When I think of addicts, I usually think of illicit drugs and withdrawal symptoms, and a lot of ugliness. You hear of people doing crazy things to get their fix. From stealing pills to robbing banks to get money, too much worse.  

The definition of an addict is a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences. People will keep using a substance even if they know it will continue to be a problem. 

But how good or bad is caffeine for you? The American Psychiatric Association doesn’t even classify caffeine addiction as a substance use disorder, however, it does acknowledge that withdrawal symptoms do occur. It’s obviously legal and can be found in nature as well as synthesized. 

As a regular consumer of caffeine (primarily tea) I wanted to see if I was addicted to caffeine and if I was, do I need to stop. Here is what I discovered.

First, let’s discuss the benefits of caffeine.

Pros of Caffeine

Did you know that about 90% of Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis? If you’re anything like me, you get your fix first thing in the morning. Whether it be via coffee, tea, and for some even soda. And why wouldn’t they? After taking that first sip of morning coffee, caffeine enters the system about 20 minutes later.  The common benefits of caffeine include increased alertness, motivation, increased mood, and even makes you stronger and faster. With all those positive attributes, it only makes sense to consume caffeine. 

For me, though in the back of my mind I feel like I’m altering my body chemistry, and the “feel-good” feelings I’m experiencing are superficial. And like any drug that makes you feel good, there’s bound to be a crash of some sort. 

So, lets’ discuss the addictive side of caffeine and what happens if you do stop consuming it.

Cons of Caffeine

Fortunately, we don’t start knocking over banks and holding people up at gun-point to free them of their cash, in order to get our fix. But some side-effects we may encounter include headaches, sour-mood, loss of motivation, brain fog, irritability, and possibly depression. It’s these feelings, that cause us to reach for that cup of joe first thing in the morning. We don’t want to deal with those side-effects.

This is obviously a cycle that we’re all familiar with. So, at what point do we need to take a look at our caffeine consumption and see if it’s out of hand. 

According to the FDA, about 400 milligrams of caffeine can be consumed by adults, per day. This is roughly 4 cups of 8oz coffee. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really consume my caffeine in 8oz portions. Additionally, if you hit up a Starbucks for one Blonde Roast, it has 360 mg of caffeine in that one drink. You can probably see where I’m going with this. It’s easy to overconsume caffeine. And the more we consume, the higher our tolerance can get, meaning we’ll be reaching for more next time to get the same fix.  

Does Caffeine Contribute to Insomnia?

I love a good night’s rest. Waking up feeling refreshed is a great feeling. It’s those nights that I toss and turn, wake up feeling just as tired as when I went to bed, that makes me want to shower in coffee. Caffeine is easily absorbed into our system, but it can linger for hours. And some of us are more sensitive to caffeine than others. I for one, try to stop consuming any caffeine after lunch. On the other hand, I know people that can drink coffee after dinner and still sleep like a baby. 

As I mentioned above, I set out to see if I’m addicted to caffeine. I feel like my minimal caffeine consumption, combined with the fact, that I don’t consume caffeine after lunch, my intake is okay. If for some reason, I found that my reliance on caffeine was increasing, and my sleeping schedule was disrupted, I would consider throttling back a bit.  

How to Detox From Caffeine

So, let’s assume you’re drinking a few cups of coffee in the morning, and maybe you’re even drinking a soda or an energy drink in the afternoon so that you can power through the remainder of the day. You find yourself doing this day after day, week after week. It’s not only a cycle you can’t seem to break, but your wallet is also taking a hit. After all, these coffee shops aren’t giving away this wake-up juice. If you want to get your brain back down to normal levels there are two main strategies for breaking up with caffeine. 

Cold Turkey

The first is to go cold turkey. Giving up is hard to do, but doing this method also involves being around others enjoying caffeine, while you’re doing the exact opposite. Similar to smoking or drinking alcohol, drinking coffee, or tea in the morning with others is very much a social thing. You’ll need to be prepared to deal with this. The other side effects listed above need to be considered as well. People that have been successful at quitting cold turkey, say to drink plenty of water, or lemon water, focus on getting good exercise every day, and if need be, try melatonin to help you sleep. After a few days, you should start to see improved concentration, better sleep schedules, and more patients. 

Weening Method

The second method is weening yourself off. Some are able to slowly decrease their intake and completely remove caffeine from their system. If you can manage the slight withdrawals by decreasing your consumption this might be the method for you. Others say, similar to ripping off a band-aid, it’s best to get it over with so that you can feel the positive effects that much sooner. 

Both methods are tried and true methods. Depending on what kind of person you are, will determine which method is best for you. 

Conclusion

Like a lot of things, moderation seems to be the key to caffeine. Additionally, since caffeine is found in so many foods and beverages, it’s important to read labels. Once caffeine disrupts your daily lives, it’s time to re-evaluate your consumption. To learn more about health and fitness, check out our blogs here.