want to give up coke/ caffeine

thatsa spicy

Hey. I dont drink much tea, and no coffee, but I drink lots of coke!!

Since I was 12 I've been drinking 2 litre bottles of the stuff like its nothing. I am definately addicted to it. I'm 20 now and want to cut it out of my diet completely. Currently I drink 4 or 5 2-litre bottles a week :eek: I find myself having to drink lots of water aswell just to quench the thirst that comes from drinking all that sugar and caffeine.

I have reasons for wanting to give it up which I will list out now for my own benefit!..
1) 840 cals in 2 litres is causing me to gain weight even though I was once a fairly athletic build
2) My teeth are being destroyed by it
3) I hate the idea of being dependent on a drink like that just to feel normal
4) Every big bottle is 2 quid that could be spent elsewhere
5) fear of diabetes in the future
6) all that sugar probably depleting my brain of dopamine, feel depressed a fair bit!!

I have tried giving it up plenty of times before (perhaps 10) but I always end up going back to drinking it because when I stop I get headaches, intense cravings, inability to concentrate and awful moods.

I'm wondering if anybody here has experience of giving up all caffeinated drinks after a period of using them heavily and, if so, how they managed to finally give them up?

Do you no longer crave the caffeinated drinks? How long did it take until you were no longer addicted? (ie. did you ever get to a point where you were able to, say, drink the odd glass of coke/ cup of tea without feeling the need to drink loads more?)

Every other fizzy drink I can give up no problem, just this fcuking coke thats difficult. Its indirectly probably caused me more damage so far in life than anything else
:mad:

Jack Sheehan

Maybe try coke zero for a while? It's very close to the taste and has no sugar. A temporary solution, yes, but it may help.

EileenG

I'd switch to mineral water, so you still have the fizz, but I'd go cold turkey on all coke and cola products.

Yes, it will be tough for the first while, but you'll get over it quickly. Switching to Diet coke may save you some calories, but you'll still be getting the caffeine and other additives.

Grit your teeth during the headaches etc. They are withdrawal symptoms and will go away. I promise.

peepeep

I totally agree with EileenG. Don't just say "I want to stop" - there's no reason why you can't just quit drinking coke. The headaches will be temporary and aren't entirely surprising after the abuse your poor body has taken. Put up with them and you'll be off the coke in no time.

taram

I've gone cold turkey from both, caffeine cold turkey is a huge pain for about 2 days but then it's absolutly plain sailing, easy enough to keep the headaches away with plenty of fluids and a cup of weak tea when it gets worse. For the sugar I'd try cut it down lots before I'd go off it completly, and make sure you don't just substitute the coke sugar with sweets, or even things like white bread to get the carb high.

I went off coke a few years ago, I do drink a 2-3 of coffee/tea a day but I can live without it, but I like the taste and I don't drink them with any sugar added. I don't think it was the caffeine hooking me but the massive quanities of sugar my body was addicted to.

rubadub

EileenG wrote: »

Switching to Diet coke may save you some calories, but you'll still be getting the caffeine and other additives.

Yes, many think it is the sugar destroying the teeth, and it does to some degree, but I expect it is the acid doing the real damage. Coke has phosphoric acid, we use it in work to clean copper and it removes weld marks from steel, it is used to clean out your central heating system, nasty stuff. Many say "oh imagine what it does to your stomach", but actually your stomach has far stronger hydrochloric acid in it anyway, its your teeth it really attacks.

I knew a heavy drinker who drank cider from flagons, and he had a perfect round circle rotting away at this teeth where he drank from!

I still drink some diet coke, but drink water after to wash it away, you are not supposed to clean your teeth as they are weakened and you brush away the protective layer.

Nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes but is not the one causing all the damage, this is why nictoine tablets would be used to wean yourself off the habit and save the damage the smoke does. So if you are finding it very hard you could consider weaning yourself off with caffeine tablets, if really stuck.

I gave up smoking with nicotine pills, otherwise you are trying to kick 2 things at once, the addiciton to the drug, and the habit of ingesting it, i.e. physical smoking, I had nothing to do with my hands in the pub!

If you still crave it you might try caffeine free coke since your body might crave the taste, associating it with a caffeine high, if you "teach" it you will not get a high your cravings might go.

