Help! I’m addicted to crack!

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Replies

  • mabear74
    mabear74 Posts: 248
    I used to drink 2 8cup pots a day and have cut back to 1 pot in the morning while I am getting the 6 kiddos off to school. I will not give it up entirely. I did that once and my oldest daughter made me a pot of coffee and begged me to drink it! I don't add all the "frilly" stuff to anymore, so I'm not that worried about. I drink my water, and also drink a lot of hot green tea.......
  • SGartz
    SGartz Posts: 57
    Before banishing your self to the pit of unending fire for all of eternity, let me give you a fire and brimstone anti-coffee pitch:

    I began drinking coffee at age 14 thanks to my over the top addicted grandmother who drank probably 1 - 2 pots - thats old style 32 ounce coffee POTS a day.

    While I never drank THAT much coffee, by the time I was in my twenties I was lobbing triple shot expressos 3 to 4 times a week.

    My love of coffee continued through my early 40's until my addiction became apparent to others.

    My wife said that I had an "anger" problem and noticed I was extremely irritable. I began realizing I was no longer drinking a cup of coffee - but a cup of anger. My doctor said I was suffering from anxiety that too much caffiene could easily contribute to.

    Furthermore, my stomach became a seething cauldron of acid. I didn't have to GO to hell - hell came to me as the fires of torment burned in my stomach. My gastroenterologist said that coffee would be a huge contributer to my diagnosis of G.I.R.D. (gastro-intestinal reflux disease) and suggested I stop drinking coffee immediately.

    Did I? No way. I LOVED coffee. SO I had him prescribe hi-octane acid pump inhibitors which worked like a charm...until my late 40's, when I literally began choking on my own saliva.

    I asked if he could prescribe a stronger medication. NOPE, I had maxed out.

    Most recently, if I drink coffee, I invite a day of agony. It's that simple. After the horrible headache withdrawels, which last maybe a day or two, I began a regimen of tea.

    Yea, tea is not coffee...tea SUCKS compared to coffee. Keep drinking it. After awhile the memory of coffee goodness (stay away from the smell though) begins to wane and you grow to actually see why the English prefer tea.

    SO - the lesson is that no man knows when his day of reckoning with his coffee addiction may come. It comes like a thief in the night. If you refuse to head this warning - eternal torment awaits.

    Great read! Thanks for that. It sure is a very underestimated substance - I'm looking forward to my experiment!
  • Painten
    Painten Posts: 499 Member
    I gave up when i found out i was pg with my first. I had to give up smoking at the same time but i wanted to give up everything. I just gave up cold turkey. I started back on the coffee not long after i'd had my son. He's almost 6 now and i have a 4 year old. I am still not guaranteed a night sleep so i depend on my coffee.
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    I've made a decision.

    I'm going to experiment and give up for 1 week as someone suggested. I'll report all side effects here!

    (Starting tomorrow of course!)

    *hearty laugh*

    Wish i could follow you around for that week....would be fun to watch :D
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
    If you gave up then I want to be like you, you look like a sea captain or something. That's awesome!

    :laugh: RoadDog, the sea captain... ARRRRR :laugh:

    That stings a little bit for a Marine. No Marine wants to be called a Sailor. Ooof!
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    If you gave up then I want to be like you, you look like a sea captain or something. That's awesome!

    :laugh: RoadDog, the sea captain... ARRRRR :laugh:

    That stings a little bit for a Marine. No Marine wants to be called a Sailor. Ooof!

    It was his coffee addiction speaking! Its a monster, i tell you!
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  • SGartz
    SGartz Posts: 57
    If you gave up then I want to be like you, you look like a sea captain or something. That's awesome!

    :laugh: RoadDog, the sea captain... ARRRRR :laugh:

    That stings a little bit for a Marine. No Marine wants to be called a Sailor. Ooof!

    What have I become!!
  • LizaJayne
    LizaJayne Posts: 7
    Do not go cold turkey. It's too hard on your system. Caffeine dilates your blood vessels, if you stop cold turkey they will constrict and that's what gives people horrible headaches. That's why some headache medications (like Excedrin Migraine) have caffeine in them, to open the vessels and have your head stop pounding. It can also be added to an IV for caffeine addicted patients who are hospitalized. Wean off slowly. I started with a cup of regular, a cup of decaf. Then I would switch to one cup regular, two cups decaf. Now they have the half and half to purchase so you could try that.

    Also, recent studies show up to four cups a days helps a person focus, whereas more than that is not good for us. It can raise your cholesterol and glucose levels.

    Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), not G.I.R.D., is the backup of stomach acid into your esophagus which causes severe heartburn. Uncorrected it can lead to things as bad as cancer. Coffee does not cause it. In most cases it's from being overweight and/or overeating. Of course, coffee is acidic so you can see where it doesn't help anything if reflux is already occuring. Even losing ten pounds has decreased my symptoms significantly.

    I have one cup every morning, then mostly decaf the rest of the time. Somedays I just need a little boost so I'll have another cup or two of regular.

    Do your reseach (on reliable websites - like a .edu or a .gov) and talk to your doctor.

    And congrats on taking the step to take better care of yourself.
  • yyzdnl
    yyzdnl Posts: 127 Member
    I love coffee and think caffeine is a fine example of better living through the use of chemicals. :tongue:

    Funny thing is my coffee drinking is about a 1/3 of what it was before I started getting fit and working out in the morning. I just don't seem to crave it after a couple of cups when I get to work.
  • sbwood888
    sbwood888 Posts: 953 Member
    Why give it up? Coffee is a beautiful thing. Love my morning cup. :love:
  • sociable15
    sociable15 Posts: 98
    I attempted a few years ago and did well. I cut back then switched to half decaf then cut it out. I got pretty massive terrible headaches for about a week but then it went away. I was good for about a year....then I started graduate school. And, four years later, i'm at the tail end of said graduate school and slammed in the thick of my thesis research. And 40 hours of work. And a 2 1/2 year old. And planning a wedding and buying a house.

