Overcoming caffeine addiction
I read on a friend’s blog that since she stopped drinking coffee, her energy level increased. I did a Google search with the words, “evils of coffee” and found: Coffee: The Great Energy Sapper
By Frédéric Patenaude. I also found, Caffeine Blues: Ten Ways Caffeine Harms Your Health and How To Kick The Habit These two articles inspired me to stop drinking all caffeinated drinks cold turkey from Tuesday, April 23rd.
In order to break a life long habit of drinking a cup of coffee the first thing after waking up in the morning, I used a method known as “behavior modification.” I took the dog out on for a walk and enjoy some fresh air and scenes of God’s beautiful creation (I live in the country). I hear behavior modification doesn’t work in the long term for addictions that come from natural desires, but like drinking alcohol, the desire for caffeine is not natural.Both are addictive mood changing chemicals the body does better without.
I felt depressed and uninspired the first three days after putting an end to a daily caffeine intake which spanned decades, but from the fourth day, Friday, I felt much better and was inspired enough to write this post!
Yesterday during my bi-monthly Thursday evening English teaching class, a perfect opportunity presented itself to tell my students about the evils of caffeine: There wasn’t any coffee on hand for the students as there usually is. In the two years I’ve been teaching this class, there has always been coffee available for the students and the teacher. I told the class that I quit drinking coffee and all drinks and substances that contain caffeine including black and green tea and even chocolate. “Why?” a lady asked. “Because,” I replied, “caffeine is an addictive poisonous drug that does me no good whatsoever!” It’s hard to describe their negative reaction to that statement. It was as if I told them they were all drug addicts! None of the 9 students present agreed with me about the benefits of stopping caffeine. But they thought it was interesting when I told them the “energy” we get from caffeine is the same energy as a horse feels when you whip it!
Did you know 80% of the world is addicted to caffeine? Did you know that coffee is the number one money making crop in the world? Did you know coffee companies have a vested interest in getting and keeping you addicted to caffeine? If you didn’t know that, check out the book, Caffeine Blues. I just ordered it myself from Amazon.
Somebody said, “Change begins with knowledge.” I certainly find that true in my life.
Caffeine consumption is dangerous for health
The following information is from the book, “Caffeine Blues” by Stephen Cherniske, M.S. and specifically from Chapter 5, “Specific Health Disorders: The Caffeine Connection” and chapter 6 “Caffeine and Women’s Health”
Habitual caffeine intake is linked to:
- Cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, stroke)
- Gastrointestinal disease (Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ulcers, etc.)
- Migraine headache
- Diabetes
- Osteoporosis
- Anemia
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Fibrocystic Breast Disease
- Breast cancer
- Birth defects
- Adrenal dysfunction disorders such as allergies, asthma, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and autoimmune disease
- Urinary and prostrate problems
- Gout
“Compared to men, research shows that caffeine is much more damaging to women, producing adverse effects at lower intake.” – From Caffeine Blues Chapter 6 p. 225
Also see: http://www.naturalnews.com/012352_caffeine_coffee.html
May 7th update: It’s been 2 weeks since I quit drinking coffee and all caffeine containing beverages. I feel better. I rejoice to face life without the caffeine drug. I feel I found a key to answers to my problems, something that has been eluding me for the past 3 decades!
Today I found a good resource that says the same things as Caffeine Blues It’s concise and short: http://www.hflsolutions.com/ne/free_articles/CaffeineProblems_Top10.pdf I printed it out to share with a Japanese friend, a 20 year old lady in medical school studying to be a doctor. I know she drinks coffee.
October 10 update: I’m still “off the bean” and feeling better than ever! The morning coffee habit is now a distant memory.
January 13, 2014 update: While hitchhiking back home standing at an expressway service area in Fukushima Prefecture, a driver offered me a can of strong black coffee, the kind I used to like to drink. It had been 9 months since I quit coffee. Because I was cold and the coffee was warm and because I thought to experiment to see what effect it would have on me, I drank it. Within a few minutes I felt that caffeine “high” I hadn’t felt in a very long time, even when I was drinking coffee! But after about an hour when the high wore off, I was left with an uncomfortable and uneasily jittery type of feeling. Next time I’m offered coffee, I will not drink it.
