how to get over your caffeine addiction.

bearxfoo
bearxfoo Posts: 81 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The one thing I can't break myself of is drinking soda (DIET only though). I know it's horrible for you, it's like... chemicals and whatever but I have a server caffeine addiction. If I don't get any, I get these headaches that are seriously devastating.

I want to stop drinking it, not only as its unhealthy but it's a needless money sink.

So, if you've been in this spot, how did you get past it? What did you do to make the pain less?

Replies

  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
    Try drinking green tea! :)
    Natural caffeine, and a much lower dose than in a coffee.
  • Taylerr88
    Taylerr88 Posts: 320 Member
    coffee flavored protein powder
  • Snow__White
    Snow__White Posts: 1,650 Member
    i drink like 5 tea's a day
  • mms1268
    mms1268 Posts: 22
    Thanks for posting, I am currently fighting my Diet Coke addiction as well. I am terrified of these headaches as whenever I do try and reduce my DC, the headaches come on with a vengeance! I am anxious to hear what others have to say!
  • nikkiprickett
    nikkiprickett Posts: 412 Member
    oh my,
    I used to drink about 5 pops a day...
    i gave it up 10 years ago (just for fun, really)
    and haven't drank a drop since!!
    When i tried to drink it again after about a month of not, i literally got sick
    and never touched it again.

    I think the green tea suggestion is a good one!
    Also, just knowing once you give it up it'll make you sick once you try to drink it again might help :)
  • carrotstick2012
    carrotstick2012 Posts: 161
    Maybe wean off. Maybe instead of a full cup have 3/4 of a cup then cut it back to half, etc. Or instead of three a day, have two, then one.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    give up caffeine? no way...its not unhealthy and good coffee aint all that expensive unless you add junk...I love coffee

    why do that to yourself? its actually got some health benefits
  • liog
    liog Posts: 347 Member
    I drank caffeinated tea for a couple of weeks. I still drink tea every now and then.
  • trmecham
    trmecham Posts: 53
    I can't say I've broken caffeine, but I've broken soda.
  • perdie7
    perdie7 Posts: 266 Member
    I get serious headaches from c affine too. I used to drink 32oz of pop before noon every day. I kicked the caffine about 10 years ago.

    there are two ways, one, just do it! You will suffer major headaches for several days. take ibuprofen, CHECK YOUR PAIN RELIEVERS, ALOT OF THEM HAVE CAFFEINE IN THEM.

    the other way is to just slowly decrease the amount of caffeine you have each day.

    when I did it, I first cut out all after noon, then cut out entirely. I started by switching to a caffeine free pop, then a few years later I switched to decaf tea. So now no sugar substitutes and no caffeine, and no calories!
  • j1wright
    j1wright Posts: 286 Member
    Thanks for posting, I am currently fighting my Diet Coke addiction as well. I am terrified of these headaches as whenever I do try and reduce my DC, the headaches come on with a vengeance! I am anxious to hear what others have to say!

    Ask your physician about taking Topamax, it is for migraines and it makes carbonated beverages taste like crap. I used to drink 3 cans of diet coke a day and I have been taking it for three months now and have had two cans of diet coke the entire time. Just doesn't taste the same. Topamax helps the headaches.

