Caffeine, alcohol & food addiction?!
KT_3009
Posts: 1,042 Member
For the past two years I was addicted to sugary energy drinks and would drink two a day without fail.. I would get withdrawal like symptoms if I went without one and I couldn't believe just how many calories were in one drink (225).
I'm two weeks free of energy drinks and the reason I gave up this "addiction" was after having a massive panic attack which had all the heart attack symptoms, and this scared me to the point I went cold turkey.
Have any of you battled addictions of any kind and if so would you share your story? I know how hard it is to give up something and to make it work but I'm 110% behind anyone who has dealt with an addiction or is still dealing with one!
I'm two weeks free of energy drinks and the reason I gave up this "addiction" was after having a massive panic attack which had all the heart attack symptoms, and this scared me to the point I went cold turkey.
Have any of you battled addictions of any kind and if so would you share your story? I know how hard it is to give up something and to make it work but I'm 110% behind anyone who has dealt with an addiction or is still dealing with one!
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Replies
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Two a day doesn't really sound like an "addiction", IMHO0
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I think using the word 'addiction' needs to be thought through a bit more. I see many people claiming to be 'addicted to food' - I used to be one of them. The fact was, I wasn't addicted at all - I just ate too much and didn't know when to stop. An addiction is extremely serious and needs to be treated professionally and thoroughly. Food addiction is a very real and very serious condition - as is a drug addiction, a drink addiction - etc.
It doesn't sound like you were addicted to energy drinks. You just drank more than necessary and enjoyed the taste and effects of them - but you've soon realized the error of your ways and limited your intake. Seriously, good for you. I don't have a very fond view on energy drinks because they are just packed with sugar. It's really no wonder regular drinkers experience nasty side effects.
I think in a lot of cases, once you learn the science behind calories, food, sugars, macro's etc - you tend to make better choices.
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ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »Two a day doesn't really sound like an "addiction", IMHO
Some class it as an addiction when you can't go without something for a day. It would get to the point where I would be shaking and get terrible mood swings if I didn't get my energy drink fix..0 -
Did you have to go through an inpatient program to get rid of your "addiction"? Rehab? Take methadone to wean off? Then no... it wasn't an addiction. You got the shakes because you were upped on caffeine and then started to crash.0
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ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »Two a day doesn't really sound like an "addiction", IMHO
Some class it as an addiction when you can't go without something for a day. It would get to the point where I would be shaking and get terrible mood swings if I didn't get my energy drink fix..
I'd say this is just typical energy drink side effects as opposed to addiction. People react differently to these sort of things. For example? I can drink a good 7 cups of coffee a day and feel absolutely nothing. My big bulky muscly boyfriend has ONE and just crashes totally afterwards.0 -
I think if it wasn't for my panic attack, I'd still be drinking them everyday and it probably would've gotten worse over time.. But that's just my opinion! Obviously people have different opinions of the meaning "addiction"! If you study up on things online there is a lot of different materials stating that it is an addiction others suggest it's not!
To each their own0 -
Yes, I agree with you.
But I think it's highly unlikely you were addicted as you say - Just experiencing some nasty effects.
As you say, every one has different views on what an addiction consists of. In my personal opinion, an addiction is when your body physically cannot handle being deficient of something. Drug addiction for example - your body becomes so reliant on getting the 'fix', that 'going cold Turkey' can actually be INCREDIBLY dangerous for your system. People go to extreme, serious lengths to feed an addiction. I just can't see that your craving for energy drinks can be on this level - but again, different opinions. Glad to see you've given up the energy drinks though! So much better for you!
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ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »Did you have to go through an inpatient program to get rid of your "addiction"? Rehab? Take methadone to wean off? Then no... it wasn't an addiction. You got the shakes because you were upped on caffeine and then started to crash.
Do all smokers that have been addicted to nicotine for years need to go through impatient... NO! Also not many addictions need the use of medications such as methadone0 -
PinkPixiexox wrote: »Yes, I agree with you.
But I think it's highly unlikely you were addicted as you say - Just experiencing some nasty effects.
