Caffeine Addiction

>>18089324
I'm in the same boat as you. I went cold turkey last month and had these blinding, crippling headaches for about a week, combined with vomiting and flu-like shakes/chills. I managed to last about 2 weeks without coffee after the physical withdrawals subsided but the psychological addiction was still there, my brain just felt like it wasn't functioning right without caffeine. I finally caved a couple days ago and now I'm back on daily coffee. Apparently severe caffeine addiction is actually pretty similar to a lot of other addictions like heroin where even if you manage to quit, you still crave it for years afterwards because it has permanently altered your brain. It fucking sucks, I'd like some advice on this too.

>>18089324
>>18089338
Coffee is good for you. What's the problem for drinking coffee daily.

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>>18089346
I'm >>18089338 and my problem is mostly that I have GERD, and with GERD you are absolutely not supposed to have caffeine, especially coffee. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't really give a shit, but caffeine is literally killing me so I need to get off it.

But it's hard.

>>18089346
Depletes your endocrine system. Increases blood pressure.

It is good for curbing appetite and motivation though. It's not really good for your health though. But it's also not bad enough to be a huge deal. I'd just say it would be smart to not exceed 400mg of caffeine a day. 800mg+ is where it gets dangerous and bad.

>>18089346
I always thought this way, until I realized I am physically addicted to it. So, it might be difficult for someone who isn't to understand where I'm coming from. I want to go back to that nonchalance and be able to drink a few cups a day without my mind going ape shit and wanting to shut down. I guess it will just take time for my brain to rewire itself again and I need to be really careful to not exceed a certain daily intake. I started taking b vitamins but I'm not sure if it's helping.

>>18089365
Creatine helped me quit caffeine in the past. Gives you more energy so you don't have as much of a lethargic week. Plus some aspirin for headaches and it's not bad to get off caffeine.

>>18089370
I'll look into creatine. I did take L-lysine for a while every morning but I don't think it really did a damn thing. I take a pain reliever (usually naproxen) rarely when my migraine hits hardest and it does help.

has anyone tried a nootropic or whatever?

I know how you feel. I have been a coffee drinker same as you for most my life. It was for a long time practically the only liquid I had. Have quit it twice for longer periods, first two years, other time just over a year. The first time I can't remember, but last time i quit detox took two months. Currently i drink coffee, but usually less than five cups a day. During detox i was unable to function. Brain fog for days with intermittent periods of an hour or two with clarity. Gradually the clarity took over. On coffee I have more mental stamina than without. And it tastes great. And it is an integral part of muh culture, so don't be calling it bad.

>>18089324
I quit coffee once (I drink 6 cups-worth with 1% milk to cut the acidity) and I had a gout attack. Turns out I'd been medicating myself for years.

If you have a history of gout, drink some coffee.

>>18089667
I know that brain fog feel. It's why I tried adding L-theanine (not l-lysine I said the wrong thing before) and cutting back but I must have done something wrong. maybe there is a very specific dose that I'm able to tolerate without getting overloaded by it or something. I might have to force myself to just go without it a few days a week and really limit myself when I do drink it. Sucks cuz I want to drink daily.
>>18089687
Wow, glad you have a natural treatment for gout. It certainly has its benefits. Not sure if I can count the boost to metabolism as one personally, when I'm already a skinny shit. Btw I always drink it black or with whole milk, no sugar. I just love the taste of a good cup of plain joe.

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>>18089324
IF youre still here and you actually care the trick is to taper off. Create a timeline over a month or so of gradually weening yourself off. Quiting anything cold turkey is insanely brutal.

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>>18089346
In my case (not OP) it causes me gastritis and the alteration in my nervous system keeps me from doing essentially anything anymore. Neither physical of mental. It is not how the body is supposed to function and as you grow older it taxes your normal functioning. Generally any external stimulants have some of this effect on the long run.
When you start realizing this, you also realize how actually disgusting coffee can be. Cold coffee smells like piss.

As for OP, I haven't experienced what you're going through, but I suggest drinking plenty of water. It might not "cure" your symptoms, you probably want to reduce your caffeine intake gradually, but water will surely help keep your body in better shape for making the transition.
At least in my case, I'm trying to switch the caffeine in favor of more water, it kind of works.

I don't drink coffee, so this is just thinking out loud here, but what if you slowly weaned yourself off it by drinking stuff with less caffeine? like decaf and then tea or something