Monkey61

I found giving up caffeine far harder than giving up smoking. It was a nightmare, but I did it and haven't touched the stuff in years. It was unbelievably amazing how good I felt after doing it. I was so used to feeling kind of rubbish and reliant on it that I didn't even know what it felt like to be awake and healthy. Honestly it will change your life!

Basically you just have to get used to the idea that it is going to be difficult. You will have headaches, feel sick, grouchy and depressed, tired and sluggish and generally fuzzy headed for a few days. Possibly up to two weeks til it all really clears possibly. But once you get through that, then you will be absolutely fine and you won't miss it at all.

Accept that is as long as it will take and then just go for it. Beware not to try it, like I did the first time, the week before my dissertation was due. For the fizz you could switch the coke with Diet 7up. Not forever obviously, but just as a little crutch to get you through until the headaches stop. Also drink lots and lots of water. Combat the general sick feelings by cheering your body up in other ways. Cook amazing meals, go for walks and listen to music or just hop in the shower for a nice long time to distract yourself if you feel awful.

thatsa spicy

Thanks for all the replies.

As it happens I have college exams this week but want to try giving up anyway!
I already drink plenty of water so I'll have no problem continuing with that once I start going through the withdrawl symptoms!

Monkey 61, that is a good idea with the Diet 7-up, but I always feel feint when I drink diet drinks..think its because the aspartame tricks my body into releasing insulin even though theres no sugar in my bloodstream to make use of it, so my already-present blood sugar becomes even further depleted, Might drink a can or two of normal 7-up each day until the caffeine withdrawal symptoms go away to give myself a better shot at giving up completely.

The headaches don't bother me too much, and neither does the tiredness. Its the depression and intense cravings that are killer; I feel depressed on an almost constant basis anyway and for that reason I want to give up while I'm unable to enjoy coke as much as I used to, even though I feel a physiological addiction to it...if that makes sense!!

El_Dangeroso

Monkey61 wrote: »

I found giving up caffeine far harder than giving up smoking. It was a nightmare, but I did it and haven't touched the stuff in years.

+1. Kicked caffeine for a month and oh god it was hell for a fortnight. I was really fuzzy brained and slept a lot but never felt refreshed. I had a two cup a day habit so hardly a caffeine fiend. But so much worse than giving up smoking.

I wouldn't go cold turkey, I'd switch to green tea for a week and then gradually reduce.

EileenG

Try being pregnant! My first pregnancy, any sort of tea or coffee, even the smell of it, made me puke. So not only did I have morning sickness like you wouldn't believe, I had mega caffeine withdrawal on top of that.

lizzyvera

I've never heard that that much caffeine was bad for you. I thought up to 5 coffees a day was fine, and that would be more caffeine than in 2L of coke. I just have one coffee a day because I love the taste and it wakes me up. The amount of sugar in that much coke is really bad for you though. You'll get sugar withdrawal on top of caffeine withdrawal.

EileenG

For most people, in reasonable amounts, caffeine is not bad for you. It's probably the most researched supplement ever, and there is a lot more to recommend it than to condemn it. There are a few unfortunate individuals who are very sensitive to it, and they can't tolerate more than very small amounts. And as I mentioned, sometimes pregnant women have problems with it!

AARRRGH

Google what coke and caffeine does to your body. Read and re-read your findings. Drill into your head how sick they are.

I also have a serious caffeine addiction. I've noticed one you pass two weeks without the stuff, it's grand, but if you have any caffeine at all (chocolate, tea, coffee, coke, etc.) your cravings will return. So you have to quit all of the above full stop.

El_Dangeroso

Severe caffeineism I've read somewhere can cause adrenal fatigue leading to chronic fatigue. I think that was in extreme cases though.

corkcomp

EileenG wrote: »

For most people, in reasonable amounts, caffeine is not bad for you. It's probably the most researched supplement ever, and there is a lot more to recommend it than to condemn it. There are a few unfortunate individuals who are very sensitive to it, and they can't tolerate more than very small amounts. And as I mentioned, sometimes pregnant women have problems with it!

it can also be very addictive for a lot of people but i would agree it shouldnt be an issue .. a lot of people who are trying to give up coffee probably need not bother as it is not doing any harm .. i reckon those individuals who are very sensitive to it wont be consuming much anyway!

metamorphosis

I love my strooongggggggg black coffee. 2-3 cups everyday but it has got to the stage where at 10am i am tired and irritable which is cured the minute i have a coffee. ughhhhhh