I am in a love relationship with Coca-Cola, and last summer I decided to fast from pop completely. It was horrible. I used to drink it so much that my kids called me Coca-Cola Clasen. At 11:15 one of my kids would automatically go to my desk and get me a Coke to fend off irritable behavior that was sure to ensue by 11:30. (That is what public schools are really teaching your kids, btw.) I probably drank 2-3 a day, which is to say it was all I drank.

That summer was really difficult, and I think I only broke down a handful of times, but every time I did, I felt horrible by an hour or two after I had it. Not emotionally. I am cool with cheating. But I could feel my insides being eaten alive.

Now, I am happy to say that I am more like a normal person. I drink a Coke or two a week, and have very few ill effects. I can go for weeks without it, but I can also have one afterward without feeling that horrible stabbing in my gut. I think in the long run, it was worth it, although it has occurred to me on several shopping trips just how much cheaper it is to drink pop over juices and such (because who likes water?). I do like having more control over my life and not being a jerk just because I haven't had my caffeine fix for the day.

I am addicted to coffee. Less so now than I was before, but I still need about 2-3 6 oz cups throughout the morning. When I don't get any coffee for 24+ hours, I get withdrawal headaches, I get snuffly and feel sick, and I'm all around miserable. And worse: My creativity vanishes, and I can't focus at all. (I think I somewhat understand how rockstars on drugs must feel.) My job quite literally depends on me maintaining my coffee habit.

I've thought about quitting coffee, because it makes me nervous to have a chemical dependency, no matter how mainstream and accepted it is. But since I can't write worth a damn when I haven't had my coffee, I'd have to time my quitting right: Only in a slow month, or when I'm doing technical manuals or something. Maybe when I take that sabbatical to Siberia.

But you're absolutely right: Coffee is never so effective as when you've stopped drinking it for a few days. It's as if your body is rewarding you, which I assume is common to addiction. I can't imagine how hard it must be to quit smoking, where the chemicals involved have so much stronger a psychological pull.

Friggin' Certis, Now all I can think about is a double expresso shot in a nice dark roast coffee...MMM.

http://www.caffeinedependence.org/caffeine_dependence.html#reference1

Fun stuff. Katerin the symptoms you describe are there under caffine addiction/dependance.

I've pondered this question many times, both from the practical and health considerations, and from a more philosophical standpoint. What I'm about to write will probably go against most modern psychology, as well as most beliefs and science around addiction.

Firstly, I'm in a nearly identical boat as Certis. I have one or two cups of coffee a day. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. But I'm not one of those 'my 20 ounce mug is constantly filled' kind of coffee drinkers. That said, I generally find that I function better with one or two cups than without. From a health perspective, there seem to be almost as many positive effects to drinking coffee as there are negative effects. The only notable side effect that ever truly concerns me is that coffee tends to give me cravings for junk food that I may not otherwise have. I try to mitigate this by being a typically very healthy eater, though, and my weight and physical health has never been of great concern.

In this way, being a regular coffee drinker doesn't bother me much.

Part 2 is that there is some aspect of me that does realize that the addiction and the effects are as much psychological as they are physical, and that relying too heavily on any external substance, or holding too rigidly to any kind of routine, can be as detrimental (if not moreso) than whatever physical effects may exist. By this I simply mean that if I 'think' I need coffee to perform well, that is almost worse than actually physically needing the coffee to perform well.

In this way, being a regular coffee drinker does bother me a little, and for this reason I periodically stop drinking caffeine for a few days or weeks, just to go through the experience of withdrawal and life without the influence.

Episode Three is this: for me, life is short, I live fully, healthfully and do the best I to give all I can each day. 'Show me a man without vice and I will show you a man without virtue.' In the grand scheme of life, my drinking one or two cups a day isn't going to sink the moon, but the positive effects that it DOES bring are tangible on a daily basis. One of the teachers I greatly admire has said that we all have 'kinks' (not sexy kinks, but non-normal) in the way that we live our lives. Some people are OCD and need a ritual. Some people need a certain amount of sleep. Some people need little sleep. And some people simply function better with the use of external chemicals such as caffeine, alcohol, or marijuana. If there is someone we know (including ourselves) who is somehow dependent on an external force to behave 'normally' or even 'better than normal', the ultimate question we must ask ourselves is this: is this person in some way 'better' - more open, more loving, more lucid, more relaxed, more confident, etc. etc. - while under the influence of this chemical or ritual? If so, and if this behavior doesn't in any way negatively impact others, or severely impact the physical well being of the individual (and even that is less important to me), who are we to say that it is 'bad'?

If I am more alert, more aware, more productive, more creative, and just a general better person to be around while under the influence of caffeine, who is anyone to tell me that it is 'bad' for me? It causes me no significant health-related side effects, it causes no other negative impact on anyone else around me...So why shouldn't I operate under the influence?

The term is regulating. To use a crass example, Marijuana tolerance goes away after approximately 2 weeks.
I have friends who take a 2 week break every 2-3 months so as to loose a tolerance.
The same theory can be applied to caffeine. Reduce dependency by adding withdrawal periods hence magnifying the effect of the drug.

I never used to drink coffee until a) I had kids and b) I had to start work at 7:00 am.

At this point, my choice is basically between going to sleep around 10:00 pm, which gives me maybe 1.5 hours of free time to hang out with my wife, write music, play games, etc after the kids go to bed, or going to sleep around 11:00-11:30 pm and drinking a few cups of coffee to get through the work day.

Typically I go with the second option, and mostly I'm cool with the trade off.

Where I get into trouble is when the coffee doesn't do it for me and I supplement with energy drinks.

I'm awake at 4.35 in the morning to leave for work. At that unholy hour a cup of coffee is essential for any alertness. At 7 am I have a special brew at work (a coffee shop) that is essentially a double short latte that kick-starts my day.

That is usually may last caffeine for the day, but I'll occasionally have a Coke with lunch.

I used to have about 4-5 cups of coffee and at least 2 cans of coke a day, but my sleep patterns were a wreck.

Have you tried tea? Black teas, on average, have about as much caffeine per bag as a can of Coke.

I've been caffeine free for a year now. I started drinking coffee when I was 10 years old and from then on I was addicted. If I didn't have caffeine by mid-day everyday I would get terrible headaches. I decided that I had to give it up once I realized it was causing most of my panic attacks and raging bitch modes. It's one of the toughest things I've ever done but I'm glad I gave it up.

Now I just wish I could say the same about alcohol. That's something I've been dealing with ever since I was 14. Sometimes I'm able to keep it under control but when it gets out of control it get really bad. I just wish there were SOS meetings in my area. I refuse to try AA because of their religious BS. And yes, this is rather personal but if I don't talk about it how am I supposed to get through it?

I think this is appropriate here:

Thinkgeek mana potions.

I shudder at the thought. Or maybe the effect. I'm not sure anymore; I think my brain is vibrating.

EDIT: Wow. It gets worse, too. *shudder*

Oogaba.

Simple, diet coke! I live on 4-5 Diet Coke Lime's per day.

Me too. I don't smoke anymore, and when I did a pack usually lasted a week. But go to a party in college and I could smoke the whole pack in one night. Generally now I only smoke at parties with a lot of drinking going on, like New Years. And if no one else is smoking I can keep it down to 1 or 2 and that's it, but the craving is definitely there.

I cant stop refreshing the Recent Posts view. I have a GWJ addiction!

I have coffee in the morning and a glass of wine with dinner, it's like the yin and yang of my day. I don't dare throw the universe out of balance.

I used them to stay awake at my joke of a job right now. They're all gone now.