As you say, every one has different views on what an addiction consists of. In my personal opinion, an addiction is when your body physically cannot handle being deficient of something. Drug addiction for example - your body becomes so reliant on getting the 'fix', that 'going cold Turkey' can actually be INCREDIBLY dangerous for your system. People go to extreme, serious lengths to feed an addiction. I just can't see that your craving for energy drinks can be on this level - but again, different opinions. Glad to see you've given up the energy drinks though! So much better for you!
There actually have been a lot of case studies about "energy drink addiction" obviously those people have it a lot worse than what I did but it's definitely classed as an addiction.. Many doctors state it is like any other addiction where you feel reliant on this "energy hit" and when you surpass that, you keep upping your dose! Same goes with drugs and alcohol where you start off getting high/drunk easily at the start but when your body gets used to that you feel the need to have more until it gets out of control!
But I see your side of view point as well0 -
PinkPixiexox wrote: »Yes, I agree with you.
But I think it's highly unlikely you were addicted as you say - Just experiencing some nasty effects.
As you say, every one has different views on what an addiction consists of. In my personal opinion, an addiction is when your body physically cannot handle being deficient of something. Drug addiction for example - your body becomes so reliant on getting the 'fix', that 'going cold Turkey' can actually be INCREDIBLY dangerous for your system. People go to extreme, serious lengths to feed an addiction. I just can't see that your craving for energy drinks can be on this level - but again, different opinions. Glad to see you've given up the energy drinks though! So much better for you!
There actually have been a lot of case studies about "energy drink addiction" obviously those people have it a lot worse than what I did but it's definitely classed as an addiction.. Many doctors state it is like any other addiction where you feel reliant on this "energy hit" and when you surpass that, you keep upping your dose! Same goes with drugs and alcohol where you start off getting high/drunk easily at the start but when your body gets used to that you feel the need to have more until it gets out of control!
But I see your side of view point as well
In which case, thank god you're off them!
Go you! Keep up the self control!0 -
Thank you, obviously it is hard some days but I can enjoy better things now haha0
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my guess it was the lack of caffeine and not the sugar. and it's not uncommon to have nasty side effects from not getting the regular amount of caffeine0
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It most probably could have been the caffeine, but many people don't count coffee/caffeine as an addiction! Which if you are someone having more than 3 cups of strong coffee a day and you have that everyday, I'd call that an addiction. I think people misinterpret the word addiction and think it's only meant for those battling drugs/smoking and alcohol but you do have these other addictions; which they may not be as "dangerous" but they are still something you can't live without0
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There has been considerable discussion on this board about what addiction means. For people who have had to overcome a chemical addiction (say, to Heroin or Oxycontin), calling food or sugar an "addiction" is insulting. Yes, we can be drawn to these foods and yes, it takes some effort to control the cravings, but it's not quite at the same level.
There's new understanding on addiction and anticipation. We've known for some time that there's a dopamine response to the anticipation of a treat (lots of rat studies). But dopamine is no longer regarded as a reward response. It's an anticipation response, gearing us up to go get us some!
And it's not like we can go "cold turkey" on food. We need food to live.0 -
Recovering alcoholic here. Bout all I can share is my Best move is to be directed toward healthy choices, because I Love to overdo. I like cake? Well let's have 2pieces. YOU NAME IT. Lol
Thesr days i just laugh, cut back on whatever I'm overdoing and suffer through my consequences.
Grateful today to be moderate in all things. Just takes a program of recovery ans 10000 meetings.
(Joking aside, always happy to share.)0 -
I've been a very heavy drinker for quite a few years...i think alot of it was self medicating my anxiety and depression. The worse my depression got, the more I drank. I ended up in a psych lockup for about 24 hours one night...which really caused me to stop and re evaluate the way I was living my life.
I'd like to say I quit right then and there...but I didn't. Made a few attempts but fell off the wagon each time. Got talked into AA meetings and so far I've been sober for a little over 2 months.
Feels good.0 -
There has been considerable discussion on this board about what addiction means. For people who have had to overcome a chemical addiction (say, to Heroin or Oxycontin), calling food or sugar an "addiction" is insulting. Yes, we can be drawn to these foods and yes, it takes some effort to control the cravings, but it's not quite at the same level.
