Detox is a bitch, but it's worth it
So, on Wednesday I got serious about basically quitting caffeine consumption except through normal things like the occasional soda or cup of tea. It was a nightmare for the first few days, but this weekend it really started to pay off. I didn't know how much my body was really dependent on it and how much it was weighing me down physically and mentally. I was not only seriously functional without any coffee after 9 hours of sleep on Saturday (after a week of 6-7 hour nights), but I have felt great this weekend.
Through the past few years, my caffeine consumption went up from a few cups of regular coffee a day to several shots of espresso a day and then sometimes several cups of coffee. At least twice the normal caffeine intake for most people. Screwed me up royally, and ironically, I've found a beer or Smirnof Ice to be a great way to stave off the headache and anxiety if done at the right time of day. I'm only surprised because I'm a reasonably big guy, and I wouldn't have expected it to have that much of an impact on caffeine withdrawl since one beer normally has no effect at all on me.
Energy level? I actually feel good and it's freaking me out. I am not going to quite drinking strong coffee, but I'm going to limit it to sci fi fridays and maybe one a day over the weekend from now on. Then, only one shot of espresso. The withdrawl made me halfway psychotic and I sure as hell ain't going back to that, so who knows. I will probably end up just going to one a week on Friday or Saturday.
It ain't over yet or anything, but it's a good ways to being over which is what matters.
So substituting alcohol for your caffeine addiction, interesting.
Caffeine is a stimulant, and consumption as with most anything that "perks" ya up, monitored.
Sex, alcohol, drugs, gambling, caffeine, exercise, etc...
Moderation is the key.
To everything, basically.
Except ...oh nevermind ;)
AND...
Good Luck!
Hehehe you don't have to worry about me, WW. I am not a regular drinker by any stretch of the imagination. One could hardly say that I am substituting one for the other since I have probably about five or six drinks a month, at the most.
Thanks, though for wishing me good luck. I don't think it'll be hard for me to keep up with this :)
When I slack off even on tea, I get headaches like you wouldn't believe.
Good luck!
Caffeine Addiction - Caffeine Effects and Withdrawal part I
In this article, we are going to discuss the importance of caffeine addiction and the most important facts about it, as caffeine addiction is something we all must prevent in order for us to be healthy and stay that way for years. We are also going to mention some significant facts about caffeine effects and how caffeine effects may affect our body performance considerably.
Caffeine addiction is one of the most famous types of addictions in the world, just like cocaine and marihuana. Caffeine addiction sometimes has been considered a lie, but it is a really, because caffeine is a stimulant that becomes addictive within a certain period of time. Interestingly, caffeine addiction shows up when you are not expecting it, and it does not necessarily show up because we want to
Pure caffeine is, chemically speaking, a plant-based alkaloid that stimulates the central nervous system in any living creature that intakes it. Biologically, caffeine serves as a form of pest control for certain plants like cacao trees, coffee shrubs, yuba mate and tea trees; it causes insects and other pests to fall down from the effects of over-stimulation. So, just like those pests and insects that I mentioned, caffeine also produces stimulation in our central nervous system, which usually makes us feel more energized, invigorating and active.
There is something called caffeine withdrawal, which refers to the sudden denial of us to consume caffeine, and it happens when regular consumers of caffeinated products may experience painful headaches if the body is denied caffeine. These headaches are caused by excess blood gathering in the area around the brain and sinus cavities, so without the stimulation provided by caffeine, the blood vessels shrink, restricting the blood flow. The traditional cure for caffeine withdrawal is to ingest more caffeine, which is not a healthy solution and this is also why many headache medications contain small amounts of caffeine.... to be continued
You can find more info at: http://yourcaffeineaddiction.com/