Caffeine Dependencies: Do you have one? How do you get your fix?

I have it real bad for tea. I don't feel bad because I figure it is a whole lot better than over the counter medication for trying to go to sleep. The doctors gave me some sleeping pills but I don't take it! I did cut back on the cappaccinos though.

I am a recovering addict. I used to have to have a Pepsi every morning as soon as I woke up, and would maybe have one or two more throughout the day. Snacking on chocolate was also not uncommon for me. I still have an occasional Pepsi and a bit of chocolate every now and then, but giving up the Caffeine not only helped to stabilize my ups and downs, but I also lost 35 pounds in the process!

I only drink one cup of coffee in the morning to wake me up, and thats it for the day. I drink water all day it is much better and as you mentioned it will give some energy if you drink enough of it. Good job on cutting back.

I probably am pretty much a caffeine-dependent. I've been drinking coffee and Coca-Cola since I was a wee lad, and I love eating chocolate once a day. So for me, at age 43, it would be hard to just go "cold turkey" and not ingest any caffeine at all. I am, though, willing to reduce my consumption.

Hi, my name is Ryan and I have a caffeine addiction. I am big time into Diet pops and iced tea, needing (or at least thinking I do) to drink one or more of them every day. I always feel better after having had my fix for the day, so it is just something I keep coming back to. Speaking of that... where did that Diet Pepsi go?

I need my caffeine, and I know how sad that sounds! I can't get through the day without a Coke or Mountain dew. If I go all day without it I feel like crap, and I get headaches and even find myself getting cranky. I just feel better if I have at least one a day around lunch and one at night. The way I see it, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't really have any bad habits, so to say, so what harm will a few sodas do?

Oh yes, yes, yes!!!!!! I get my caffeine hit from good old diet cola and I am useless without it. Pretty irritable too lol. I do drink the regulation eight glasses of water and I drink tea, hot chocolate (nearly as good as diet cola, but not quite!)and squash, but nothing helps me through a heavy work load more effectively. Drop my dependency? I doubt it, I enjoy it far too much and a gal has to have a few vices lol.

I used to drink tons of strong coffee every day until I found out a couple of facts; 1) Caffeine can actually stunt your growth. This is because the caffeine actually slows down the growth hormone in your body - also why some people can end up becoming ill or end up with bad skin. 2) If you drink too much caffeine (more than 20 mugs of strong coffee a day - about 1,300mg of caffeine) and you give up, the withdrawals can be so bad you can end up in hospital from the effects. I gave up caffeine once in one go and I was ill for about a month then one day I just started drinking it again and I was fine. I found after that, that when I wanted to cut it down I went onto half-caffeine coffee and now I only drink caffeine free coffee. I used to think that coffee never affected me (as someone else mentioned, I was also able to get asleep after a coffee) but since coming off caffeine all together, I realised how much it did actually affect me! I don't drink coke, unless caffeine free which I don't like the taste of or eat chocolate.

I have never been dependent on caffeine. I do drink caffine everyday but I have went more than a month without it before and it doesnt bother me. My mom has to have some caffeine everyday though or she gets a headache.

I used to have to have at least one cup of coffee every morning or I thought I could not function. However, like you, once I gave it up what I found was that I actually had more energy instead of dragging. It was hard the first week or two though, I did get headaches for the first few days. I have quit my caffee dependency for about 3 years now, but strangely enough, I have been craving coffee like crazy this past month.

I recommend green tea, which has a lower level of caffein than coffee, as a substitute of coffee. It not only reduce your caffein intake gradually, but also our body benefits from the antioxidant compounds in green tea. =)

No, I'm not addicted. I drink caffeinated all the time, but I can go without it and not go through any withdrawals. Usually I don't drink it to wake up, I drink it just cuz it's in drinks I like. Only when I am very light on sleep does it become something I use to wake me up - and by light on sleep, I mean less than four hours.

I loooooooove chocolate in any shape or form. That is my biggest caffeine addiction. I am not a coffee drinker. I drink 2 cups of green tea every day, but I don't think there is much caffeine in green tea.

Well, about a few weeks ago I tried to give up caffine as well but that only lasted for a while and then I missed the rush that I used to have when drinking caffine. I guess there is this certain stereotype that a person has while drinking coffee that it makes them more intelligent or more busy because they're drinking coffee lol. I don't know if that makes much sense, but I drink coffee about once a day if I get time. So sorry I can't help to promote less caffine drinking, but hopefully everyone else will have a better shot at it!

I'm pretty sure I have a caffeine dependency because if I don't have any coffee in the morning I'll have a headache by the afternoon. I started drinking coffee as a teen just because I love the taste and now I still love the taste, but I drink at least one cup a day just to stave off a headache. I try not to drink soda or other caffeinated drinks, just coffee and sometimes tea. I'm not a big chocolate fan so I have no problems with that. You feel energized after drinking caffiene because it's a stimulant, but it's false energy (unlike juice)so it only lasts for a short while.

I did try to give up caffeine and went through a period of about 6 weeks where I didn't drink coffee. But I was miserable throughout! I now drink coffee first thing in the morning, but limit the number of cups I have to two, and never drink coffeee after lunch onwards. I feel this is a healthy balance. I get t enjoy coffee but don't overdo it.

It's a funny thing the only hot drink I have is coffee .. Yet I never get any 'withdrawal' symptoms if I suddenly stop drinking it .. and it makes no difference whether I buy decaff or regular .. I just love the taste of coffee .. but I don't get any 'buzz' from it .. or feel energised ... I just enjoy supping coffee

I am laughing because I read your question about "what do you drink?" and my answers are yes, yes, yes and yes on the chocolate once in awhile too. I'm terrible about caffeine and I shouldn't be because of my high blood pressure! I have cut back on the tea and coffee and am replacing most sodas with water lately and I do feel good for doing that. However, the weird thing with me is that I seem to be very unaffected by caffeine. It doesn't "wake me up" or keep me awake. I can drink coffee at 2AM and still sleep just fine. My mom used to be like your fiance. She was addicted to caffeine in a serious way and would get the worst headaches if she didn't have her coffee. Even if we were out shopping or what have you, we always had to stop at some point for her to have coffee. I used to get frustrated because, even though I could (and did!) drink the same amount as she did, I never craved it, felt the "need" to have it or had any headaches or anything if I didn't get it. Really weird how people can react so differently to the same things.

Yes, I love coffee... and right now, I'm having it... I feel recharged after having one but I'm not addicted to it.. what only takes not to be addictive on something is discipline, always put on your mind that too much is worst. By this thinking I was able to balance my diet.

No I don't I hate the taste of coffee and harldy drink softdrinks that contain caffeine. I do drink tea sometimes, but not that often. Maybe once a week or so. I mostly drink water! Nice and cheap. Plus it really helps when your thirsty instead of making you crave for more, like most sugary drinks do. I do know some people who really 'need' their coffee.