    I do drink coffee and I hear there are some good things about coffee and I can't be perfect. :)
  • blondejillie
    blondejillie Posts: 305 Member
    Check with your doctor first, but I used the weaning method, and if I got a caffeine withdrawal headache I took an Excedrin. The Excedrin has a bit of caffeine but also kills the headache so it's kinda like Nicorrette and gradually you can withdraw.
  • ssdivot
    ssdivot Posts: 193
    I periodically get hooked on caffeine and weaning myself off works for me. I just wait til I feel the slightest bit of that headache and drink a cup and maybe take some aspirin and in a few days I'm off the stuff! Good luck, the headaches are horrible if you let them get going, that is for sure!
  • wayneturbeville
    wayneturbeville Posts: 1 Member
    I bought one 16oz diet coke a day and split it up wiened myself off of it slowly drank lots of water 8 plus cups a day flavored with Mio I have been off of diet coke a week and a half and I dont miss it.
  • ambutler0905
    ambutler0905 Posts: 31
    It's hard. I was diet soda free from dec - jan (until my dad had triple bypass surgery) and broke down and had a pepsi. I've been trying to stop ever since. Today was day 1 with no soda. I did have a coffee this moring, but no carbonated drinks so far. Good luck the headaches usually only last a couple days.
  • Perswaysion
    Perswaysion Posts: 69 Member
    Another vote for tea. I was a serious Mt. Dew drinker and over a period of 3 months I'm down to a half gallon of tea a week and no soda.
  • TheLukePhone
    TheLukePhone Posts: 30 Member
    I did a 90 day trial of no caffeine at all, and found that the headaches came on after 3-4 days of no caffeine, and they were literally devastating.. for 1 day. It was manageable, but I dont recommend the cold turkey approach if you are a big caffeine drinker. I was 3+ energy drinks per day, so I not only stopped a $350+ /month habit, I didnt have a heart attack and die at 25!

    I'm now 31, and I'm back to *MAYBE* 1 per week, sometimes none. A few coffees in the week to get me going on slow start days, but otherwise none.

    I've done 2 diet Pepsi's since I started this plan (4 weeks now), and I had a root beer this past weekend at a party.

    The caffeine habit isnt that serious if you do it in moderation; it's actually a recommended supplement in some circles!
  • sarafyna
    sarafyna Posts: 15 Member
    Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm a Coca-Cola addict :)

    First you treat it like any other addiction, admit it's there and then decide to take action against it.

    I am a 3 - 4 coke a day drinker usually. I haven't touched one in almost 2 1/2 weeks. A year ago, I went three months without one but that was due to medication that made it taste like absolute crap. I haven't really had any headaches this go round because I've been substituting with unsweetened tea. Usually a BC powder will knock a caffeine headache out as it has a decent amount in it. The headaches will go away as your body gets used to not having it. Honestly, I don't think it's the caffeine that your body will miss so much as the sugar. I still get really tired (like i feel like I'll sink through the floor) around 2:30 and at that point will eat a small Clif bar or grab some fruit and in a few minutes will feel much better.

    Good luck and remember it's not you, it's them and it's just better that way!
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I weened myself off ~1.2g of caffeine daily, just so I wouldn't need so much daily, slowly cut out it out little by little to lessen withdrawal
  • verapamil
    verapamil Posts: 94
    Thanks for posting, I am currently fighting my Diet Coke addiction as well. I am terrified of these headaches as whenever I do try and reduce my DC, the headaches come on with a vengeance! I am anxious to hear what others have to say!

    Ask your physician about taking Topamax, it is for migraines and it makes carbonated beverages taste like crap. I used to drink 3 cans of diet coke a day and I have been taking it for three months now and have had two cans of diet coke the entire time. Just doesn't taste the same. Topamax helps the headaches.

    I do drink coffee and I hear there are some good things about coffee and I can't be perfect. :)

    I don't know if I would recommend topamax just for caffeine withdrawl headaches. I took it for a couple years (2-3) for chronic migraines (17+ years now) and it did have other serious side effects. Can cause kidney stones if you don't drink lots of water, weird parts of your body getting "pins and needles" so painful it wakes you up (like your middle toe or the middle of your shin for no reason). It does make carbonated things taste yucky but it also makes you puke if you drink alcohol (it's used for alcoholics trying not to drink too), although it made me feel "drunk" when I first started taking it and raised my dose. It also makes it really hard to talk correctly. Like I would be thinking of "let's take the dog for a walk" and "let's take the blender to cement" would come out. Totally non-sensical words/thoughts that appear somewhere between your sensible brain and your mouth that will say anything. Definately worked great for migraines and I did lose a bunch of weight on it (it would make me not be hungry and forget to eat) but the only reason I would take it, would be for actual medical need.

