How to Live Through Caffeine Withdrawal
I knew that regular coffee is full of caffeine, that’s one reason I drank it. What I didn’t realize was, that caffeine is found- often in large amounts- in other drinks as well. Most people know that Mountain DewâÂ?¢ has a lot of caffeine in it. One of my brothers who is a truckdriver, says that Mountain Dew is a favorite of truckers who don’t like coffee, but who need to stay alert during those long hauls. Mountain Dew and its diet counterpart both contain 55 milligrams of caffeine. Just drink four cans of Mountain Dew, and you’ll have enough caffeine in your body to equal taking a VivarinâÂ?¢. Vivarin is an over-the-counter caffeine tablet that revs up your body.
Other drinks that contain the eye-opening substance are Mello Yellow soda pop. It’s caffeine content is nearly 53 milligrams per twelve ounce can, which is not much lower than Mountain Dew. Coca-Cola and Diet Coca-Cola both contain nearly 47 milligrams of caffeine. Drink two Espressos and you’ll get a jolt of 200 milligrams of caffeine too. You get the picture. Caffeine is a common ingredient in most coffees, tea, Cappuccino, and soda drinks.
The medical experts say that drinking 250 milligrams or more of caffeine in a short amount of time (so that it’s all in your body at once) can cause a condition known as “Caffeine Intoxication.” The symptoms of Caffeine Intoxication include nervousness, racing heartbeat, insomnia, loss of mental focus, and energetic spells. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you may be addicted to caffeine. You should stop drinking the stimulant. Then, of course, you’ll need to learn how to live through caffeine withdrawal.
When I was still a “Caffeine Junkie”, I didn’t notice having any of these symptoms. What finally made me stop and think, was one night at work when I experienced chest pains and difficulty in breathing. I was rushed to the local emergency room with a “heart attack.” Fortunately, my medical problem was not a heart attack. After running tests that showed no signs of heart distress, the doctor questioned me about my job and my eating habits. The diagnosis finally came out to be exhaustion, stress, and too much caffeine. I was given three days off work. The doctor also advised me to reduce my work load and lay off the caffeine.
If you’re used to drinking a lot of caffeine, and you abruptly stop, the results are similar to quitting smoking “Cold Turkey.” Caffeine withdrawal symptoms are usually severe headaches, moodiness, fatigue, and possibly nauseousness and vomiting. These symptoms can last up to a week if you can make it that long. You can take aspirin to relive the headaches, but you have to be careful what you take. Many pain relievers such as ExcedrinâÂ?¢ contain caffeine. Just the chemical you DON’T want to be ingesting. Excedrin contains about 65 milligrams per tablet, AnacinâÂ?¢ contains 32 milligrams of caffeine per tablet, and Vanquish has about thirty-three milligrams of the eye-opening chemical in each tablet.
The best way I found to live through caffeine withdrawal is to reduce the intake gradually, instead of trying to go “Cold Turkey.” The symptoms are much milder. And, I believe that cutting down gradually allows your body (and mind) to adjust to the change.
I immediately switched to mainly drinking decaffeinated coffee, tea, and soft drinks. While some of these beverages aren’t truly free of the stimulant, they still contain much less caffeine. Soft drinks such as “Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola” is true to its name because it contains zero milligrams of caffeine. 7UpâÂ?¢ contains no caffeine too.
But, in order to still give my body a little of the caffeine it craved, I still drank a regular cup of coffee in the morning to get me going. This shot of stimulant warded off the side effects too. At least for awhile until it wore off. Since I also love chocolate, which naturally contains a fair amount of caffeine, I allowed myself to keep enjoying my chocolate fixes. The average chocolate bar contains about 30 milligrams of caffeine. So chocolate helped give my body a jolt of the stimulant it craved.
If I had a hard time with fatigue or headaches later in the day, I’d drink another small cup of regular coffee or have a twelve-ounce soft drink. Otherwise, I only drank decaffeinated drinks.
I’m not sure how much caffeine I had previously drank (or eaten) in a day’s time when I was a “Caffeine Junkie.” So now that I was trying to live through caffeine withdrawal, and I was closely monitoring my intake, I had no chart to compare to. I didn’t mind experiencing a certain amount of fatigue, and I tried hard to keep my moodiness in check. The headaches were the killers. But, since I still consumed a small amount of caffeine every day, they were tolerable too.
I also strived to drink more water in place of coffee or soft drinks. Water is great for flushing toxins out of your body. Other than that, I made sure to get plenty of rest so I didn’t need caffeine to keep me going.
Today, a change of careers has lessened my stress. I still work long hours sometimes, but I have continued to follow the same caffeine regime so I don’t become addicted again. I lived through caffeine withdrawal once, but I don’t want to do it again.