There's new understanding on addiction and anticipation. We've known for some time that there's a dopamine response to the anticipation of a treat (lots of rat studies). But dopamine is no longer regarded as a reward response. It's an anticipation response, gearing us up to go get us some!
And it's not like we can go "cold turkey" on food. We need food to live.
I never said that what I had was as bad as an addiction to hard drugs and prescription pills but people do need to realise there are other addictions out there! They may not be as bad but can they still be classified as an addiction?.. In my opinion yes they can. Knowing people that have been so addicted to coffee/caffeine that they were needing to increase their dose nearly fortnightly and would have physical reactions to not having their normal consumption leads me to believe that this is an addiction.
Not on the same scale of drugs and alcohol but at the same time every addiction starts off the same; You try something for the first time and you either get a high out of it, get an increase of energy or you just enjoy it. From there it depends on that persons willpower to overcome their addiction which can be incredibly hard!0 -
For the past two years I was addicted to sugary energy drinks and would drink two a day without fail.. I would get withdrawal like symptoms if I went without one and I couldn't believe just how many calories were in one drink (225).
I'm two weeks free of energy drinks and the reason I gave up this "addiction" was after having a massive panic attack which had all the heart attack symptoms, and this scared me to the point I went cold turkey.
Have any of you battled addictions of any kind and if so would you share your story? I know how hard it is to give up something and to make it work but I'm 110% behind anyone who has dealt with an addiction or is still dealing with one!
Kuddos for accepting that you were going over the limit in something and felt you needed to adjust. Addiction or not, excessive amounts of anything has its problems, and you ID'd for yourself what you should change. Each day you make that choice is a day closer to the life you want to have.0 -
Sweet_Heresy wrote: »I've been a very heavy drinker for quite a few years...i think alot of it was self medicating my anxiety and depression. The worse my depression got, the more I drank. I ended up in a psych lockup for about 24 hours one night...which really caused me to stop and re evaluate the way I was living my life.
I'd like to say I quit right then and there...but I didn't. Made a few attempts but fell off the wagon each time. Got talked into AA meetings and so far I've been sober for a little over 2 months.
Feels good.
I'm also a fellow anxiety sufferer, I am on medication and some days it makes you feel so terrible
That's amazing to have come so far! Each day is a new goal so keep up the hard work. 0 -
MarcyKirkton wrote: »Recovering alcoholic here. Bout all I can share is my Best move is to be directed toward healthy choices, because I Love to overdo. I like cake? Well let's have 2pieces. YOU NAME IT. Lol
Thesr days i just laugh, cut back on whatever I'm overdoing and suffer through my consequences.
Grateful today to be moderate in all things. Just takes a program of recovery ans 10000 meetings.
(Joking aside, always happy to share.)
Thanks for sharing! Hopefully this post didn't offend you in any way I got a rude inbox before saying some stuff and I feel terrible if people have taken this thread in the wrong way..
Best of luck and keep up with the recovery, you can kick alcohols *kitten* 0 -
mysteps2beauty wrote: »For the past two years I was addicted to sugary energy drinks and would drink two a day without fail.. I would get withdrawal like symptoms if I went without one and I couldn't believe just how many calories were in one drink (225).
I'm two weeks free of energy drinks and the reason I gave up this "addiction" was after having a massive panic attack which had all the heart attack symptoms, and this scared me to the point I went cold turkey.
Have any of you battled addictions of any kind and if so would you share your story? I know how hard it is to give up something and to make it work but I'm 110% behind anyone who has dealt with an addiction or is still dealing with one!
Kuddos for accepting that you were going over the limit in something and felt you needed to adjust. Addiction or not, excessive amounts of anything has its problems, and you ID'd for yourself what you should change. Each day you make that choice is a day closer to the life you want to have.
Thankyou for the lovely comment! and I have my days where I find it so hard not to go back and just keep on drinking energy drinks, but at the same time I feel so much healthier and fulfilled by giving them up 0 -
Might it be giving food too much power to say it is addictive, as if there is no way we can control the cravings?
