I'm addicted and I need help...
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raisealittlehell wrote: »OP - if you did not get your coffee fix …would you pick up a gun and rob the nearest convenience store for money/coffee to fulfill your "caffeine" fix; or would you go rummage through a dumpster for coffee grounds? If not, then you are not addicted and just need to learn self control.
How is addiction measured by the propensity to commit a crime? Addiction is defined as "the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming."
So yes, someone could have a caffeine addiction without it just being a lack of "self control". Without it they can have withdrawal symptoms "headaches, nausea, shakes, etc" as you would if you were addicted to a controlled/illegal substance. Does that mean they are going to go rob a convenience store? No. Just because someone is addicted to drugs doesn't mean that they go a hold up stores or panhandle for money. Do people do that? Absolutely, but not everyone with an addiction is a criminal.
Perhaps instead of belittling someone and saying its just "self control" look at the actual facts. Caffeine is classified as being addictive just like drugs or alcohol. Someone people can cut it out cold turkey, others need a more gradual process. Everyone struggles with something, and we all have a lack of willpower at times. However, it is not for you or I to judge her or put her down. A little encouragement can go a long way.
Furthermore I think she was using the word "addiction" in a very loose sense and not clinically speaking.
OP- try doing one less spoonful then you normally do and see how that goes. If it fits into your calories for the day, and its something you enjoy then I wouldn't worry about it. We all have our vices.
and do I really have to list every action that a potential addict would take to point out the idiocy of saying that one is addicted to coffee...I mean I can start listing them if you really want...I was just using two quick ones...
There are a lot of smokers in this world that wouldn't commit a crime for a cigarette either, but they would go out of their way for said cigarette/nicotine. The same can be said for coffee/caffeine.
I would suspect that a heroin addict wouldn't commit all that many crimes either if they could run to the convenience store for their fix.
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Just fit it into your calories if you really want to have it. There are low calorie creamers, and you have said you can tolerate stevia, that brings the calorie count down some, if you want the real thing, just allow for it.
For many of us, this is a lifestyle change. If you can not totally give some food/beverage up, just make it work into your calories for each day.0 -
Caffeine has certain advantages. Just log it and carry on with your day.0
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I've trained myself to drink it black with a little splenda0
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melimomTARDIS wrote: »measure out what you want to use, and make it fit into your day. I like my coffee really milky/creamy so I use either almond milk when I am losing weight (30 cals per cup) or lowfat milk when I am in maintenance (100 cals per cup)
When I put Almond milk in my coffee, it curdles!! How do you make it not do that?
OP - Have you tried coffee mate? You can get sugar free, and in all different flavors and it's delicious. Also, I found french vanilla flavored coconut milk made especially for coffee, and if you like sweet creamy coffee, you should love this.0 -
This reminds me of the thread yesterday about the Key Lime Pie. There was a big debate over what the OP meant when she said they "shouldn't be allowed to make this stuff".
Ya'll need to chillax and not take some things so literally. I'm beginning to realize that some people argue for the sake of arguing. Sad, really.0 -
I like my coffee regular. Sometimes with some Dewar's or Tullamore Dew in it.
Sometimes with a pao de quiejo.
People concerned about coffee need to step back and ensure they have the big stuff handled before they freak about the minor shizz.0 -
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and by little you mea 50/50 ratio, right?
Right?0 -
There are plenty of sugar-free creamers that clock in at 15 calories. Or you could take a tablespoon of chocolate syrup and spread it out over three cups for 50 calories total (I did that over Christmas when all my creamer was used).0
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snowflake930 wrote: »
Well, now that I have a water bath to heat things, that would be an easy way to heat up the baileys for breakfast.0 -
raisealittlehell wrote: »
I am pointing out the fallacy of using the word "addiction" for self control issues...
last time I checked, people were not checking themselves into rehab centers because they were addicted to caffeine...
and do I really have to list every action that a potential addict would take to point out the idiocy of saying that one is addicted to coffee...I mean I can start listing them if you really want...I was just using two quick ones...
