About two years ago, I drank about five to six cans of pop (as we refer to it in western Wisconsin. The pop/soda/coke debate will be saved for another article) per day and had been doing so for quite a long time. I had developed a terrible addiction to caffeine. The beverages I drank were also high in sugar. Pepsi. Coca-Cola. Mountain Dew. Sun Drop. Anything that had a nice dose of caffeine of sugar. I was not much of a coffee drinker although all of this can be applied to someone who drinks to much coffee or any form of caffeinated beverage. I had to take a can of pop to my early college classes. I would sip on soda all day. If I didn’t, I would develop a headache and a terrible urge to satisfy my addiction.
My desire to break this addiction started only after I had developed stomach problems. Along with constant stomach aches, I ended up in the emergency room twice with awful pains feeling my appendix had burst. Besides, these problems the stuff I read including how damaging drinking these beverages can be to your bones. Other stuff I read influenced me such as the story of NBA star Caron Butler’s Mountain Dew addiction. Last but not least, the costs incurred with constantly buying 12 or 24-packs was not making me happy with so much other stuff for the money to be spent on besides something that is not good for me.
After my last bout of stomach problems, I quit cold turkey over my week of spring break from college. I did not have to worry about school or work for that week. However, that is not realistic for everybody who has many responsibilities. Besides this, I was incredibly miserable with terrible headaches. Towards the end of the week, I was fine. Here are some tips to breaking your dependence of caffeine.
Slowly reduce the amount of caffeine you drink
If you drink six cans of pop per day, slowly take it down to five, then four and so on. Keep track of how much you are drinking. If the dependence is bad, stretch the times you drink it to when you most need it.
Replace your urge with something healthier
I replaced the sugary, caffeinated drinks with sparkling water. Like the pop I drank, it came in cans and I could sip on it the same as I had before. Although, this did nothing about the cost issue I had. I slowly switched to drinking tap water.
For about an entire year, I would not touch caffeine at all. I was scared at slipping back into my old habits. I felt great about breaking the habit. My body felt much healthier. To not have the dependence was a breath of fresh air. With the birth of my son in the past year, I have started drinking caffeine again from time to time responsibly. Rarely more than one can of day.
Reducing your dependence on caffeine will make you feel much healthier and better about yourself.
