How to Break Your Caffeine Addiction

Break Your Caffeine Addiction

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By ShannonBeineke
eHow Community Member

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(86 Ratings)

Caffeine makes you feel more alert by increasing stress hormones, which alone should be reason enough to quit. Insomnia is another; when caffeine stimulates the nervous system all day, resting at night becomes more difficult. Then the addict wakes up needing more caffeine to feel alert. This cycle can and should be stopped.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Recognize your caffeine addiction. If you rely on it for energy, or have trouble concentrating without your beverage of choice nearby, you may have a caffeine addiction. Other signs include dizziness, severe mood swings, headaches, and hypertension.
Step 2

Stay motivated. Remind yourself why you want to break your caffeine addiction daily. Do it for your own well being; caffeine can cause tremors, loss of motor control, and fetal damage. You can't overcome addiction for anyone but yourself.
Step 3

Keep healthier beverages nearby. Whether it's decaf coffee, green tea, or orange soda, make sure you have plenty to drink. Ice water and fruit juice would be the healthiest choices, and they even come without a heightened risk of heart attack!
Step 4

Get support from family and friends. Explain that you are breaking your caffeine addiction, and ask them not to offer you any. Telling other people will help you commit to your goal. Failing in public is much worse than failing no one but yourself.
Step 5

Make a timeline. Decide the pace at which you're going to quit and stick to the agenda - even if life gets stressful and you "need" that extra boost. Create rewards for meeting your goals and punishments for failure. Do whatever works for you.
Step 6

Be ready to go through withdrawal. The restlessness, muscle stiffness, irritability, chills, difficulty concentrating, and headaches can last up to a week. These symptoms should be at their worst 24-48 hours after your final caffeine pick-me-up.
Step 7

Keep trying until you've met your goal. So what if you fail the first time? Give it another shot when you're ready. Figure out what stopped you from succeeding, and do everything in your power to make sure that doesn't happen again.
Step 8

Respect others' right to drink caffeine; don't criticize them for their unhealthy choices. Those with enough self-control to drink one caffeinated beverage per day are not addicts, and they don't need to quit. Over 100mg per day = addiction.