If the thought of having coffee gets you up in the morning or not getting any cup throughout the day makes you anxious, then you might be addicted to coffee.
A normal dependence on caffeine may not be lethal in the sense that it won’t harm your health like drugs, but it is never good to feel like you need caffeine to function in your everyday life.
Apart from everyone at your favorite café knowing you by name, here are a few other subtle signs that might indicate that you are addicted to coffee and most importantly, how you can recover from it.
You are super grumpy before your morning coffee
To put it simply, caffeine stimulates your pleasure centers by triggering the release of adrenaline and activating your dopamine receptors. When you are already addicted to coffee, you depend on its abilities to make you happy, and not getting any can make you grumpy.
You get a headache if you miss a cup
Caffeine narrows the blood vessels slightly, restricting blood flow. This relieves headaches and is a reason why caffeine is used in some headache relievers.
When you are used to drinking coffee every day and at certain times, you are used to this caffeine flow in your body, and skipping it can cause headaches - a typical sign of caffeine withdrawal.
You can't concentrate without being caffeinated
Like we discussed earlier, caffeine stimulates the release of adrenaline in our body which in turn helps us to stay alert and focused.
If you are used to receiving a boost of adrenaline everyday with the help of caffeine, you may feel like you cannot concentrate on your task without having coffee first.
You know everyone in your favorite café, and everyone knows you
If you are on a first name basis with the barista at your favorite café, you know you are addicted to coffee!
You have a hard time straying from your go-to coffee drink or café
You have your favorite café, and you have your favorite drink.
Anything other than that is a serious NO for you. You have a hard time even trying to look into the menu for other coffee drinks. You have your favorite drink and you like to stick to it.
You may be lying about the amount of coffee you drink
Given the amount of coffee you drink every day, your friends and family will try to talk you into drinking lesser amounts. And just to avoid them, or anyone else nagging you about all the coffee you drink, you eventually start to lie about it.
Help, I’m addicted to coffee!
Drinking too much coffee can lead to serious addiction and we don’t want you to feel like your life depends on coffee.
Coffee has many health benefits, so drinking it isn't a bad idea. What you should remember though, is to stick to a reasonable amount: two to three 8-ounce cups should be enough for a day.
But watch out, when you suddenly reduce your caffeine intake you may suffer from caffeine withdrawal.
Caffeine Withdrawal
These withdrawal symptoms can start anywhere from 12 to 20 hours after your last cup of coffee and hit the peak about two days later. These symptoms can even last as long as 7 days sometimes!
So what are these symptoms of caffeine withdrawal?
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Headaches
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Fatigue
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Anxiety
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Irritability
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Depressed mood
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Difficulty concentrating
Sound familiar?
Detoxing from Caffeine
If you are trying to detox from caffeine then you can try some of the following methods:
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Drink lots of water
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Gradually reduce the amount of coffee you drink
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Get lots of sleep (this is our favourite!)
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Avoid medications, beverages, and foods that include caffeine (e.g. protein bars, candy bars, hot chocolate, etc.)
If it gets any worse then you can also consult a doctor who can properly prescribe pain relievers such as ibuprofen or aspirin.
Feed your addiction by brewing coffee!
Another great way to show your love for coffee without actually drinking too much caffeine is to become a barista and brew amazing coffee!
Why not join Kaffeine Coffee School where you can learn the basics of being a barista or try our Latte Arts class?
Come, let’s brew some awesome coffee - call us today at 977-1-4413425 for more information.