Caffeine Addiction

If you brew your own coffee, slowly reduce the amount of grounds you brew with. See if that works. If you don't brew your own, find ways to slowly dilute the coffee you drink. See if that works.

While coffee is a mildly addictive substance, you shouldn't have to suffer major withdrawal from going without.

Coffee = Life in my house. Never thought of as an addiction. I drink coffee all day long.
If my husband has too much coffee and not enough food his stomach hurts.
I have a few friends that can not tolerate certain creamers and go for dairy free. Maybe these could be part of the issues you're having.

Why do you need to quit caffeine?

I love coffee but several years ago I developed an arrhythmia problem for almost a year due to too much caffeine (my Dr said) fortunately it cleared up so since then I drink the same amount but I make it with half decaf & have regular & get the same great taste

fatvegan88 wrote: »

I have problem. A drug addiction. Whether it's coffee, tea or chocolate, I need the sweet heart racing joy of caffeine. A addiction is defined as being anything that you continue to do despite the negative effects. For me, my stomach hurts after and the urge to go the bathroom is unwavering. If I give up caffeine I'm immediately constipated, despite the fact that I eat enough fiber to push anything through. I need around 2-3 caffeinated drinks or bars or whatever a day or I get the worst headaches I have ever had. I cannot function at all without it. Some people just think this is a fact of life but it's really a full blown addiction for me and as much as I don't have the same negative habits as a heroin addict, I still feel like it's a problem. I have tried to quit but the headaches and fatigue are so strong I'm running back for more the next day.

I was just wondering what people's thoughts were on this. Thanks

People have different sensitivities to caffeine. Some people can drink it all day long with no side effects. Others are very sensitive.

You can also become sensitive to it. That happened to me -- I went to the hospital emergency room twice in a week with high blood pressure and a racing heart after a lifetime of drinking as much coffee as I wanted with no problems. I love good coffee, but I don't love what happened to me. I cut it out of my life.

Like others have said, taper off it. Reduce the amount gradually and/or slowly replace with decaf to avoid the withdrawal headaches (decaf has caffeine too but not very much). My doctor told me 1 cup a day shouldn't hurt most people. But if you have a problem with it, then withdraw and see how you feel. Drink a lot of water instead and find an herb tea you like.

It obviously bothers you OP, and you consider it a problem. As such, you might try as others have suggested and cut down then taper off. This will limit the withdrawal symptoms you experience (headaches, constipation, fatigue) and allow you to adapt to less caffeine. You are welcome to your opinion, however, rather than saying addiction shows weakness, how about you consider that humans are creatures of habit, and habits can become addictive. I am addicted to caffeine, however I have no plan to reduce my 3-4 daily coffees as they bring me pleasure. Also, my morning coffee increases my morning workout performance, so another positive that outweighs any potential negatives for me. Also, I have skim milk in my coffee which increases my overall protein intake for the day! Wishing you every success in quitting though!

fatvegan88 wrote: »

I have problem. A drug addiction. Whether it's coffee, tea or chocolate, I need the sweet heart racing joy of caffeine. A addiction is defined as being anything that you continue to do despite the negative effects. For me, my stomach hurts after and the urge to go the bathroom is unwavering. If I give up caffeine I'm immediately constipated, despite the fact that I eat enough fiber to push anything through. I need around 2-3 caffeinated drinks or bars or whatever a day or I get the worst headaches I have ever had. I cannot function at all without it. Some people just think this is a fact of life but it's really a full blown addiction for me and as much as I don't have the same negative habits as a heroin addict, I still feel like it's a problem. I have tried to quit but the headaches and fatigue are so strong I'm running back for more the next day.

I was just wondering what people's thoughts were on this. Thanks

@fatvegan88 I expect you will find there are factors besides caffeine that come into play in your case but you can figure that out over time.

Being 66 and knowing that drinking coffee reduces risk of death from all causes in most humans I try to drink 3-6 cups daily.

Now my former carb addiction just about did me in until I cold turkey stopped that addiction in 2014. It was a hellish two weeks but keeping my total carbs just under 50 grams daily fixed my stomach hurts and the urge to to to the bathroom when it was not the right time/place for me after only 6 months of Low Carb High Fat.

Will that fix you I do not know since we are all different. Keep in mind most of us will have one or more addictions at the time of our death. Just work to make sure they are good addictions is what I try to do. One addiction I added three years ago was to walk at least one quarter of one mile every day. It messes with my mind to miss a day walking to the bottom of a steep hill and back up.

Best of success.

fatvegan88 wrote: »

It's not good to be addicted to something. I think it shows a weak will, just like a food or drug addiction. I don't drink dairy or have sugar.

Op do you realize there's legitimate health benefits to drinking coffee? That's one of the reasons why I recently cut back on diet soda to make room for the addition of coffee. If you don't want to keep drinking it then sure, cut it out. But doing so isn't going to be some big positive change to your diet and may actually ding it a bit.


eta: here's a good place to start
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/drink-up-health-benefits-of-coffee-are-numerous/

The head ache and fatigue goes away in a few days.