Sometimes the foods we choose is out of habit more than anything else. It can be dastardly hard to break a habit once formed. That has nothing to do with the intrinsic quality of the food, and everything to do with the habit-forming parts of our brain. I like Duhigg's suggestion that we identify the triggers and rewards from the automatic habits we have during the day, and disrupt them. Find more productive rewards for our triggers. For example, he found he was heading to the cafeteria every afternoon for a pastry. On analysis, he realized his trigger was boredom, and a need to socialize. To disrupt his old pattern, he gets up every afternoon and socializes a bit. He takes care of the need in a non-food way.0 -
I quit smoking one day after 27+ years.
I just ... one random day 4 years ago ... stopped.
Don't make it out to be any more than it is.
You quit drinking energy drinks. I quit smoking. So what? No. Big. Deal. For either of us.
Life moves on. Go live it.
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SergeantSausage wrote: »I quit smoking one day after 27+ years.
I just ... one random day 4 years ago ... stopped.
Don't make it out to be any more than it is.
You quit drinking energy drinks. I quit smoking. So what? No. Big. Deal. For either of us.
Life moves on. Go live it.
Amazing effort to have done that!! But FYI I wasn't trying to make a big deal of anything I am allowed to write what I want on my own thread and I'm allowed to have an opinion on things just like you and everyone else that commented is allowed!
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Good for you, @SargeantSausage . My father, however, had many failed attempts. It wasn't until a diagnosis, the nicotine patch, and three months of grumpiness that he was finally free.0
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I think its okay to call it an addiction. An addiction could be many things. Theres many things people could be addicted to that dont fall under drugs or alcohol but are still potentially a danger to them. I think anything that a person has hard time controlling or stopping classifies as addiction. Sometimes looking at these habits as an addiction is a good way to have it click in your head that it needs to stop.
OP congrats on your accomplishment.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »I quit smoking one day after 27+ years.
I just ... one random day 4 years ago ... stopped.
Don't make it out to be any more than it is.
You quit drinking energy drinks. I quit smoking. So what? No. Big. Deal. For either of us.
Life moves on. Go live it.
Amazing effort to have done that!!
Actually, no. It wasn't. That's my point and you missed it entirely.
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SergeantSausage wrote: »SergeantSausage wrote: »I quit smoking one day after 27+ years.
I just ... one random day 4 years ago ... stopped.
Don't make it out to be any more than it is.
You quit drinking energy drinks. I quit smoking. So what? No. Big. Deal. For either of us.
Life moves on. Go live it.
Amazing effort to have done that!!
Actually, no. It wasn't. That's my point and you missed it entirely.
It wasnt an effort for you, but quitting smoking or energy drinks could he a big deal for someone else. Quitting smoking for me was a breeze but I know many who really struggled for years.0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »SergeantSausage wrote: »I quit smoking one day after 27+ years.
I just ... one random day 4 years ago ... stopped.
Don't make it out to be any more than it is.
You quit drinking energy drinks. I quit smoking. So what? No. Big. Deal. For either of us.
Life moves on. Go live it.
Amazing effort to have done that!!
Actually, no. It wasn't. That's my point and you missed it entirely.
I think you are fortunate and I too as I am very non addictive and find it easy to quit things.. not everyone is the same, so to just say do it like me isn't always realistic for everyone. It can be an extreme hurdle for people. My dad quit smoking and 15 years later he said he would eat a cig. sandwich he wanted one so badly.0 -
Sorry for "complimenting" what you achieved.. Oh, am I missing the point again well I don't care and don't comment again on here thanksSergeantSausage wrote: »SergeantSausage wrote: »I quit smoking one day after 27+ years.
I just ... one random day 4 years ago ... stopped.
Don't make it out to be any more than it is.
You quit drinking energy drinks. I quit smoking. So what? No. Big. Deal. For either of us.
Life moves on. Go live it.
Amazing effort to have done that!!
Actually, no. It wasn't. That's my point and you missed it entirely.-2
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