    Needless to say I'm back drinking coffee.
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
    The crazy think is, I hardly touch the stuff at home, it's just through the week at work. I notive on a weekend I get a fuzzy head so I purposely make a cup and the fuzzyness goes away. Should I go cold turkey or limit myself to so many cups per day?

    My uncle is 92 and made the hard choice to give up his lifelong pleasure, coffee. After finally making the transition he had a regular doctors visit and his doctor ordered him to drink one cup a day - due to heart rythrm problems and other issues. He is presently undecided, but probably going to follow the doctors advice. You can check it out on webmd or similar.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    When I gave it up, I drank green tea and I only had one minor headache on day two. I was drinking between 6 and 8 cups a day. I have since gone back to it, but now I only add fat free cream. I was having cream and sugar in every cup.
  • brattyworm
    brattyworm Posts: 2,137 Member
    If you gave up then I want to be like you, you look like a sea captain or something. That's awesome!

    :laugh: RoadDog, the sea captain... ARRRRR :laugh:

    That stings a little bit for a Marine. No Marine wants to be called a Sailor. Ooof!

    Thats only because the Marines are part of the Navy.. lol.. but shh don't tell them that they don't like to be reminded of it.


    on a different note, coffee actually pulls the calcium from your bones.. just another reason to consider breaking or limiting that habit. I never did become a coffee drinker despite being a sailor for 6 years.... i do fru fru coffees occasionally but dont like the normal stuff.
  • MarybethAltizer
    MarybethAltizer Posts: 226 Member
    I made myself switch to half and half, and it is GROSS. Makes me not want to drink as much. Also, picked up green tea, and I brew it hot, so that I still get that "comfort" lol.....Now I don't even get a headache if I don't have my coffee which is awesome considering I am a recovering 12 cup a day addict. :P
  • StaceyL76
    StaceyL76 Posts: 711 Member
    I gave up coffee for almost 4 years.. At first I had headaches, fatigue, and nausea.. It only lasted about a week.

    I did start drinking coffee indulgently in July and now I am full on addicted again! LOVE MY FRENCH PRESS! LOL

    I am not giving it up anytime soon. This isn't the worst vise in the world.. I love my coffee and tea. It could be worse right? Say doughnuts, candy bars, crack, smokes..

    LOL, good luck. You can do anything you put your mind too. I gave up smoking just over 8 years ago.. Truly, the key is wanting to.
    You can do it! The withdrawl isn't that bad! Just have something to replace your coffee with like water or smoothies.
  • TK266
    TK266 Posts: 3,638 Member
    I suggest taking up crack, as it will be easier to quit then coffee :laugh: :laugh: I :heart: my coffee :drinker:
  • Contrary03
    Contrary03 Posts: 289 Member
    Hey Crack-head~ lmao!... I will never give coffee up...EVER! I gave soda up thats enough in my book. Can't take everything i love away from me! I refuse to let go of the one thing i love the most in life following my better half & children ofcourse!~ I do feel guilty about the way i drink it cuz i love all the flavored creamers~ Almond Joy ROCKS!!! I will cut calories somewhere else in my diet thankyou!!!~ Good luck!
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
    [/quote]

    That stings a little bit for a Marine. No Marine wants to be called a Sailor. Ooof!
    [/quote]

    Thats only because the Marines are part of the Navy.. lol.. but shh don't tell them that they don't like to be reminded of it.


    [/quote]

    I don't have any problem with the Navy. They always got us to the battle on time.
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    [


    [/quote]

    I don't have any problem with the Navy. They always got us to the battle on time.
    [/quote]


    hahaha I have to brothers-in-law that are ex-navy. I bet they would take exception to that statement!
  • momtozmc
    momtozmc Posts: 418 Member
    I would never give up coffee... my children and co-workers don't want me to give up coffee!!!

    I only have one LARGE cup (probably 2 cups of strong coffee) a day... EVERY DAY or I risk being taken away in a straight jacket or in hand cuffs! And there are lots of hand-cuffs where I work!!!!

    L.
  • swiss31
    swiss31 Posts: 197 Member
    I haven't had a cup of coffee since I was 7. I tried it, hated it, never wanted another sip. Now I hate everything about coffee, from the silly prices people will pay at Starbucks, to the awful smells... my dad is a chain smoker and I just see too many similarities in smoking and drinking coffee... they both are addicting (as you can read in this thread), they both stain your teeth and they both make your breath smell... both can be pretty expensive habits, and make you irritable when people say you need to stop... I'm just waiting for the first anti-coffee campaigns to start taking place and a surgeons general warning on all things containing caffine...

    I guess I am one of the lucky ones that will never get into the coffee addiction. I like a warm cup of tea on occasion, but only when I'm sick. If I'm struggling to stay awake, I'll drink a Red Bull or take a NoDoze pill, which I know is terrible for me but sometimes you just have to.
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
    i'm a cranky biotch without coffee. i limit myself to 2 cups per day. if i don't have caffeine i will get headaches. i am slowly trying to wean myself off though. i used to drink like 6 cups a day!
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
    But... how do you poop without coffee? :laugh:

    I love my coffee too much to give it up (I love the Sugar Free creamers with it). I'm trying to get away from the "all or nothing" mentality and learn "everything in moderation." This includes my coffee (I try to stick to 1 or 2 cups a day).
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