Caffiene addiction and withdrawal

[JAK]

Can't see this being a very popular thread.

Any experience out there with caffiene addiction and withdrawal. Loking for general comments and specific advice as to whether it might be OK to drink more coffee when hiking, and whether it might be easier to go cold turkey while active, or not. Trying to quit because I seem to be getting more severe caffiene withdrawal symptoms, probably because I have been drinking too much strong coffee, and I am not sure but I think the caffiene might be messing around and interfering with my anti-depression medication.

[VTATHiker]

Unless you're taking many long breaks throughout the day I think it would be difficult to maintain high-levels of coffee drinking on the trail. One of the reasons I think I like coffee out there so much is that it takes fuel, time and water to make, so I don't get much of it. If I needed a little boost during the day I'd take half a caffeine pill. On the other hand, if you wanted to come down off your caffeine addiction slowly, bits of caffeine pills might be a way to do it.

[gumball]

Chocolate covered coffee beans are a great caffeine fix, just a couple at a time. I also carry Gu on sections.

[Tuckahoe]

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...37263312778902 An interesting article on the subject.

Personally I will admit to being a bit of a coffee addict, and much more so in the last three years. I will have upto three cups over the morning and then up to two at night. Though in turn there are days that I may go without caffiene and only once in a while will I suffer a withdrawal headache.

When away from home hiking or at a reenactment I find that just one cup in the morning is sufficient.

[Trebor66]

I quit consuming caffeine in all forms about 3 years ago (the same time I quit smoking). Both were done cold turkey. I had a few headaches from the caffeine withdrawal and of course the cravings for nicotine continued for a long while. Personally I do not believe in using medications to ween myself off. Just make the decision to quit and stick to it. You may have a few crappy days but it will be worth it in the long run for sure. Good Luck!!!!!

[tiptoe]

Now that I'm retired, I drink a lot less coffee than I used to when I was working, generally just a mug of strong coffee in the morning, so coffee withdrawal on the trail is not much of a problem (I once went cold turkeymany years ago and developed a splitting headache that lasted three days.) When I hike, I carry green tea and yerba mate tea bags. If coffee withdrawal does occur, it manifests itself as a sluggish, unfocused feeling. But just in case, I carry a little "medicinal" Medaglia d'Oro powder. When I'm in town, though, there's nothing like a cup of steaming coffee with a big breakfast.

[Biggie Master]

At home/work I drink between 3 and 6 cups of coffee every morning. Normally if I go more than a day or two without coffee, I get the typical withdrawal headache. However, when I'm on the trail I'm able to put it down without issue.

[MuddyWaters]

My coffee starts at 4am when I head out the door to go to the gym. I also take a caffeine pill before weight workouts.

I drink coffee all day long at work

I drink coffee all day long at home on weekends sometimes. Sometimes I dont.

I sometimes drink some at night if I have time to read before bed.

I dont have any withdrawals or problems. When Ive had too much I feel yuck, and quit drinking it.

I dont drink much on the trail, maybe one cup every other evening, maybe none.

I do know people that quit because they got headaches when they werent drinking it, like at home on weekends, but Ive never had any issues.

I tried the chocolate expresso beans for fun, messy , yucky tasting.

[Wise Old Owl]

130x280xcaffeine-200-mg-39181.jpgThe message you have entered is too short - a picture is a thousand words.... a movie is Pi

[hikerboy57]

just drink plenty of water and eat breakfast,take a late morning break for a snack.i drink plenty of coffee at home, not nearly as much on the trail, cup a day, sometimes one in the afternoon, sometimes go a day or few without and never have any withdrawal symptoms.

[Dogwood]

Can't see this being a very popular thread.

Any experience out there with caffiene addiction and withdrawal. Loking for general comments and specific advice as to whether it might be OK to drink more coffee when hiking, and whether it might be easier to go cold turkey while active, or not. Trying to quit because I seem to be getting more severe caffiene withdrawal symptoms, probably because I have been drinking too much strong coffee, and I am not sure but I think the caffiene might be messing around and interfering with my anti-depression medication.

It certainly isn't popular talking about addictions when those addictions are more socially acceptable and promoted such as coffee, shopping, eating, alcohol, prescription drugs(pharmaceuticals), WB(? ), driving a motor vehicle, etc addictions. It's easier to pt fingers at others' addictions such as someone addicted to heroin, cocaine, meth, etc. It's also easier, more acceptable, and more common to pt fingers at illicit street drug dealers pushing their drugs rather than those drug dealers pushing those non illicit drugs and addictions.

YES, coffee is both psychologically and physically addictive. But let's make a distinction. Caffeine does not equal coffee although it's common equating the two.

