Understanding Coffee Addiction And A Hard Decision

My name is Erika and I'm an addict! I guess that's the first step, at least that's what I keep seeing in the movies. You have to admit that you're an addict. I just did that. I'm an addict! And it's time to make a decision.

Addiction is a serious illness, no matter what kind of addiction we are talking about. Addiction can be of many types drug addiction, alcohol, food, gambling, you name it. And there's coffee addiction. Did you know that caffeine is the most commonly used drug in the world?

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My Story

Before we go on, let me tell you that I'm not a doctor, or a scientist, or researcher. I'm just a simple addict!

I started drinking coffee when I was 18, not because coffee was something my body needed, but because it was cool to have a coffee with a cigarette. (That's right, I was a smoker too but gave up smoking a long time ago.) At the beginning I was only drinking instant coffee. Then after a while I thought a genuine coffee drinker drinks real coffee and switched to ground coffee.

Even though it started out as a joke, a game, after a few years I was drinking coffee on a regular basis, more than one a day and not just any coffee.I only drink espresso, strong espresso (the stronger, the better), preferably with a minimal quantity of brown sugar and no milk! That's coffee for me!

About three or four years ago I started thinking about my coffee addiction and knew this is not good, it won't end well, I knew I should quit and made a decision. When I told my family I want to quit, no one believed me, they all thought I can't do it, won't do it because they knew the lever of my addiction. Well, what better motivation do you need? I wanted to prove them wrong and I did.

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Quitting

I knew it would be tough to quit, so I thought it would be clever to start on Saturday. If you're a coffee drinker or a smoker, you know what the first coffee or cigarette means in the morning. I woke up and had a glass of water instead of having my usual morning coffee. My body was sending me signals, trying to tell me something is missing. First I got a headache which got worse during the day. Then at about 3 or 4 pm I felt sleepy, nausea, started yawning and felt that my strength is gone, there's nothing left in me, I can't do anything. I felt sick, literally!

At this point my mind started to search for solutions to solve the problem. The first thing that came to my mind was energy drinks and black tea because both are known to contain caffeine. But changing one addiction to another? Is that a good idea? No, it is definitely not but you know how human mind works. I said to myself, one black tea is not the end of the world, just today, just one, just till I get through the first day. OK, let's have one black tea with no sugar. I made myself a black tea but could only drink half of it and had absolutely no effect on me, none! By dinner time my headache got worse, it was was killing me, I was dizzy, cold, shivering, so went to bad early hoping the next day would be better or at least easier.

And the next day was a bit better but still had the withdrawal symptoms which were torturing me for another couple of days, then stopped. My life got easier and managed to stay away from coffee for two months.

Then one day I had a coffee, just to prove myself that I can drink one coffee and stay away from it after that. Then after a few weeks I had another one .... and the next week I did the same and, of course I got back to my old habits, having coffee on a regular basis and here I am today, telling you I want to quit again.

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What coffee means to me

I tried to analyze my behavior to see why I drink coffee and why is that I can't stay away from it and came to a shocking conclusion. I realized that I'm not drinking it because if its taste, or not just for its taste or effect. I realized that I was using it as a solution for everything.

I have low blood pressure, sometimes 100/60 which can generate symptoms like headache, fatigue, dizziness etc. My doctor told me I can have two coffees a day. So that's the main reason I got addicted to coffee, at least that's what I'm telling everyone, myself included. Now comes the question! Does coffee help? Not really. I guess my body got used to it because even after having two strong espresso my blood pressure is the same, still low.

This is only one reason why I drink coffee. During the period I was trying to quit, there was plenty of time to analyze myself and my behavior and came to the conclusion that I drink coffee when I'm tired, when I have a headache, when I feel dizzy, when I'm sleepy etc. In other words I'm treating everything with coffee. Does it work? Not really.

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What coffee does to your brain

Those symptoms I was feeling when I tried to quit, those were because caffeine altered my brain's chemical makeup.

Did you know that caffeine withdrawal is a mental disorder? According to the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) it is! This means in the next few days I'll be having a mental disorder and I'm not saying this because of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, but because I know from experience that it's true!

Now let's see what makes us, coffee addicts craving for coffee. Soon after drinking coffee or other food or drink containing caffeine, the substance is absorbed through the small intestine. This is how it gets into your bloodstream. Once caffeine is in the bloodstream, penetrates the blood-brain barrier and enters the brain (source).

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Structurally, caffeine closely resembles a molecule that’s naturally present in our brain, called adenosine (which is a byproduct of many cellular processes, including cellular respiration)—so much so, in fact, that caffeine can fit neatly into our brain cells’ receptors for adenosine, effectively blocking them off. Normally, the adenosine produced over time locks into these receptors and produces a feeling of tiredness. (source)

Basically coffee does not give you a boost like, it is believed, but it's blocking adenosine molecules and does not let them produce a feeling of tiredness, not to mention the adrenaline, which can be produced more efficiently.

I became tolerant to coffee and need more and more coffee, unfortunately, and doeasn't matter how much I drink, sometimes I can't get the effect I want.

There is more about coffee, it has many good effects, but for me the addiction, ot more precisely the withdrawal symptoms make me very uncomfortable. If I'm not being able to drink coffee for a day, I'm starting to feel them and it's not pleasant at all.

This means I'm always linked to this brown liquid, I have to think ahead, have to pack some and carry it with me in case I'm going to an unknown place and I'm not certain I'd be able to get some coffee for myself.

Apart from the other side effects, excessive coffee consumption can increases eye pressure, can put you at risk of developing glaucoma (source). This can be a very good stimulent to quit.

The other stimulent (for me to quit) is that according to to a meta-analysis, coffee oils may cause increased cholesterol.

This morning, meanwhile I was having my first coffee, I decided to have a week without coffe!!! Can you believe it? A coffee free week!

According to Stephen R. Braun, the author of "Buzz: the Science and Lore of Caffeine and Alcohol", this blocking effect can last between four and six hours.

The good news is that, compared to many drug addictions, the effects are relatively short-term. To kick the thing, you only need to get through about 7-12 days of symptoms without drinking any caffeine. (source).

This is obviously not the same for everyone, it depends on age and other factors but I'm a heavy coffee drinker, so I'm preparing myself to the worst. It won't be easy, that's for sute!

Documenting this journey is one of my intentions. It wouuld be helpful to write everything down, but I'm not sure anyone would be interested to read about my strugle on a daily bases. A week report might be a better idea.

Thank you for reading my article.
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