this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2023
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Maybe you should wean yourself off then. I would hate to feel like a slave to a substance. Perhaps start with cutting out the soda, that's probably what's causing the physical dependence.
I personally rarely have caffeine. I sleep pretty well, so I'm not that tired in the morning (I don't even use an alarm). I think people use caffeine to cover up bad habits, and that often feeds back on itself and leads to dependence.
You're right I'm sure. I should wean myself off. I started drinking coffee (very weak with milk) when I was about eight and I'm 65 now - so, maybe too late to quit?
And I don't really drink that much soda, I have a half glass of diet coke (and some water) after lunch and then water until dinner time, then another half glass of diet coke until I switch back to water again around 8:00pm.
If I were a drinker, like everyone else in my family, I'd probably forgo the soda and just have bourbon - I love that stuff, but my body can't process alcohol so I just always went the diet Coke route.
My understanding is that addiction to caffeine is pretty quick to break, and withdrawals usually last no more than a day. It's not like smoking or alcohol where there's strong physical dependence.
And it's interesting that you're getting such those symptoms with only a half a cup of coffee and a half glass of coke periodically. That doesn't sound like a ton of caffeine, and my understanding is that there are only concerns with >100mg or so of caffeine (obviously varies per person). Coffee is something like 60-80mg per 8oz, and soda is something like 20mg, so depending on what "half a cup" means for you, you're at or below 100mg.
So I wonder if there's something else going on that you should consult a doctor about. Skipping caffeine for a day or two should be enough, so maybe give that a shot.
Well I'm pretty moderate in my caffeine use. Partly because my stomach doesn't like most stuff that contains it - for example, I can drink about 1/3rd cup of (watered down) coffee a day before my GI system starts to feel like a warzone of pain.
I've a regular GI doctor, and we just completed the scopes down my throat and up - well, the other end. And they said everything looks good, no polyps to remove, they aren't even sure I really have diverticulitis, which another doctor said I probably did have.
So, I think it's weird also that I still get throbbing headaches if I go without caffeine - but I get headaches every day, so maybe the problems between my ears (a lot of people would probably agree with that assessment).
Lol, I hear that. I certainly have plenty of my own.
I also don't drink much caffeine at all, in fact, most days I have none. I find it messes with my sleep, and if I have more than a medium-sized soda in a short amount of time, I get a bit jittery. I mostly just drink it when I need to be more alert, like if I'm driving late at night or something.
Anyway, good luck, hopefully you figure out what's causing issues.
Thanks for the well wishes, I know what you mean about having trouble sleeping - most nights I simply don't fall asleep for several hours after going to bed. And then, my dreams are usually all very unpleasant nightmares.
So I don't really rest well anyway. Perhaps I'm the #1 candidate for "don't give this person any sugar or caffeine!"