OP - have you ever taken 500.00 out of the ATM at 4am in the morning to fulfill your coffee addiction? < is that better?[/quote]
There have been studies, that show that caffeine is an addictive substance along the same lines as drugs and alcohol. To quote from a study done in 1994 by Dr. Roland Griffiths and Dr. Eric Strain in the department of psychiatry and behavior sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore "Some people are addicted to caffeine in the same way that others are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or intravenous drugs." The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders) has included Caffeine withdrawal as a mental health disorder.
Why is something only an addiction if you have to go to rehab for it? Do you know how many people are alcoholics/ drug addicts that never go to rehab? Or that addicts have to go to great lengths to acquire what it is that they need.
According to the DSM if you meet 3 or more of the criteria below you are labled as being addicted:
Tolerance: Does the patient tend to need more of the drug over time to get the same effect?
Withdrawal symptoms: Does the patient experience withdrawal symptoms when he or she does not use the drug?
Continued use of drug despite harm: Is the patient experiencing physical or psychological harm from the drug?
Loss of control: Does the patient take the drug in larger amounts, or for longer than planned?
Attempts to cut down: Has the patient made a conscious, but unsuccessful, effort to reduce his or her drug use?
Salience: Does the patient spend significant time obtaining or thinking about the drug, or recovering from its effects?
Reduced involvement: Has the patient given up or reduced his or her involvement in social, occupational or recreational activities due to the drug?
Do all people who drink coffee have an addiction? No. Just like not everyone who drinks copious amounts of alcohol is an alcoholic.
You mentioned that you were pointing out the fallacy of using the word addiction for self control issues.
I am pointing out the fallacy in your line of reasoning that cafeine addiction does not exisit.
"Fallacy: "a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument"
My point being that you are basing the word "addiction" and being "addicted" on your own preconceived notion of what that entails. If you personally do not believe that someone can be addicted to caffeine, than you are more than entitled to that opinion. But ones opinions are just that OPINIONS not fact.
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OK I give up ...OP is addicted to coffee and should check herself into a 12 step program immediately.
Also, we can now use the word "addiction" to describe every behavior that one has a problem .and use it as a crutch for every single problem.
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Silk brand Almond Milk Vanilla Creamer...20 calls per tbsp. They carry lots of different flavors.
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When I'm making my own coffee I usually add 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk (10 calories) and two flavored international delight creamer singles (30 calories each). For 70 calories a cup, it's surprisingly sweet and creamy! I've also seen International Delight sugar free & fat free creamers in stores; I've tried the Pumpkin Pie flavor and was impressed, too!0
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OK I give up ...OP is addicted to coffee and should check herself into a 12 step program immediately.
Also, we can now use the word "addiction" to describe every behavior that one has a problem .and use it as a crutch for every single problem.
So now a product that causes a chemical dependency (caffeine) ='s every behavior? MFP and their extremes...
Come on, dude.
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OK I give up ...OP is addicted to coffee and should check herself into a 12 step program immediately.
Also, we can now use the word "addiction" to describe every behavior that one has a problem .and use it as a crutch for every single problem.
So now a product that causes a chemical dependency (caffeine) ='s every behavior? MFP and their extremes...
Come on, dude.
Look at politics, what he's proposing has already been in practice for years.0 -
2 tbs of half & half is 40 calories. I don't like sugar in my coffee but I *need* something creamy to break the acidity. Half & half does the trick for me, since you don't need much to make the coffee creamy.0
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I never got hooked on coffee, but I get my caffeine hit from tea and diet sodas. Years ago I switched to black (part of getting control of my blood sugars). Sometimes I change up my tea with the flavoured sugar-free syrups. I think you can change up your routine while keeping your pleasure by experimenting a little bit.
It is really, really hard to change a habit, especially if it gives you pleasure.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/it-s-all-about-habit-change-715479
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I have it with a tablespoon of liquid creamer to 16-20oz of coffee. I usually buy the sugar-free creamers because they're lower in calories, but if I find a regular one I like I'll use it and not worry about it. I allow myself up to three a day, and with regular old Coffeemate creamers that's only 105 calories (and I usually only actually have one or two; three is pretty rare).
If I'm going to have more coffee than that, I drink it black... but I always start my day with at least one with creamer.0
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