I quit caffeine in 2001.
I was addicted.
My family noticed that I read very angry and difficult to be around in Saturday mornings. I got really bad headaches.
this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2024
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Yes and no.
Yes I'm a caffeine addict. But I'm also a coffee snob (for myself. I dont care what other people drink, those that do suck). If i just wanted the caffeine, I'd go back to slamming monsters like I did in college. I wouldn't be spending the amount of time I do to get the best cup of coffee I can.
Think of it this way. Sure, I could just eat microwaved meals or other pre-prepared meals all day every day, but there's a reason I will often to take the time to make a nice home-cooked meals (beyond budget reasons). Same reason people bother making cocktails instead of just throwing back shots
E: just to add, this isn't new information to 95% of us. We're all well aware we're addicts.
Oh I'm definitely an addict. Sometimes the first sip is way too good to just be about the taste. Its a bit annoying during the summer, coffee makes me sweat too much, but if I haven't had a cup by 1pm or so, then I get a bad headache.
While I suppose it could be good to reset the caffeine addiction (it takes 3 weeks), three cups of black coffee is generally healthy. In fact, the mayo clinic (and many other sources/studies show that drinking coffee daily may help with preventing Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, including liver cancer, heart attack, and stroke. Plus it's an antioxidant and helps you shit regularly.
There are some risks as well, but less of them and they're more like possible issues that you may want to stop drinking coffee for if you have any of the symptoms.
So if you're a "coffee addict", at least your addiction is making you live longer and healthier.
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(3 replies)
There's quite a dissonance between this post's title and body
Just three? Pfft, lightweights.
Maybe, but it really isn't like other substances. It's much. Much easier to quit. I don't know if you have ever smoked nicotine or tried to quit that. But it was the hardest thing I believe I've ever done in my life. Id rather roll around in broken glass for 4-5 months. 2 years later and I still get cravings. I do not feel the same way after quiting caffeine. I was a little tired. Maybe a little irritable for a couple days. But it was nothing like the physical, all body encompassing cravings for nicotine.
I'm both. I'm addicted to caffeine, but I'm also a coffee snob that appreciates a good coffee blend prepared by a skilled barista.
I'd rather go without caffeine than drink bad coffee or hyper sweet energy drinks, yet at the same time I take yerba mate to work every day, because I appreciate both its taste and its caffeine.
So yeah, both...
I am a "coffee person", as opposed to a "tea person". Sure, I'm addicted. But so are the people that have a six pack of Coke every day, or a couple of Monster energy drinks (surprise!, all the energy is from caffeine!)
I think the difference is there is no evidence that it's a harmful addiction, growing evidence that stimulants like caffeine and Adderall protect the brain, and no growing tolerance, one big cup of coffee for me on weekdays & weekends for years, but even a small one will prevent withdrawals.
So yes, physically addictive but not unhealthy.
I wanted to add an anecdote:
I have on occasion had a migraine so bad that I couldn't eat for days, vomiting, so the caffeine withdrawal headache just got wrapped up in the overall migraine.
A couple of times this happened, I figured I'd leverage it to quit caffeine. What was the result of these caffeine free months, or one time a year? More frequent migraines and about 3lb of extra weight. I found no upside to quitting, personally. The steady once a day caffeine helps prevent the migraines and keeps a little weight off, I like it.
Before COVID I used to drink 3 coffees throughout the day. When I got sick coffee (and alcohol) would make all symptoms worse. It took me about 10 weeks to recover and during this time I really took a break from coffee and alcohol.
Now I can go about my day with one cup of coffee which I spelt sip throughout the day, sometimes I don't even finish it.