Personally, I've been dealing with a high test coffee addiction. I recently realized just how much caffeinated coffee I was regularly consuming - 4 Ventis per day. That's 4 x 20 oz = 80 oz /day. That far surpasses ALL recommendations by MDs of maximum daily coffee intake. I no longer take coffee to the trail with me although I do indulge at in town resupply stops. I'm struggling with this addiction in towns. I have to admit, I've started noticing more negative consequences of my drinking of caffeinated coffee. As I've learned more and more about this I'm now aware the negative coffee drinking consequences outweighing the potential positive consequences. This is so obviously evident when I hike. My sleep habits and personality(attitude) are altered for the worse, my focus isn't what it could be in the long term, I get more roller coasting spikes in energy with a crash that follows, I'm consuming more dairy and sugar(lots of REAL half and half and 3 packets of Sugar in the Raw go in each one of my Venti coffees), I DEFINITELY know I'm less hydrated, migraine like headaches are more common, etc once on trail and back hiking after my in town indulgence. My sinuses get clogged up and phlegm are additional associated side affects with my coffee use; I notice this every time when I return to the the hiking after consuming coffee in town. After about 2-3 days of no coffee use AND consuming much clean trail spring water I return to a healthier physical and psychological disposition BUT MY IN TOWN COFFEE USE ABSOLUTELY NEGATIVELY AFFECTS MY HIKING DURING THOSE 2-3 Detox/Cleansing periods. I've been aware of a craving for coffee when I hike and I don't like it. This is all affecting my hiking in ways that I do not appreciate. Some might shrug this off or make excuses for or explain away their coffee use but I've chosen to start altering my behavior when it comes to coffee consumption.

Interestingly, as I know several in mid/upper level executive positions in the Starbucks Co, as well as countless Starbucks Store/Regional Mngrs and barristas, it's been shared with me by them, that one of Howard Schultz's(CEO Starbucks) goals was to get illicit street drug addicts and alcoholics addicted to coffee. It might be looked at as one socially acceptable drug dealer stealing customers from an illicit drug dealer. Seems as long as the right drugs are sold in the right socially acceptable ways and the right palms are greased we forget, and are made to forget, about the "war on drugs." Should we move on to food, shopping, electronics, alcohol, oil, tobacco, etc?

[Astro]

Not coffee, but drink 2-6 12oz Diet Cokes a day. Hiked 4 weeks this summer without drinking any and did not have any problems. Surprised I did not get any headaches. But it may have been the chocolate from the power bars or the Vitamin I that prevented that.

[Just Bill]

Quitting coffee is never a bad idea- and a day or three of some issues is common. While I definitely waffle (coffee is just convenient at home) I make frequent switches to Yerba Mate. Yes it's caffeine, but for some reason I find the concentration/delivery/who knows to be a better version of the drug. I work a lot of strange/long hours and don't get the same tunnel vision/headaches and other odd symptoms with the yerba mate and feel no less alert.

Malto and others have mentioned the benefits of caffeine to hikers regarding fat metabolism. I don't have any science to back it up but I agree with the assessment and consider caffeine a healthy enough part of trail diet in moderation. If you're going to take pills; might as well just drink something you enjoy instead or eat some dark chocolate. Also agree with Dogwood's dehydration issues though related to caffeine- another reason to drink yerba mate, green tea, or other less concentrated form rather than pop a pill.

[fiddlehead]

I've given up a lot of things for a year, sometimes simply to test my will power: chocolate, tobacco, pot, soda, meat, any pills and even TV, but when I tried to do it with caffeine and especially coffee, I got terrible headaches. I tried 3 or 4 times and each time, got the headaches.
So, it's the only one I failed at (although I did watch an Eagles football game that one year), and probably won't try it again.

Good luck in your quest.

[Trailweaver]

I drink Cokes during the day - usually one but sometimes more. I don't drink coffee at all, but I figured I'd have headaches from not having my Cokes. I never have, and can't figure why. I crave something cold to drink, but manage to do without, and also manage to not get a headache. Small miracles.

[yellowsirocco]

Coffee helps me be more productive at work so I will never be in the cold turkey boat. I do realize that a tolerance builds up so I skip the Friday afternoon cup and don't drink it on weekends to try and help reset my body. On the trail though I usually don't drink coffee unless it is cold out, I don't need my mind working so I have no use for it other than warming up.

[MuddyWaters]

Malto and others have mentioned the benefits of caffeine to hikers regarding fat metabolism. I don't have any science to back it up but I agree with the assessment and consider caffeine a healthy enough part of trail diet in moderation. If you're going to take pills; might as well just drink something you enjoy instead or eat some dark chocolate. Also agree with Dogwood's dehydration issues though related to caffeine- another reason to drink yerba mate, green tea, or other less concentrated form rather than pop a pill.

Caffeine is also the most potent performance enhancing athletic aid out there, so effective its banned by the IOC, NCAA, and other athletic organizations.
It increases oxygen uptake, and the strength of muscular contractions

[mrcoffeect]

All day every day. it is after all, my trailname. i leave camp in the morning with one in a nalgene,so i can have one while walk.

[Tuckahoe]

Sometimes I think its as much then ritual of making the cup of coffee...
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[aficion]

I'm a two cup a day type at home and at work. Black, so calories are not an issue. If I have more I get downright jittery which I don't enjoy, so rarely do. On the trail, usually just one cup in the morning. Have gone days without it at work, at home, and out hiking with no ill effects. My kids can be a headache at times, otherwise I just don't get them. Can't speak to the possible interplay with prescription meds. I know that when my doc tried putting me on prozac during my first divorce, it only lasted a week before I gave it up. Couldn't sleep, felt too buzzed all the time. Did not work for me and probably a good thing in my case. Love my coffee, but like with most things, moderation seems best.