    As for the caffeine addiction, tapering off is probably the best advice. Just drink less and less each day till eventually you don't need it at all. (although, I'm a total caffeine addict (drinking a diet coke right now) so I have no experience in actually giving it up) :happy:
  • shawnb2118
    shawnb2118 Posts: 1 Member
    I was drinking 3-4 coke zeros a day about a month ago and stopped cold turkey. I haven't had any coffee either and haven't had any headaches or anything. I don't if it is just me but I haven't had any problems. I work out before work so that ussually gives me a lot of energy during the day.
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    Caffeine isn't bad by itself, but the diet soda is just chemical crap. As for dropping the caffeine, two ways....hard and short or hard and long.

    Hard and long....try to ween yourself off it slowly by cutting back quantity or switching to black and then green tea, which are progressively lower in caffeine.

    Hard and short....drop it cold turkey. Just stop. Throw it all out of the house and make sure you don't pick up any randomly (fast food, vending machines, etc.). You'll have the headaches for 2-3 days (regular advil or tylenol do not have caffeine, excedrine and others do) and the feel like you're in a fog for several days after the headaches end. After about a week it will all be over and you'll probably end up feeling better than you do now.

    Every so often I have to kick coffee and clear my system. I drop it cold turkey and stay off it for a while before giving in and going back to drinking coffee.
  • lewandt
    lewandt Posts: 566 Member
    The headache goes away. After about 2 or 3 days you will feel great. I lived on Diet Mt Dew for years (and years) and quit in December or January. I have a soda once in a while but i carry a water bottle with me now.

    Last night we went out to eat and i ordered a diet dew (first one since) and i got 2 hours sleep last night. I was totally not tired and it kept me up all night. I didn't realize how much caffeine is in there (or how little i get now).

    Funny thing, it really did not taste that good. I was worried i would love it and go back to drinking it.

    I think from now on i will order water when we go out to eat (or a glass of wine...yum)
  • ttaylor68913
    ttaylor68913 Posts: 320 Member
    The one thing I can't break myself of is drinking soda (DIET only though). I know it's horrible for you, it's like... chemicals and whatever but I have a server caffeine addiction. If I don't get any, I get these headaches that are seriously devastating.

    I want to stop drinking it, not only as its unhealthy but it's a needless money sink.

    So, if you've been in this spot, how did you get past it? What did you do to make the pain less?
    been there done that.. I Gave pop up for lent (in feb) and had about 10 days of NASTY headaches. Just take some tylenol (midol has some caffine in it so thats an option ) and drink lots of water or ice tea. I'm 40 days pop free and havent really missed it. I had a swig of my husbands coke the other day (ew to start with) but it was NASTY and made my stomach hurt!. Just be bigger than your addiction and push through the head aches they eventually go away
  • bearxfoo
    bearxfoo Posts: 81 Member
    wow! lots of great advice.

    I guess I'll just give it a go and deal with the headaches. :)
  • AVinmill
    AVinmill Posts: 88 Member
    i was drinking a few big travel mugs of coffee a day and one day i just put the mug away and that was it. I had rough headaches and terribleness for about 2-3 days and ever since then no headaches. I now sleep better and feel better all day long, getting up in the morning is easier. I drink more water in place of the coffee and my workouts are way better. Caffeine effects everyone differently but well worth the few days of headaches in my case.
  • L33TBl0nde
    L33TBl0nde Posts: 54 Member
    I'm addicted to caffeine as well, but I only get it through black coffee and "Well" bottles :) both has low amount of calories. A cup of coffee is under 2cal...

    Ofc it's a problem if you dislike coffee, but then I would really recommend "Vitamin Well Focus".. Has caffein AND taste good.
  • hadlam
    hadlam Posts: 90
    I'm not sure if it was mind over matter but it worked for me. I was seriously addicted to evergy drinks 2 sometimes 3 a day, I tried to give up heaps of times but got the headaches too. Anyway my brother in law told me to start eating Green Apples (granny smith) daily. Apparently they slowly release caffine into your system and can help with caffine addiction. Now I only have one coffee a day and if I miss that it doesnt affect me. :D Good luck you'll get there.

Categories