffine and ease myself out of that but feeling drowsy and headachey like this is awful.
I've heard all that stuff before...
Like I said, oral fixation and all that. When I was a kid, I drank probably a gallon of milk every three days. I've never broken a bone, and I have done some pretty retarded things. I still drink a ton of milk, actually.
As for carcinogens...well, everything is linked to cancer these days. In any case, cancer is not what kills the men in my family.
I wouldn't recommend being addicted to anything. Unfortunately, many people become addicted, either physically or psychologically, to any number of things. On the grand scale of things, caffeine addiction, or soda addiction or whatnot is not something to hold an intervention over.
Nearly every culture with access to caffeine uses caffeine, some doing so for thousands of years. It is absolutely one of the most trusted drugs in the world, and as I said before, as long as you don't try to directly ingest it, you're going to have to work hard to hurt yourself while using it (unpleasant effects arise long before you reach dangerous dosages). To the OP, just drink tea whenever the urge arises, and eventually scale back to herbal or just plain water. The caffeine will be out of your system pretty quickly.
It's not looking too rosy in soda land
But yeah when I was like 14 I drank Coke pretty hardcore, and when I quit cold turkey I went through pretty intense withdrawal for a week or so, before feeling much much better. I don't know if it was caffeine or sugar, but it was something! Though I do drink a lot of blended fruit smoothies through which are pretty high in natural fruit sugar and never feel any weird symptoms if I miss a day or two, so I'm leaning towards caffiene.
With in a fortnight i feel i was heavily dependent on caffinne. If i didn't have some by about 10am i would feel pretty much exhausted until i did. Then we normally had some kind of iced coffee again at about 2.
I reckon your plan is on the correct path, have a small amount of red bull to keep you going, but try and reduce it each day. I'm pretty sure you could slowly ween yourself off it.