{"id":937,"date":"2010-06-04T19:13:18","date_gmt":"2010-06-04T12:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paulgoodchild.net\/blog\/?p=937"},"modified":"2011-11-23T00:31:13","modified_gmt":"2011-11-23T00:31:13","slug":"in-control-coffee-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulgoodchild.me\/blog\/in-control-coffee-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Coffee – are you in control of your addiction?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a lesson it seems I must learn and relearn – coffee is all about balance!\u00a0 It’s full of caffeine – a highly addictive chemical stimulant.\u00a0 Several times in the past I’ve had to take measures to completely remove it from my diet – usually when I realise I’m not drinking it for the taste and the pleasure, but because I feel I need <\/em>it. Somehow it creeps back, usually shortly after I make the choice to have just one<\/em>.<\/p>\n

“I’ll limit myself to once a week, on the weekends.”\u00a0 That works; for a time.\u00a0 But it gradually forms a habit until I’m up to “one a day, but no later than lunch time”.\u00a0 While I was in Bali<\/a> I was even drinking it at 7 o’clock in the evening, and that’s when the alarm bells began to chime, if only very quietly at first.<\/p>\n

A few days ago I travelled from Kuala Lumpur<\/a>, Malaysia, to northern Thailand by bus and train.\u00a0 Not pretty, but I decided to take this time to ween myself off caffeine.\u00a0 And it worked, for a time…<\/p>\n

Word count: ~1000.\u00a0 Approx. reading time: 5~10 minutes.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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Caffeine addiction and your health<\/h2>\n

Is caffeine addictive?<\/p>\n

In a word, yes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Caffeine alters your brain chemistry in much the same way as cocaine and heroin.\u00a0 It binds to, and blocks, the neuro-receptors in your brain (Adenosine) that are responsible for producing a drowsy effect and making you sleep.\u00a0 And further, instead of slowing down, the nerve cells speed up and in-turn precipitate the release of adrenaline, as an emergency response to this increased activity.<\/p>\n

Now you’re really wired<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Long term, this is particularly bad for you as it directly impacts you’re ability to sleep (since you’re clogging up your adenosine reception) and to sleep deeply<\/em> when you do actually rest.\u00a0 Caffeine takes some time to clear out of your body so depending on what time of the day you had your last caffeine hit, you could have a large amount remaining in your system by the time you need your sleep.<\/p>\n

What happens when you don’t get enough good sleep?\u00a0 You’re grumpy and irritable; you concentrate less well and in general you function much less efficiently. There are also long-term health implications (see links below).<\/p>\n

How do you solve these problems that stem from lack of sleep?\u00a0 Simple. You grab yourself a coffee on your way to the office… and so the cycle is complete.<\/p>\n

How to fix your caffeine addiction?<\/h2>\n

There’s really only 1 appropriate response to take in the face of addiction – attempt to break it.<\/p>\n

The title of this article is little contradictory since addiction of any kind implies a lack of control – you <\/em>are no longer in the driving seat; you <\/em>are not the sole determinant in your destiny.<\/p>\n

That sounds rather grandiose, but for me, once this realisation sinks in deeply, and it has (again) for me in the past two or three days, the only appropriate response is to wrestle back control.<\/p>\n

Today, while watching TED<\/a> Podcasts for a couple of hours in a nearby caf\u00e9, I allowed myself to have 2 cups of coffee in the space of an hour – it was raining after-all so what else was I to do?\u00a0 What balls!<\/p>\n

The justifications your addiction-addled brain conjures up to make you take another hit is incredible.\u00a0 The good thing about caffeine-addiction is that while it’s very real, it’s non-serious compared to other substances such as nicotine, heroin etc.\u00a0 We can witness the power of addiction in the clear light of day and be able to quit (relatively) easily.<\/p>\n

I had became aware, during my time in Bali recently, of how irritable I had become.\u00a0 Sometimes I was shocked at myself, but I knew the underlying cause.\u00a0 I just didn’t want the hassle that comes with breaking the caffeine habit.\u00a0 Now I feel it’s time to properly give it up, even though I tried and failed a few days ago while travelling up from Malaysia.<\/p>\n

After arriving in northern Thailand I checked myself in to the nearest coffee shop to “get high”, completely negating the hardship of the previous 48hrs of the caffeine-free life.\u00a0 I deserved a treat, I told myself.\u00a0 Again, what balls!<\/p>\n

I’ve been meaning to write this article and have even been using it (completely irrationally of course) as an excuse not to quit the habit yet – I somehow tied up a relationship between quitting and publishing.\u00a0 Crazy logic.<\/p>\n

What to expect when you kick the habit?<\/h2>\n

Quitting the caffeine is a difficult process, but luckily not as terrible as most major addictions.<\/p>\n

I’ve done it few times, so I know what to expect for myself.\u00a0 But as with most things like this your mileage may vary.\u00a0 It’s nothing to be worried about, and you can look forward to the great benefits when you’re successful, such as more natural latent physical and mental energy, mental clarity, and freedom!\u00a0 But first, you can probably expect:<\/p>\n